Faith and Trust As A Primary Step

1 Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,
Hebrews 6:1 NKJV

1 Let us stop going over the same old ground again and again, always teaching those first lessons about Christ. Let us go on instead to other things and become mature in our understanding, as strong Christians ought to be. Surely we don't need to speak further about the foolishness of trying to be saved by being good, or about the necessity of faith in God;
Hebrews 6:1 TLB

1 So come on, let's leave the preschool fingerpainting exercises on Christ and get on with the grand work of art. Grow up in Christ. The basic foundational truths are in place: turning your back on "salvation by self-help" and turning in trust toward God;
Hebrews 6:1 MSG

We know that to have faith toward God is the same as believing His Word and trusting in His faithfulness. Hebrews 6:1 suggests that a Christian ought to move beyond the basic, primary principles of repentance of past conduct and of faith in God. Faith in this context, I believe, is more founded in a broad-based trust towards God. Basically, one of the primary steps that a Christian needs to make is the decision to trust in God no matter what.

Paul was warning Christians in Hebrews 6:1, to make sure that they do not get caught in the trap of missing the fundamental basics by trying to get saved by their own efforts, as The Living Bible emphasises in this verse, and the need to have faith in God.

The Message Bible recognises the context of faith in this verse in relation to trust and therefore gives it due emphasis with the phrase: and turning in trust toward God. A first step is something that is so utterly vital that a person cannot afford to miss it and continue without it.

The necessity of trusting God and not trying to please Him through our own good works is something that all Christians should embrace as the first step. But because Christians fail to trust God as they ought to, they suffer the consequences and have to be reminded to trust in God.

The Apostle Paul is definitely not saying that the subject of faith should not be preached. Faith is based on an understanding of the Word of God, particularly the finished work of the cross. It would be foolish therefore to suggest that teaching on the development, and application, of Biblical faith was something that should be taught as a initial step in Christianity, before moving on to other, more important subjects.

Biblical faith is the substance of Biblical teaching – a Christian cannot achieve much without it. Without faith teaching, we would be left with religious rule-keeping and nothing that can transform people’s lives. This argument further supports the belief that the necessity of faith in God in Hebrews 6:1 is a generalised trust in God.