Let Us Go On To Perfection

Life goes on. These are the words I hear and/or give others after some great tragedy that shakes our daily lives. I was speaking to a dear sister in Christ some time after the death of her life companion. She said, “I still miss my husband; every day I think of the way it used to be. However, life has to go on. I am learning to cope.”

I believe there is a certain positive here for the Christian journey as well. I do not accept as true that we are “born” Christians, but I do deem that we can be “born again” Christians. I am speaking of that day when the Holy Spirit invited and allowed me to make up my mind to follow Jesus Christ as my Savior and LORD. My salvation began a lifetime journey of faith, hope and love toward eternal life, and every day this same Spirit echoes these words, “Go on….” encouraging me to keep my walk with God.

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

Th e writer of Hebrews encourages us to "go on" (Heb. 6:1). As I meditate on the wisdom of a continual walk with God, I realize this writer is saying that there is more ahead of me than I presently possess. When things are going well with my day, I tend to want to “stay” rather than to go on to the unseen. Like Peter at the Mount of transfiguration (Matthew 17), it seems good for me to stay a while and take up residence. However, it is not long before my walk with God leads me off my mountain to valleys, even to Calvary itself and the Cross.

It is equally true that when the day is not pleasant and my world shakes beneath me, that I lose my motivation to “go on.” Instead, the cry of retreat is so loud it is deafening within me. It is so easy for me to sneer at the children of Israel in the book of Exodus who bemoaned their journey in the midst of God’s provision. They were thirsty and wanted to return to Egypt. How pitiful was their lack of faith. However, when I am without water and thirst, am I any better?

If I do well, I want to stay; If I do not well, I want to retreat. The writer of Hebrews says, “Go on to perfection,” We must keep walking with God.

Progress in one's spiritual life demands that we admit that there is more than what we presently possess. It mandates that we leave present comforts and securities, and venture into the unknown. It requires that we also depart the discomforts of tragedy and move forward in our walk with God.  Perfection and maturity in Christ demands it.

Heb 11:5-6 By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. (6) But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Gen 5:21-24 And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: (22) And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: (23) And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: (24) And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.

What a beautiful illustration of walking with God. Enoch pleased God by walking with Him. His walk was a journey of faith, and faith pleases God.

However, if you will notice, Enoch may not have always walked with God this intimately. The Bible says that he was 65 when his first son was born, and then he walked with God for 300 years. At 365 years he did not face death; he so pleased God with his faithfulness that God translated him. The KJV word “translated” means “to transfer from one place to another.” I use the word “rapture” because I see him as being caught up to heaven.

Therefore, every walk with God has a time of commencement, and ends with a moment of consummation - a starting point and a ‘translation.” Not everyone will be like Enoch and not face death, but if we walk with God and keep on keeping on, our transfer to be with the LORD is assured! Whether by resurrection or by a living rapture, I press towards the mark of my prize in Christ!

What happened to Enoch when he was 65? The Bible does not say, but I find its timing interesting. He is 65, Methuselah is born, and he starts a 300 year walk with God. There is some controversy as to the meaning which Enoch gave to his son’s name. Strong’s Dictionary gives Methuselah as a “man with a dart” (In modern words, “a man with a javelin,” or “a man on a mission” ).

But, there is yet another possible meaning for this name. The Hebrew word "metu" may be derived from the word "mot" meaning death and the "u" is a suffix that means "their" or "his" - ergo  "his/their death". There is no way to know for sure. The word “shelach” is "to send something". We now have the possible meaning of "their death sends" or "his death sends".  Enoch named his son something like, "his death will send...," an incomplete message waiting for a revealed judgment.

We know Enoch was a prophet, and the Bible records the coming of the flood in the very year of Methuselah’s death. A breakdown of the genealogies in Genesis reveals this. Methuselah was 187 when he had Lamech, and lived 782 years more. Lamech had Noah when he was 182. The Flood came in Noah's 600th year. 187 + 182 + 600 = 969, Methuselah's age when he died

If you would like to read more about Methuselah, here are some web references for your Bible Study:

• Name of the Month – Methuselah
• Methuselah (Mathusala or Mathusale)
• Meaning and etymology of the name Methuselah
• Meanings Of The Names In Genesis 5

I know I speculate, but I believe that Enoch received a prophecy from God concerning the growing wickedness of his times and the coming flood, and I believe he prophesied it through the name of his son. He thus began a lifelong walk with God that ended with God translating him from this life when he was 365. To add to this, there is a quote ascribed to Enoch in the Ethiopic Enoch (Chapter 10 and verse 4) "… all the earth shall perish; the waters of a deluge shall come over the whole earth, and all things which are in it shall be destroyed ."  This book is not a part of the cannon of Scripture, but it is old, very old, and very interesting.

Regardless, this beautiful anecdote focuses on what really matters. It is time to begin a lifelong walk with God, and it is done through faith and faithfulness. Many folks start their Christian journey with blazing glory, but do not finish. I like to say what the great Apostle Paul testified”

2 Timothy 4:7-8 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: (8) Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.