Hebrews 6:2Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

One must approach Baptism after first renouncing and condemning one's sins.

What does "teaching about baptisms" mean? There are not many baptisms, but one. Why then did he speak in the plural?

Because he had said above, "Let us not again lay the foundation of repentance from dead works."

If they needed him to baptize them again, catechize them again, and from the beginning teach the baptized again what must and must not be done, they would always remain incorrigible.

"Of the laying on of hands." Thus they received the Holy Spirit: "And when Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them" (Acts 19:6).

"Of the resurrection of the dead." This takes place in Baptism and is affirmed in the confession of faith.

Paul spoke of this in the plural not because there are many baptisms, for Baptism is one (Eph 4:5), but because this would follow, as it were, from what was said.

If he catechized them again, he would also baptize them again. In the case of apostasy, he would baptize again.

By necessity there would be many new baptisms, but this is absurd. Therefore you must not repeat Baptism, but abide by the first Baptism.

Perhaps they, as people strongly attached to the Law, recognized many baptisms in Jewish fashion even under grace.

Notice that Baptism follows repentance. Since repentance by itself cannot show us to be clean, we are baptized, so that everything may be the work of Christ's grace.

There is no longer need to proclaim to you again the faith which we once proclaimed to you, nor to descend again to the baptism which you once received. Nor is there need to return to the laying on of the priests' hands, which you have already received, or to preach to you the resurrection or eternal life already proclaimed to you.

Having reproached them for wavering in the faith, for this is what the Apostle called "milk," he counsels them to strive for perfection.

They should build the rest upon the foundations already laid, and not lay another foundation again.

By "foundation" he means faith, and by "dead works" wickedness. Those who have believed loathe its stench and take refuge in repentance.

They draw near to divine Baptism, receive the grace of the Spirit from the priestly hand, and in divine Baptism receive the type of the Resurrection.

Then they await the general resurrection of all and the future judgment.

"Therefore, leaving the elementary word of Christ, let us be led on to perfection." The word "therefore" is used in the sense of "nevertheless."

Since you yourselves ought already to be teachers, we shall leave the "word of the beginning," that is, the initial teaching about Christ, as explained above.

Let us hasten toward the more perfect and higher word concerning Christ.

"Not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works." This means not offering you again from the beginning the first teaching, such as: turn away from dead works.

Dead works are the works of sin, because they put the soul to death and destroy it, and because they are abhorrent works.

"Not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, of teaching about baptisms" (Heb 6:1).

The Apostle said this not because he rejected repentance, as some say. By no means.

Rather, he wished to teach that in every work of repentance there is one foundation: Baptism into Christ.

Otherwise those who had believed from among the circumcised would be baptized every day.

Therefore he adds, "It is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and have fallen away, to renew them again to repentance" (Heb 6:4-6).

He knew that in every repentance there is one renewal and foundation: Holy Baptism.

Since Christ's beginning was from Judaism, for He lived according to the Law, the Apostle says: leaving this, let us hasten to perfection.

We know that He Who is to be Priest without the Law must be Priest according to the order of Melchizedek (Heb 5:10; 6:20).

"Dead works, and faith toward God, Baptism." For Christians, dead works are earthly works.

Thus the Apostle says that it is absurd, after leaving this way of life grounded either in faith or in the mortification of all earthly works, to return again to washings according to the Law.

When the Lord came, He preached repentance, saying, "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand" (Mt 3:2; 4:17). This was repentance from dead works.

"The teaching of baptisms" is usually joined together, as in the Slavonic and Russian translations. Yet some separate them as two different things, understanding by "teaching" the initial instruction in the faith. "Baptisms" is in the plural because, besides Christian Baptism, there was that of John and the Jewish washing (Mk 7:4), or because of the multitude of those baptized.

Hearing that the Apostle urges them "not to lay the foundation" for the teaching about baptisms and the laying on of hands, the Stundists explain this as a censure of the Orthodox mystery of Baptism.

They also apply it to the blessing by a priest's hand and similar rites and sacred actions.

But he also speaks of not laying the foundation for faith in God, for the teaching about the resurrection of the dead, and for eternal judgment.

Does he censure these teachings as well? By no means.

His thought is that these teachings, which he calls "the beginnings of the teaching of Christ," must be left without debate, since Christians should have no doubt about them.

Here "leave" does not mean forget, because everything is built upon these truths. It means leave them untouched.

"Therefore, leaving the elementary word of Christ, let us be led on to perfection" (Heb 6:1), or, as in the Russian translation, "leaving the beginnings of the teaching of Christ, let us hasten to perfection."

At first glance, it would seem that the Apostle should have acted in the opposite way, and dealt precisely with the beginnings of Christ's teaching among infants in faith.

But the Apostle calls the Hebrews infants only in a reproachful sense. In fact, according to his own words, they were able to understand the more perfect Christian teaching.

For the Apostle only one thing was beyond doubt: they would understand him with difficulty and slowness because of their national prejudices.

The following constituent parts of initial Christian instruction already have the character of teaching, διδαχή.

First is the teaching on the difference between Christian Baptism and Jewish washings, βαπτισμοί.

This had to be communicated to Jews entering the bosom of the Christian Church, in order to make clearer to them the incomparable importance of Christian Baptism.

Second is the teaching on the laying on of hands, which was joined to Baptism.

It brought down upon those who had turned to the living God the gracious gifts of the Holy Spirit, for the continuation and development of the living Christian life begun with Baptism.

Third and fourth are the teachings on the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment.

For a Christian these provide weighty motives for living rightly. On the one hand, they frighten him with eternal punishments. On the other, they strengthen him with the promise of heavenly reward.