If it is the duty of ordinary Christians to be able to instruct others, how much more is it the duty of ministers, heads of families, parents, and those who have responsibility for others? What a shame it is for them to be unable to be teachers! It becomes us therefore to give the more earnest heed to the things we hear (Heb. 2:1), so that we may profit the more by them, and still more and more grow in knowledge, till we come to be able teachers.

Teachers tend to worry when children don’t make progress in the classroom, and will put in extra support to ensure that they don’t fall behind. But as learners in Christ’s school, do we notice when we fail to grow? What extra steps do pastors take when they notice members of the congregation getting stuck at the first principles of the doctrines of Christ? It’s not as if the gospel is a shallow subject or the Bible something superficial. In the following updated extract, Westminster Assembly member William Gouge discusses the criticism made in the letter to the Hebrews, which mentions learning about Christ, the believer’s high priest, “of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God …” (Hebrews 5:10–12).

The Revelations of Scripture Are Profound

The previous chapters of Hebrews have been discussing the doctrine of Christ’s priesthood, which contains many profound mysteries. Christ’s priesthood is the main ground of our salvation. Most of the profoundest points of our Christian religion must be known in order to attain the knowledge of this, including the distinction between Father and Son, the distinction between the two natures of Christ (and how in both natures He was our priest — God, for works of authority and dignity; man, for works of service and suffering), as well as the union of those two natures in one person (because the perfection of all the things which Christ did as our priest did consisted in this).

It can be no wonder that so many heresies have started up in all ages about the priesthood of Christ. Most of the heresies of the Roman Church, especially those that are most fundamental, are about Christ’s priesthood. For there are two parts to Christ’s priesthood — the offering of His sacrifice, and His continual intercession — and most of their capital heresies are against these two. These include, for example, the sacrifice of the mass (which they say is a true, real, propitiatory sacrifice for the living and dead), their sacrificing priests, their doctrines of merit, of supererogation, of intercession of saints and angels, and most of their errors about the sacraments.

From this, we can see how necessary it is to be well instructed in the priesthood of Christ. Ministers should be stirred up to study and to preach Christ’s priesthood, as well as other doctrines. The people also should be stirred up to attend to it patiently and diligently.

We Should Be Keen to Understand

The Greek word translated “dull” properly signifies slow, or slothful.

They who are ready, willing, and forward to hearken to a thing are said to be “swift to hear.” Contrarily, they who are negligent and careless are said to be “slow in their ears,” or “slow in hearing.” By this we see that their lack of knowledge is through their own fault, as the dullness of understanding, which people bring on themselves by their own slothfulness, makes the mysteries of the Word to be more difficult than otherwise they would be.

This is what prompted Christ to reprove His disciples for not understanding what He spoke (Matt. 15:16, 16:9; Luke 24:25; John 3:10), and the apostles spoke similarly (1 Cor. 3:1; 2 Pet. 3:16). Those who do not understand the Word, and the mysteries it contains, should be humbled by this, for it shows that they have been slothful and careless about exercising themselves in God’s Word, and so made themselves dull in hearing, dull in understanding. Let them therefore lay the blame, not on God’s Word, but on themselves. Take away dullness from people’s understanding, and Scripture will be much easier than it appears to many!

The phrase, “hard to be uttered,” shows that hearers’ dullness keeps ministers from a full and clear expression of the mysteries of the Word. They don’t know how to speak to their hearers (1 Cor. 3:1). This forces them to pass over various mysteries, or to express them in simplistic terms, which suit dull capacities but are not very appropriate for divine mysteries. This in turn further exacerbates people’s dullness.

Preaching Should Have the Effect of Instructing People

This phrase, “for the time,” implies that these Hebrews had had the gospel preached to them for many years. By preaching they had been called into the Christian church, and made scholars in Christ’s school, and given Christ’s ministers to be their instructors, and the holy Scriptures for their books.

Our proficiency ought to correspond to how long we have continued sitting under the ministry of God’s Word. Christ reproves Philip for failing in this.

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