An Ongoing Path

We have looked so far at four “Let us” statements in the book of Hebrews. Now, we turn to the fifth such statement—one that could be a new resolution for us. Hebrews 6:1 reads:

“Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity” (NASB)

Many Christians have the impression that in the Christian life, you can somehow “arrive,” reaching a point where you can settle down and say, “Now, I’m there.” But that is not true. To remain static in the mature spiritual life is almost impossible. As Proverbs 4:18 says:

“The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines brighter and brighter until the full day” (NASB)

The phrase “the path of the righteous” is not speaking about a specific believer or group of believers but about each and every righteous person.

Notice that righteousness is a path. It is not designed for standing still, much less for sitting down. As a path, righteousness implies motion, progress, and development. This path is like the light of dawn when we first come to know the Lord in His glorious fullness as Savior and Lord. It is like the sun rising after the darkness, or like a dawn that comes to our hearts. But dawn is not the end of God’s purposes; it is just the beginning.

When we are walking in the path of righteousness, the light should always be getting brighter. With every step, with each new day, the light should be brighter than it was before. “Until the full day”: that is our destination, the height of noonday.

God is not content for us to stop at anything less than the full brightness of the noonday sun. Dawn is our beginning point, the path is the way of progress, and the light gets brighter and brighter. But there is no stopping permitted until we reach the full day.