What are the elementary doctrines of Christ (Hebrews 6:1-3)?

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Question 7053

When someone comes to faith in Jesus, what should they be taught first? The writer to the Hebrews gives us the answer in chapter 6, verses 1-3, where he lists six foundational teachings that every believer needs to grasp before moving on to deeper things. These are not optional extras or advanced theology reserved for the keen few. They are the ABCs of the Christian faith, the building blocks upon which everything else stands. And yet, curiously, the writer’s concern is that his readers have become stuck on these basics rather than growing beyond them. Understanding what these elementary doctrines are, and why they matter, helps us know whether we ourselves have a firm foundation or whether we need to go back and shore things up.

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The Context: A Call to Maturity

Before we examine each doctrine, we need to understand why the writer brings them up at all. He has just rebuked his readers in chapter 5:11-14 for being “dull of hearing” and needing milk when they ought to be eating solid food. They should have been teachers by now, yet they still need someone to teach them the basic principles of God’s Word. The Greek word for “elementary” here is ἀρχή (archē), meaning beginning or first principles. These are the starting points, not the destination.

The phrase “elementary doctrine of Christ” in 6:1 uses the term τὸν τῆς ἀρχῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ λόγον (ton tēs archēs tou Christou logon), literally “the word of the beginning of Christ.” Some scholars debate whether this means doctrines about Jesus or doctrines that Jesus taught. In context, it seems to refer to foundational teachings concerning Jesus and what it means to follow Him. The writer wants his readers to “go on to maturity” (τελειότητα, teleiotēta), not to abandon these truths but to build upon them. A house needs a foundation, but if you never get beyond laying the foundation (if you even lay it in the first place), you will never have a house to live in.

What follows is a list of six doctrines arranged in three pairs. This was likely a summary of early Christian catechesis, the instruction given to new converts before or after baptism. These teachings would have been familiar to Jewish believers especially, since several of them have roots in Old Testament and Jewish teaching, though they take on new meaning in light of Jesus.

Repentance from Dead Works

The first foundation stone is “repentance from dead works.” The Greek word for repentance is μετάνοια (metanoia), which means a change of mind that results in a change of direction. It is not simply feeling sorry for what you have done but a complete turning around. You were walking one way; now you walk another. John the Baptist preached this message: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2). Jesus began His public ministry with the same call: “Repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). Peter at Pentecost commanded, “Repent and be baptised every one of you” (Acts 2:38). This is where the Christian life begins.

But notice what we are to repent from: “dead works.” What are these? Some take this to mean sinful deeds, and certainly repentance involves turning from sin. But in the context of Hebrews, which was written to Jewish believers tempted to return to Judaism, “dead works” likely refers to the works of the Law performed as a means of gaining righteousness before God. The sacrificial system, the ritual washings, the keeping of days and dietary laws, all of these, apart from faith in Jesus, are dead works. They cannot give life. They cannot cleanse the conscience. The writer has already said in 9:14 that the blood of Jesus purifies our conscience “from dead works to serve the living God.”

This does not mean the Old Testament Law was bad. Paul is clear that “the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good” (Romans 7:12). But the Law was never intended to save anyone. It was meant to show us our need for a Saviour. To cling to the shadows when the reality has come is to embrace death rather than life. Repentance from dead works means recognising that nothing we do can earn us favour with God. We come empty-handed, trusting only in what Jesus has done.

F.F. Bruce notes that for the original readers of Hebrews, this would have been a significant step. To abandon the temple rituals (which, we assume, was still going on at that time) and the ancestral practices that defined Jewish identity required genuine conviction that something better had come. It was not anti-Jewish; it was the fulfilment of everything Jewish hope pointed toward. The patriarchs themselves were saved by faith, not by works (Hebrews 11), and now that faith has its proper object in Jesus.

Faith Toward God

Paired with repentance is “faith toward God.” You cannot have one without the other. Repentance is the negative side; turning from. Faith is the positive side; turning to. The Greek πίστις ἐπὶ θεόν (pistis epi theon) indicates trust directed toward God, reliance upon Him, confidence in His character and promises.

Now, one might ask why the writer says “faith toward God” rather than “faith in Jesus.” After all, this is meant to be the doctrine of Christ. The answer lies in understanding that saving faith is faith in God as He has revealed Himself, and He has revealed Himself supremely in His Son. Jesus said, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). To believe in Jesus is to believe in the God who sent Him. For Jewish believers especially, this was the point: the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God who brought Israel out of Egypt, the God who spoke through the prophets, this God has now spoken through His Son (Hebrews 1:1-2). Faith toward God means trusting this God as He has finally and fully made Himself known in Jesus.

This faith is not intellectual ascent alone. The demons believe that God is one, and they shudder (James 2:19). Saving faith involves the whole person: mind, heart, and will. It is knowledge of the truth, assent to that truth, and personal trust in the One the truth reveals. Hebrews 11:1 defines faith as “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” It is taking God at His word even when circumstances seem to contradict it. Abraham believed God’s promise of a son when he was as good as dead (Romans 4:19). That is faith toward God.

Instruction About Washings

The second pair begins with “instruction about washings.” The Greek here is βαπτισμῶν διδαχῆς (baptismōn didachēs), teaching concerning baptisms. The plural “washings” or “baptisms” is interesting. If the writer meant only Christian baptism, we might expect the singular. The plural suggests a broader instruction that distinguishes Christian baptism from other ceremonial washings.

In Jewish practice, ritual immersion was common. Priests washed before service (Exodus 30:19-21). People who became unclean underwent ritual bathing (Leviticus 15). Proselytes to Judaism were baptised as part of their conversion. The Essenes at Qumran practised daily ritual washings. John the Baptist’s ministry was marked by baptism for repentance. With so many “baptisms” in the religious landscape, new converts needed clear teaching on what made Christian baptism different and what it signified.

Christian baptism is a once-for-all act, not a repeated ritual. It identifies the believer with Jesus in His death, burial, and resurrection (Romans 6:3-4). It is an outward sign of an inward reality: the cleansing of sins through faith in Jesus. As Peter says, baptism “now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 3:21). The washing of the body pictures the washing of the soul. It does not accomplish salvation but declares it.

Early Christians would have needed to understand that the Levitical washings were shadows pointing to this reality. Now that Jesus has come, we do not need repeated ceremonial cleansings. His blood cleanses once for all (Hebrews 9:12). The instruction about washings helps believers understand what they have entered into and why they do not need to return to the old ways.

The Laying On of Hands

Paired with washings is “the laying on of hands.” In the Old Testament, laying on of hands served various purposes. It was used in blessing, as when Jacob blessed Ephraim and Manasseh (Genesis 48:14). It was used in sacrifice, as the worshipper laid hands on the animal to identify with it (Leviticus 1:4). It was used in commissioning, as when Moses laid hands on Joshua to transfer leadership (Numbers 27:18-23).

In the New Testament, the laying on of hands is associated with several things: healing (Mark 6:5; Acts 28:8), blessing (Mark 10:16), receiving the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:17; 19:6), and commissioning for ministry (Acts 6:6; 13:3; 1 Timothy 4:14; 2 Timothy 1:6). New believers needed instruction on this practice, what it meant and when it was appropriate.

In connection with baptism, the laying on of hands often accompanied the reception of the Holy Spirit. When Philip preached in Samaria and many believed and were baptised, Peter and John came and “laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit” (Acts 8:17). This was not universal, as Cornelius and his household received the Spirit before baptism without the laying on of hands (Acts 10:44-48). But the practice was common enough that it needed explaining.

The laying on of hands signifies identification, blessing, and the impartation of gifts for service. It is not magical, as Simon Magus learned to his cost when he tried to buy this power (Acts 8:18-24). It is a visible act that accompanies prayer, asking God to work in and through the person receiving it. For new believers, understanding this practice helped them grasp their place in the community of faith and the reality of the Spirit’s work among them.

The Resurrection of the Dead

The third pair moves from present experience to future hope. First comes “the resurrection of the dead.” This is not specifically the resurrection of Jesus, though that is certainly foundational (1 Corinthians 15:14-17). Here the writer refers to the bodily resurrection of all people at the end of the age. This was already part of Old Testament hope, though it developed over time. Job declared, “After my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God” (Job 19:26). Daniel was promised, “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt” (Daniel 12:2). Martha confessed to Jesus, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day” (John 11:24).

The Pharisees believed in resurrection; the Sadducees did not (Acts 23:8). For Jewish believers coming to faith in Jesus, this doctrine was already familiar, though now it was confirmed and transformed by Jesus’ own resurrection. He is “the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20). Because He rose, we shall rise. This is not the immortality of the soul floating off to heaven as disembodied spirits. It is the resurrection of the body, transformed and glorified, fit for the new creation.

Paul spends an entire chapter on this in 1 Corinthians 15, answering questions about how the dead are raised and with what kind of body they come. The resurrection body is imperishable, glorious, powerful, and spiritual (1 Corinthians 15:42-44). It is still a body, continuous with the one that died, yet utterly transformed. Jesus’ resurrection body could be touched (John 20:27), could eat food (Luke 24:42-43), yet could also appear suddenly in locked rooms (John 20:19). Our resurrection will be like His: “Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven” (1 Corinthians 15:49).

This doctrine matters profoundly. If there is no resurrection, then this life is all there is, and we might as well eat, drink, and be merry (1 Corinthians 15:32). But if resurrection is true, then how we live now has eternal significance. What we do in the body matters. The body is not a prison to escape but a gift to be redeemed. New believers needed to grasp this hope and let it shape their lives.

Eternal Judgment

The final foundational doctrine is “eternal judgment.” The Greek κρίματος αἰωνίου (krimatos aiōniou) indicates a judgment whose results are everlasting. This is not a temporary reckoning but a final verdict from which there is no appeal and no escape. Everyone will stand before God. “It is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). Jesus spoke repeatedly of this coming judgment. He warned of the sheep and the goats being separated (Matthew 25:31-46), of a day when many will say “Lord, Lord” but be turned away (Matthew 7:21-23), of a resurrection of life and a resurrection of judgment (John 5:28-29).

Paul declared that God “has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead” (Acts 17:31). That appointed man is Jesus. All judgment has been given to the Son (John 5:22). This same Jesus who came in grace as Saviour will come again in glory as Judge.

For believers, there is the Judgment Seat of Christ (βῆμα, bēma), where our works will be evaluated and rewarded or lost, though we ourselves will be saved (1 Corinthians 3:12-15; 2 Corinthians 5:10). For unbelievers, there is the Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11-15), where those whose names are not found in the Book of Life are cast into the lake of fire. The reality of eternal judgment is sobering. It is not something we speak of to frighten people into faith but something we teach because it is true, and what is true must be faced.

New believers needed to understand that their faith in Jesus had rescued them from this coming wrath (1 Thessalonians 1:10). They also needed to understand that how they live as believers matters, for they will give account. This doctrine produces both comfort and urgency: comfort because Jesus has borne our judgment on the cross, urgency because others still face condemnation unless they hear and believe the Gospel.

Why These Six?

Looking at these six doctrines together, we can see a logical progression. Repentance and faith describe how we enter the Christian life, turning from sin and self-righteousness, turning to God through Jesus. Washings and laying on of hands describe our initiation into the community of faith, baptism identifying us with Jesus, the laying on of hands marking us as recipients of the Spirit and members of the body. Resurrection and judgment describe our future destiny, the hope of bodily resurrection and the certainty of standing before God.

For us today, these six doctrines remain foundational. A person who does not understand repentance and faith has not understood the Gospel. A person who does not grasp the significance of baptism has missed something essential about their identity in Jesus. A person who has no hope of resurrection or no sense of coming judgment is living as if this world is all there is. We need these foundations. The question the writer of Hebrews raises is whether we have moved beyond them to maturity or whether we keep circling back, never quite building on what has been laid.

“Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.” Hebrews 6:1-2 (ESV)

Bibliography

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