Having noted the importance of progressing beyond the first principles of God’s oracles, our writer now gives a list of such fundamental truths.
Repentance from dead works (necessary for God’s forgiveness); faith toward God (without which it is impossible to please Him); the doctrine of baptisms (while there are numerous immersions in scripture, there is one commanded by God, cf. Ephesians 4:5. It is baptism in water for the remission of sins, cf. Acts 2:38); laying on of hands (the means by which the spiritual gifts were distributed through the apostles, cf. Acts 8:17); the resurrection of the dead (a reality made available by Jesus’ victory over death, cf. 1 Corinthians 15:21); and eternal judgment (the inevitable end of all things, cf. 2 Peter 3:11-13).
These rudiments must be learned and remembered. Then, we are to progress to meatier matters as we progress in our understanding of God’s will and Christian maturity. We are told “And this we will do if God permits” (3). God wants us to grow stronger and more capable as His children, and has supplied the means. Will we do our part?
