“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” (Hebrews 6:1 ESV).
Several Biblical translations feature the word “perfection” in their rendering of Hebrews 6:1. The King James Version of this passage offers one such example: “Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection…” Although we often associate “perfection” with the quality of flawlessness, Hebrews 6:1 uses this word to convey a sense of maturation or full development.
Thus, we can say that Hebrews 6:1 describes a growth process- and the author of Hebrews is committed to initiating that process with his readers. The first step in that process involved the spiritual foundation they already possessed. Starting with a good foundation is important, for a foundation only needs to be established once if it is done correctly. (1)
Furthermore, we set a foundation for one reason: to build something upon it. That is exactly what the author of Hebrews will seek to do as we progress through this chapter. Hebrews 6:1 identifies that first foundational element as “repentance from dead works.” As mentioned earlier, repentance involves a change of mind that leads to a change in behavior. Therefore, it should not be surprising to find that repentance holds a prominent place in Jesus’ exhortation from Mark 1:15: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”
The “dead works” referenced here serves to identify those religious beliefs, spiritual rituals, and similar observances that do nothing to make us acceptable before God. While there may be many who feel as if God will accept them on the basis of such things, Jesus identified a different standard in the following passage from the Gospel of Mark…
“…you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30 ESV).
This represents an impossible task for imperfect human beings. Thus, any attempt to relate to God apart from Christ is a “dead work.” As another source explains…
“These works may be religious in nature, but they are ‘dead’ in that they cannot bring spiritual life. Such works may appear virtuous and even sincerely pious, but they are not rooted in faith in Christ or love of God and so are useless in terms of salvation and eternal life. Repenting of one’s own works is foundational to trusting Christ and is thus called an ‘elementary doctrine’ of Christ (Hebrews 6:1).” (2)
(1) See B. W. Johnson, The People’s New Testament [Hebrews 6:1,2]. Public Domain http://www.thebible.net/reference/pnt/PNT19-06.HTM
(2) GotQuestions.org, What is repentance from dead works in Hebrews 6:1? Retrieved 22 April, 2022 from https://www.gotquestions.org/repentance-from-dead-works.html