What does you ought to be teachers mean (Hebrews 5:12)?

The writer of Hebrews repeatedly urged his readers to grow in their faith. He even criticized them for having weak faith and warned them about the dangers of falling away from Jesus Christ (Hebrews 2:1–4, 3:7–4:13). Hebrews 5:12 reads, “In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!” (NIV). “You ought to be teachers” means that followers of Jesus should be growing in their faith so they can teach and defend the core beliefs of Christianity.

In Matthew 28:19–20, Jesus commanded His disciples to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (NIV). Peter, Paul, and the other apostles fulfilled Jesus’ command by preaching the gospel throughout the known world. The book of Acts recorded the missionary journeys of the apostles to make disciples.

Growing as a disciple, however, also requires effort from the individual believer. The writer of Hebrews criticized his readers for failing to become disciples despite his best efforts to teach them. He compared them to spiritual infants who had to consume milk because they could not eat solid food. The readers of Hebrews had been Christians too long to still be spiritual infants.

The recipients of Hebrews needed to learn “the elementary truths of God’s word all over again” (v. 12). “The elementary truths” refer to the foundational teachings of the Christian faith. The writer of Hebrews wrote to Jewish Christians who still needed reminders of basic Christian doctrine. He urged his readers to grow beyond these foundational teachings and move toward spiritual maturity. Only then could they better understand the more complex teachings about Jesus.

In Hebrews 5, the writer described how Jesus was a priest of the order of Melchizedek. Melchizedek was a mysterious figure mentioned in Genesis 14:18–20 and Psalm 110:4. Genesis 14 described him as the King of Salem and a priest of God. Abraham gave a portion of his possessions to this priest. For the writer of Hebrews, Melchizedek is an important figure who represents Jesus. He criticized his readers for failing to understand Old Testament teachings, such as the identity of Melchizedek.

The rebuke in Hebrews 5:12 remains potent today. How many believing Christians can explain and defend the core doctrines of the Christian faith? If the writer of Hebrews sent his letter to modern churches, how often would he scold Christians today for not fully understanding Christianity’s basic beliefs?

The average Christian won’t have a perfect grasp of all the Bible’s teachings. The writer of Hebrews, however, makes it clear that every believer in Jesus should be able to teach their children and other new converts the key beliefs of the Christian faith. This includes humanity’s problem of sin, Jesus as Savior through His death and resurrection, and His promise to return.

Hebrews 5:12 reminds us, as believers, to be sufficiently familiar with the Old and New Testaments to teach the doctrines of the Christian faith to new believers. To obey Jesus’ command in Matthew 28:19 to “go and make disciples of all nations,” every Christian should grow to the point of being able to teach others, as instructed in Hebrews 5:12.