What does Hebrews 6:3 mean?

The primary intent of the book of Hebrews is encouragement. The world attempts to poison our faith, attacking it through doubts, persecution, ridicule, and harassment. Due to some combination of these factors, the original readers of this letter are stuck in a rut of spiritual immaturity. Rather than growing a deeper faith, they are trapped as spiritual infants. The danger of this, according to the next passage, is doubt and disobedience, which can only lead to judgment.

Verses 1 and 2 give examples of basic doctrines, particularly those which would have led to conflict between early Christians and their Jewish neighbors. A recurring theme in the book of Hebrews is the need to "hold fast" to Christ, rather than falling back into an imperfect understanding of God. The purpose of Old Testament rituals, sacraments, the Law, and so forth, is a key distinction between the ministry of Christ and the teachings of Judaism.

The author's hope, expressed here, is that by skipping over these basics, and pressing on to deeper ideas, the readers will come to a better understanding. The phrasing is welcoming: "let us leave…this we will do." Instead of wallowing in simplistic faith, the writer of Hebrews hopes to pull others into a fuller, more confident faith. This is done not only through dire warnings, as in the next few verses, but also with encouragement, as in the last parts of chapter 6.

These verses are important when interpreting the next part of Scripture. The imagery of verses 4 through 8 is set up as a contrast between moving forward with a growing faith, versus wallowing in an immature, unproductive one.