HEBREWS CHAPTER 6
By Ken W. Yates
[Editor’s Note: Few books in the New Testament create as much tension for believers as the book of Hebrews. Yates, himself, openly acknowledges: “It is ironic that the book I once dreaded and avoided has become a source of comfort and motivation. Hebrews does not threaten the Christian with the loss of salvation. Instead, it greatly encourages believers to remain faithful to the Lord in the midst of this fallen world in which we live. Grace will do that… If you are now looking for the strength and motivation to serve the Lord and please Him, the Book of Hebrews is for you. We will be His partners forever, if we persevere.” (Ken Yates, Hebrews: Partners with Christ (Denton, TX: Grace Evangelical Society, 2019), 9-10.)]
The Third Warning Passage
As previously mentioned, 5:11-14 introduces the third warning passage in the Book of Hebrews. In those verses the author specifically says that the readers have failed in their Christian living because they have not gone on to maturity. Here in Chap. 6 the author tells them to press on to such maturity (6:1-3), what will happen if they fall back (6:4-8), and then gives them another call to hold fast to their hope (6:9-12). At the end of the chapter, he concludes this warning.
Go on to Maturity (6:1-3)
1 Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2 of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. 3 And this we will do if God permits.
The author had just spoken of the fundamentals of the faith (5:12). Here in 6:1-3 he gives examples of such “milk” of the Word. He wants his readers to go past these and press on to maturity.
He refers to the fundamentals as the elementary principles of Christ. These believers had been in their state of immaturity too long. Now they needed to go on to perfection. Clearly this is a call to go on to solid food (5:11-14). Part of that solid food is the discussion of the Melchizedekian priesthood of Christ that the author will take up in the next chapter.
Once again the author includes himself in this exhortation when he says, let us do it. As with the other warning passages, we see he is talking to Christians. Only Christians can go on to maturity in their Christian walk. You cannot grow in life if you don’t have life in the first place. A baby cannot grow until after he is born!
The verb go in v 1 literally means “to be carried along.” It seems most likely that the author means that God will carry them along to maturity if they will draw near to God through their High Priest Jesus Christ (4:14-16). If they did they would be able to discern between good and evil doctrine and not forsake Christianity and go back to Judaism.
But the word perfection probably also means more than maturity. This perfection is the goal of the Christian life. The goal of the Christian is not only “to go to heaven.” The Christian already has that guarantee! Our goal is to be found pleasing to God and rule with Christ in His kingdom. To obtain this goal, the Christian must mature and obey the Lord.
To do that the readers needed to go beyond the basics. The author lists some of these basics. The reason he gives these examples is because they showed the difference between Christianity and Judaism. The readers needed to be able to discern between what was evil (what Judaism taught about these things) and what was good (what Christianity taught about these things, 5:14).
If they rejected the fundamentals of Christianity and returned to Judaism, they would lay again a foundation. If they went back to Judaism, they would need to be instructed again in the very basics of Christianity. They would have to start from the very beginning.
The first basic principle the author lists is repentance from dead works. When they practiced the Jewish religion, they attempted to gain acceptance before God by works of the Law and the sacrifices that the OT required. But all of these are dead in the sense that they cannot bring life. Christianity taught them that Christ put an end to all the rituals and that the Law cannot give life. Only the Spirit can.
This life is given by the second fundamental listed here. It is faith toward God. To believe in God is to believe in the One He sent, Jesus Christ (John 12:44).
To forsake the fundamentals of Christianity would lead to a need to return to those fundamentals. They would need to turn from, that is, repent from the fundamentals of Judaism. They had already done that once when they became believers. If they returned to Judaism and wanted to please God, they would have to do it again. They would have to be taught again that life is given by faith, not works of any kind. All the practices of Judaism were of no benefit spiritually.
In v 2 we find other fundamentals of the faith involved in a return to Judaism. One is the issue of baptisms. It is interesting that the word is in the plural. In the NT there is more than one kind of baptism. There is the baptism of John the Baptist, Christian water baptism, and the baptism of the Holy Spirit for example. An understanding of these things belongs to the basic doctrines of the Church.
Judaism also had more than one baptism. When a Gentile became a Jew, there was a baptism for that. There were also many other kinds of baptisms that involved cleansings associated with serving in the Temple or if a person became defiled by doing something like touching a dead body (Num 19:13; Heb 9:10).
The same thing was true about teachings concerning the laying on of hands (Lev 1:4; 3:2: 4:4; 8:14, etc.; Num 27:18, 23). In the Book of Acts, at least, the Apostles did it on occasion in order for some people to receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:17; 9:17; 19:6). In other instances the church laid hands on people chosen by God for a certain task (Acts 13:3; 1 Tim 5:22). Judaism also laid hands on people in designating them for certain positions (Num 8:10; 27:18-23; Deut 34:9).
There was also a great deal of difference between Judaism and Christianity when it came to teachings on theresurrection of the dead and eternal judgment. These were among the first teachings a new Christian would receive. The NT teaches that Christians will experience a resurrection of the physical body and salvation from an eternal hell. Their resurrected bodies will be physical but glorified (1 Corinthians 15). All of this was brought about by faith in Christ alone.
Judaism, of course, taught different things, and different Jews had various views. Whatever strand of Judaism the readers were contemplating joining would have had one such view that differed from Christianity. Some, such as the Pharisees, believed in a resurrection, but not glorified bodies. They probably did not believe in an eternal hell. The Sadducees did not believe in a resurrection or hell. Some, no doubt, believed in a kind of spiritual heaven, without bodies. Some Jews, based upon Hebrews 1, evidently believed that this spiritual heaven was going to be ruled by angels.
The basic point of the first two verses of Chap. 6 is that Judaism and Christianity differed when it came to the fundamentals of religious instructions. If a believer returned to the teachings of Judaism, he could not press on to maturity because these things involved the very foundations of growth.
Verse 3 tells us that the author wants his readers to mature. The words this we will do take us back to v 1 and the call to do just that. The author includes himself in this exhortation once again. It is obviously not a call to be saved from hell, but to leave the fundamentals behind and move forward. But this progress to maturity is only possible by the power of God, as He permits it to occur.
But there is something that is not possible. In the next few verses we are told what that is. These verses in the NT contain some of the most sobering words addressed to Christians.
The Consequences of Falling Back (6:4-8)
4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame. 7 For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God; 8 but if it bears thorns and briers, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned.
The author has just told his readers to press on to maturity and leave the basics behind. That is a possibility for them. But there is another possibility as well. Instead of going forward, they can fall away (v 6). If they did not mature, they might not be able to discern between good teaching and bad, and do just that.
These verses have been hotly debated for centuries. The two main issues involved in the discussion are: to whom is the author referring, and what is the punishment for those who fall away?
In vv 4–6 the author describes to whom he is referring. First, he says they have been enlightened. The passive form of the verb enlightened means that this enlightenment was caused by someone else. This most naturally means that God through His Spirit brought this about.
This enlightenment is also most naturally taken to refer to when a person comes to faith in Christ. The only other time the word is used in Hebrews is to describe the readers’ experience of coming to faith, their salvation experience, in 10:32. In other places in Scriptures, coming to faith in Christ—becoming a believer and receiving eternal life— is described as enlightenment or coming to light (John 12:46; 9:39; 2 Cor 4:4-7; 1 Pet 2:9).
This first description of these people indicates that the author is talking to people who are Christians. He is not talking to people who only claimed to be believers. This certainly agrees with what we have seen throughout the book. In the other warning passages, the author includes himself in the warnings; he calls them holy brothers, and he tells them that Christ is their High Priest. He tells them that it is possible to drift away from the truth they already have. The OT example he gives of this in Chaps. 3–4 involved the people of God who fell away at Kadesh Barnea.
The rest of the description of these people supports the fact that these are true Christians. They have also tasted the heavenly gift. The verb tasted is said by some to simply mean “to be exposed to something,” or to smell it. This view is held by those who say that the author is not taking about real Christians. They have only been exposed to the gospel of eternal life in Christ but have not really taken it in or really experienced it. They have smelled it but haven’t really eaten it. They have heard the words but have not believed them.
The problem with that view is that the word occurs fifteen times in the NT, and it never has that meaning. Most of the time the word refers to eating food or drinking liquid or to the experience of death (Luke 9:27; John 8:52). When a person experiences death, he actually dies!
Other than here in vv 4–5, the only other time the word occurs in Hebrews is 2:9. It says that Christ tasted death on the cross. No one would say that Christ only caught the scent of death, but didn’t really experience it on that occasion.
Whoever the author is describing has actually taken in or experienced the heavenly gift. In a letter written to holy brethren (3:1), these words would certainly be taken to refer to eternal life. Such life is given as a free gift by God’s grace and comes down from heaven (John 4:10; Eph 2:8; Jas 1:17-18; in Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus in John 3:3, the Lord tells him the new birth comes from above).
These people have also become partakers of the Holy Spirit . The word partaker is the same word as used in 1:9; 3:1, 14. It describes those who are close associates with Christ. In fact, it is the partakers who are called holy brethren in 3:1. They are holy because they have been sanctified by the blood of Christ (2:11).
These people are not only partners with Christ, they are also partners with the Holy Spirit. Of course this makes sense if these people are believers. The Holy Spirit lives within every believer forever. At faith, a believer is sealed by the Spirit of God as God’s possession (Eph 1:13).
Not only have these readers tasted of the heavenly gift, they have also tasted the good word of God. The Greek word tasted is the same word as that used in the previous verse. They have taken in the Word of God and found it to be good.
The closest phrase we find in the NT to this one is 1 Pet 2:3. There Peter is talking to Christians who are newborn babes. They should desire the milk of the Word of God so that they can grow. In the process theytaste that the Lord is gracious. The word for gracious can mean “good,” as it does in Rom 2:4 and 1 Cor 15:33.
First Peter 2:3 evidently comes from Ps 34:8. In Psalm 34 David exhorts the followers of the Lord to taste that the Lord is good. Both Peter and the author of Hebrews say this is done through the Word of God. In all three cases, it is the people of God, not unbelievers, who have this experience.
The third thing the readers have tasted is the powers of the age to come. The word for powers is the same word translated in 2:4 as miracles . Related to this, according to 2:4, is the work of the Holy Spirit. This would include the spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit. The readers had seen and experienced, that is, tasted all of these things, and in them they had observed the powers of the coming kingdom of God.
Verses 4–5 describe the incredible benefits that believers have. Because of the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, they have eternal life and are partners with the same Spirit. Through this they have also experienced what the world to come will be like. But what happens if a believer turns away from all these benefits? In v 6 the author deals with this possibility.
Many translations begin v 6 in the same way the New King James Version does: if they fall away. Many take the verb fall away to refer to apostasy or a rejection of Christianity by a believer. That is certainly the meaning here. In the Book of Hebrews the author is talking to Christians who are contemplating going back to Judaism. Because of the persecution they were facing, they were tempted to renounce Christ and go back to the safety of their old religion.
Many also take the view that a real Christian could never do that. That is why some take the view that the description of these people in vv 4–5 portrays people who are not really saved spiritually, that is, the author is talking about non-Christians. But that is simply reading one’s theology into these verses. If one believes that a true Christian cannot fall away from the faith, and the author is talking about people who do just that, then the people who do it cannot be Christians. But we must take vv 4–5 at face value. He is talking about Christians.
There are some who recognize that vv 4–5 are indeed speaking about Christians, but they also believe that Christians cannot fall away from their faith, that is, apostatize. They make a big deal about the word if in v 6. It is maintained that the author is talking about a situation that is really impossible. He is saying that if a Christian were to deny the faith, he would be punished by God. But this is not possible. It would be like a person saying, if I could turn back time I would do this or that. But of course, I can’t.
It is important to realize, however, that the word if does not occur in the original. The author is not talking about something impossible. There are those who have been enlightened, have tasted of the heavenly gift, and have become partners of the Holy Spirit, and have fallen away. In 10:25 he will plainly say that some have indeed done just that.
He is telling the readers to hold on to their faith (2:1; 3:13-14). They are not to drift away from the things they have heard (2:1-4; 3:13-14). They were not to remain in a state of spiritual immaturity (5:11-14). They were to go to Jesus as their High Priest for all the help they needed (4:14-16). If they did not take heed to what he was telling them, they could very well harden their hearts against God, as the people of God did at Kadesh Barnea (Chaps. 3–4), and fall away.
But what can be said about such a believer? Taking up from v 1, he says that it is impossible to renew them again to repentance. Once again we see that the author is talking to Christians. They have alreadyrepented. If they fall away they would need to do it again.
But the repentance here is not the same thing as believing in Jesus for eternal life. Repentance is not the same thing as faith. Repentance means to turn away from something. It is certainly best to take it in the same sense as in v 1. When the readers were Jewish unbelievers, they thought acceptance before God was based upon keeping the Jewish Law and rituals. When they believed in Jesus Christ for eternal life, they saw that acceptance before God was based upon faith. They had repented from the dead works of another system, that is, works that can never give life. They repented from trusting in the works of the Law and believed in Christ for eternal life. If they returned to Judaism and that system of worship, they would need to turn from it again.
But what can be said to such a person like that? What can another Christian say to him? The person who falls away from the faith already knows the truth. It would be impossible for us to get this person to see the error of his way and turn away from a system that cannot give life or is pleasing to God as a system of worship.
The author may be saying this. In which case, he is saying to other believers that there is nothing that the church can do for such an individual. Very few people would say that God Himself cannot do anything for this person. Even those who mistakenly say that these verses are describing someone who loses his salvation believe that person can repent and be saved again. God can certainly bring the person back.
The Apostle Paul in 1 Tim 1:19-20 describes a situation in which a believer has rejected the basics of the faith. He says that such believers are handed over to Satan in order to be disciplined. Certainly God is the One who
brings this discipline about through Satan. There is nothing the church can do for those who know the truth but reject it.
It is also possible, however, that the author is saying something else. A Christian who has rejected the faith may not be able to go on to maturity. That is what the author started this warning passage with (5:11-14). It is possible to press on to maturity with the power of God and the strength that our High Priest provides. However, if we withdraw from the resources available to us as Christians, we have lost that opportunity. The dead works of Judaism cannot cause spiritual growth. The one who goes back to Judaism will need to turn from such empty works to please God. However, once again, such repentance cannot be done by another believer. The believer who has fallen away must go through the discipline of God as described in vv 7–8 that follow.
Related to this, it is possible that the author is saying that such a believer will not reign with Christ in the world to come. Even though such a believer will live with Christ forever (Heb 10:10, 14), He will not be one of Christ’s partners in His Kingdom. The Jews at Kadesh Barnea lost their inheritance in the land. Later, the author will say that Esau also lost his inheritance as a result of sin (12:16-17).
It is difficult to determine exactly which of these the author means. It seems to be purposefully vague. This is probably the intent of the author. He simply wants to say that the believer who falls away will pay a heavy price. There is certainly nothing other believers can do to turn such a believer around. In addition, punishment or discipline is inevitable. The author said the same thing in very general terms in the first warning passage. How can such a believer escape punishment (2:3) when he has been given so much?
The Seriousness of Their Sin
The reason punishment is inevitable is because of the magnitude of their sin. They have crucifiedagain for themselves the Son of God (v 6). In doing so, they have put Him to an open shame. The Romans and Jews crucified Christ, saying that He was a liar and blasphemer and therefore deserved to die the shameful death of crucifixion. When a person becomes a believer, in essence, he says that the world did not recognize that Jesus was God’s anointed One.
However, when a Christian renounces his faith publicly, he is saying by his actions and words that the world’s verdict of Christ was correct. Such actions are in effect placing Jesus on the cross again. The Christian who apostatizes hangs Christ up before the eyes of the world as One who deserved what He got. This involved the shame of the cross. In this case, this verdict is given by one who previously claimed to be a Christian.
Imagine a first century Jewish believer who walked with Christ for a time, then fell back into Judaism and animal sacrifices. By going back to animal sacrifices he would certainly be putting the Lord Jesus “to an open shame.” He would be saying that the work of Christ on the cross was not finished!
And it must be remembered to whom the Christian who falls away does this. It is the Son of God. In Hebrews this is the King of the world to come. This is the One who created the universe. This is the One who became a man and died to give eternal life to the believer. This is the believer’s great High Priest.
It is only logical that such a step by one who had received the blessings of vv 4–5 would result in the discipline of God. Nature itself points this out.
An Illustration from Nature (vv 7-8)
The author uses an example from an agricultural practice with which the readers would have been familiar. It deals with a piece of land, that is, the earth. A piece of farmland can either be fruitful or unfruitful. It is important to see that there is only one piece of land here. It represents one person. In this case, it represents a believer. A believer can either be fruitful and pleasing to the Lord, or he can be unfruitful and not pleasing to the Lord.
The author speaks of a field that takes in the rain God gives it. It has been cultivated by a farmer. It is expected that such a field would be fruitful, that it will bear herbs that are useful for food. This is the crop that is expected. Such a field can be said to receive blessing from God.
The Christian has also received things from God. He has taken in these good things (vv 4–5). It is expected that such a person would produce spiritual fruit. If he does, then the blessing of God rests upon him as well. He can expect to grow in maturity and be a partner of Christ in the world to come.
But what if the same field in the illustration produces another kind of crop? The same field may indeed producethorns and briers. Such a field is rejected. This word means “disapproved.” It did not produce what was
expected. Such a field is in the process of being cursed. This is the opposite of being blessed by God. In the end, such a field is burned.
Two options are laid out here: blessing or cursing. The author is giving the readers a choice. Continue with Christ and receive blessings from God. Abandon Christ and go back to Judaism and receive curses from God.
The readers would have understood this practice from agriculture. A field which produced thorns and such would be burned in order to clean out such things as well as the seeds of such bad things in the soil. The fire had a purging effect.
Up to this point in the Book of Hebrews, we see what the illustration is saying. The believer who renounces his faith is like a field that produces thorns and briers. After all the good things he has received, this is not the spiritual crop that is expected.
Every single believer has a choice. We must remember that there is only one field in the illustration and it represents only one person. It does not represent one person who is a believer and another person who is not. If a believer does not produce what is expected, he is taking a road that will result in the cursing of God. Such cursing is not hell. It is the opposite of receiving the blessing of God, as the illustration indicates.
In the OT God told His people that if they disobeyed Him they would receive many curses (Deuteronomy 27–30). None of these curses involve going to hell. They involve how God would discipline His people in this world.
The word for rejected or disapproved means “to fail the test.” Paul uses it to describe what would happen to the Apostle himself if he did not finish his Christian race well (1 Cor 9:27). A believer, whether it is Paul or any other believer, whose life does not please God by producing the kind of crop that He expects, is not approved by Him. That would certainly be the case of a believer who abandons the Christian faith.
Such a Christian can also expect a burning experience. It is clear from the illustration that this is not a reference to hell. The fire on the rejected field did not destroy it, but purged it. It was used to “discipline” the field because of the bad crop it produced.
Often in the Bible the illustration of fire is used to describe God’s discipline of His people, that is, of believers. This occurs in such OT passages as Isa 9:18-19. In the NT we see it as an illustration of how God will burn up the useless works of believers at the Judgment Seat of Christ, even though these believers will be in the kingdom (1 Cor 3:10-15). At the Judgment Seat of Christ every believer will be judged to determine his rewards or his loss of rewards. In short, God’s people can experience the burning fire of God’s discipline in their lives or the burning up of their works when they stand before the Lord.
It is interesting that in the illustration the author uses from agriculture, the field is burned in order that it may later produce a good crop. After the field is burned of all its bad plants and seeds, it was hoped that it would later produce a good crop.
It is possible that this is in the back of the author’s mind here. If so, he is hinting that if a believer falls away and thus produces a bad spiritual crop, he can expect the discipline of God. God will do that in hopes that such a fallen believer will return to Him and walk in faith and obedience.
But this is not stated. All the author says is that the believer who falls away will experience the curses of God on his life. He can expect the discipline of God. Such discipline, based upon the context of Hebrews, could include the loss of the inheritance of reigning with Christ in His kingdom. Such a loss would be experienced at the Judgment Seat of Christ.
But this discipline could occur in this life as well. Once again, the author is vague. He does not spell out what God will do, only that it will be unpleasant. He will deal with this again in the next warning passage in Chap. 10.
Each of the Christian readers of the Epistle of Hebrews was a field. Each one had a choice as to what kind of crop he would produce. In this stern warning passage, the author has told the readers that if they did not hold on to their faith, they could produce a crop of thorns. But he does not want to leave them on such a negative note. In the following verses he encourages them and reminds them that they can produce a good spiritual crop in their lives.
A Call to Hold On (6:9-12)
These verses form part of the conclusion of this strong warning passage. In the last warning (3:1–4:16), the author concluded it by encouraging the readers to go to Christ for the help they needed. He ends this warning on a positive note as well.
9 But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner. 10 For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister. 11 And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, 12 that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
In v 9 the author calls his readers beloved, which is another indication that in this warning passage he is addressing Christians. Even though he has had to give such a strong admonition, he isconfident his readers will heed his warnings. He has to speak in the manner he has because the danger is real.
While the discipline of God on a believer who falls away is a possibility, the author is expecting that his readers will experience better things. This is not a reference to going to heaven because the word things is plural. It speaks of many things. In the Book of Hebrews it includes being blessed by God, rest from one’s work, reigning with Christ, being one of His partners in the world to come, and rewards.
The author gives a couple of reasons why he has this confidence. The first is found in v 10. It is that God is not unjust. This means that God will not forget the work they have done for Him and how theyhave ministered to the saints. They have shown love towards God and other Christians. Once again, we see that these are believers. Not only are they believers, but in the past at least, they have been faithful believers. They have served one another.
Not only that, but when the author writes this letter, they are still doing such things. They do minister.
The whole point of the letter of Hebrews is that they would continue to do so. If they do, they will receive the better things and not experience God’s discipline which the author has just described. In the process, they can know that God does not forget what they have done and is there to give them all the help and grace they need.
The second reason the author has confidence that they will receive these better things is because he knows that they can continue doing the same things until the end (v 11). Even though God gives them all the help they need, they have a responsibility. They need to have diligence in this endeavor because they have a hope.
The word diligence shows they need to continue doing the work they have been doing. Therefore, the hope here is not a reference to simply going to heaven. Going to heaven does not involve works. The hope here is the hope of great reward when the King returns. That is what is at stake.
If they would continue doing the works God requires, if they were diligent in doing so, they won’t become sluggish. This is the same word used in 5:11 to describe how they had become dull of hearing. Being diligent in holding on to our Christian hope is the opposite of being sluggish.
It is interesting that in 5:11 it says they are already sluggish. Now he says he does not want them to become sluggish. Probably what is happening here is that the readers are continuing to do what God wants them to do, but they have begun to lose interest in hearing and applying God’s Word (5:11-14). They are going through the motions. They have started walking on the path of sluggishness. If they continued to go down that path it would eventually cause them to be weak in their service to God and to others within the church.
Instead of becoming sluggish, they shouldimitate those who lived lives of faith and patience. In Chap. 2 they have the greatest example of whom to imitate— Christ is their Captain Who leads them in a life of faith. In the next verses the writer will give them another example from the OT.
Those they should imitate are those who inherit the promises. Once again we see that this cannot simply mean going to heaven. The word promises is plural. It involves many things and includes all the blessings that go with doing what God wants of His people. It requires works, diligence, and patience. It is an inheritance that is given to those who remain faithful to God.
The Conclusion of the Warning (6:13-20)
13 For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, 14 saying, “Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.” 15 And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. 16 For men indeed swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is for them an end of all dispute. 17 Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, 18 that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. 19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, 20 where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.
Abraham is an example of one of God’s people who inherit the promises (v 12). Here in v 13 we are told that God made a promise to him. In addition, God backed up that promise. He swore that He would do it. God stands behind the promise with the integrity of His own Person.
Verse 14 tells us what God promised to Abraham. Once again we see that what was promised to Abraham here is not the promise of “going to heaven” or being saved spiritually. The author of Hebrews quotes the promise of God from Genesis 22. Paul makes it clear in Romans 4 that Abraham was saved spiritually in Genesis 15. In other words, when God made this promise to Abraham he had already been saved from hell for many years. He only received this promise after he had obeyed God.
In Genesis 22 the promise made to Abraham was given after Abraham had demonstrated his willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac as an offering to God. God had tested Abraham to see if he would be obedient to God in the midst of a very trying time.
We can see why Abraham is used as an example here. The original readers of Hebrews were being encouraged to remain faithful to God in the midst of difficult times as well.
The promise of God is that Abraham will receive a blessing . This blessing included many things. God was going to multiply him in that he would have an innumerable number of descendants. From Gen 22:16-18 we also see that in Abraham all the nations of the earth would be blessed. In addition, his descendants would inherit the cities of their enemies. The fact that this promise included an inheritance and a victory over the enemies of God’s people would be very relevant for the readers of Hebrews (1:13-2:4).
These blessings were given to Abraham only after he had patiently endured. This is what the readers are encouraged to do (v 12). They are to follow his example. If they did, they would receive blessings as well. They would receive what was promised to them.
But when did Abraham receive what was promised to him? In 11:9-13, 39 the author will say that Abraham has not yet received the things promised to him; they await the world to come. They await the time when the Messiah will set up His kingdom. But even in Genesis 22, Abraham received the promise that these things would be his. They will certainly come to pass. God has not only promised it, He has backed it up with an oath. If the Christian patiently endures, he will receive promised rewards as well.
In v 16 the author begins to discuss the oath of God. There are two main points that follow from this oath. The first is that it is a sure thing. The second is that God has also made an oath to the readers of Hebrews.
Verse 16 also gives the facts of an oath in general. Men use oaths. They swear, for example, in courts to make something legally binding. They giveconfirmation to what they say, and they swear by something greater than themselves. In theory they are saying that if they do not do what they swear to, if they lie, they call upon that greater power to punish them.
God also made a promise andconfirmed it by an oath (v 17). This oath was given to the heirs of promise. In Genesis 22 the promise made to Abraham involved his heirs. The promise was that these heirs would inherit the cities of their enemies. They would rule over those enemies.
But this promise awaits the coming of the kingdom of God. Paul makes it clear in Rom 4:11-18 and Gal 3:29 that through faith, all Christians are the spiritual heirs of Abraham. The Christian readers of Hebrews, then, share in this oath and promise of God. As the partners of Christ in His kingdom, they, too, can reign over the world to come (1:13-14), over all the works of God’s hands (2:6-8). To impress upon Abraham and his heirs the certainly of this promise, God swore to it by an oath. The oath was for the benefit of the heirs of Abraham. The oath of God makes the promise a source of profound comfort.
The reason it is a source of comfort is because it involves unchanging, that is, immutable things. The first is the oath itself. The second is that it is impossible for God to lie. We have God’s word, and that word is reinforced with an oath by One who cannot lie.
The surety of these two things leads us tohave strong consolation. The Greek word for consolation often includes the idea of encouraging somebody during difficult times. That is certainly the meaning here. In Genesis 22 Abraham had just experienced the most trying of times. The readers of Hebrews, as his heirs, were as well. This idea is reinforced in the need to flee somewhere for refuge.
During times of difficulty a person needs a place of safety and strength, which forms the basic meaning of refuge. The Christian has such a place. At that place, he can lay hold of the hope set before him (v 18). It is the hope that all of the Christian’s enemies will be defeated. It is a hope that Christ will one day rule over the whole universe. It is a hope that lies in that future kingdom. It is the hope of being one of Christ’s partners. It is the hope that God will fulfill His promise and reward believers for their faithfulness. The readers of Hebrews needed to hold on to that hope.
This hope is like an anchor of the soul for the believer (v 19). It is sure and steadfast because it is backed by the oath of God. An anchor is a place of refuge and gives security during times of storms, that is, difficult times. It is extremely important that the anchor of a ship be placed in a secure location.
And where is the anchor of the Christian? It is in the most secure place in all the universe. It is behind the veil. This is a reference to the OT Holy of Holies, which represented the Presence of God. Our hope as believers is in the very presence of God in the heavens, the real Holy of Holies. Our anchor will never budge, will never slip.
Perhaps we should once again remember the first warning passage in which the author said the readers could “drift” away from what they had heard (2:1-4). The readers need not do that. They had a secure anchor which would prevent that from occurring.
The reason our anchor is secure is not simply where it is, but also because of Who is there—Jesus (v 20). He is our forerunner. He has gone ahead of us into the presence of God. Believers will follow Him there. This, of course, reminds us that Jesus is our Captain, discussed in Chap. 2.
Through this discussion, the author is telling the readers that their hope lies in the world to come. There are future realities that lie in the heavenly Holy of Holies. The author seems to be saying that not only is our hope in that place, but that Jesus Himself is our hope.
But not only is He our hope and forerunner, He is also our High Priest. As such, He is representing us in God’s presence. This is the hope we cling to (vv 11, 18).
The readers of Hebrews were surrounded by their enemies. But their hope involved the defeat of their enemies and a future reign based upon the promise made to Abraham in Genesis 22. As their High Priest, Christ is seated behind the veil waiting until He reigns over His enemies (1:13-14). His victory is assured. Those who cling to Him, their Hope, will experience the same victory.
To lay hold of this hope is to enter into the heavenly Holy of Holies in time of need and to rely on this High Priest. If a believer does, he will find help (4:14-16). This is not a call to believe in Jesus for eternal life; this is a call to patiently endure through the strength He provides in times of trouble.
The author concludes this warning passage by reminding the readers that Jesus is aHigh Priest according to the order of Melchizedek. This warning passage began in 5:10 with a reference to Christ being like Melchizedek. This reference takes the readers back to the topic the author wanted to discuss. It would be hard for them to understand it (5:11), but it is imperative that they do so. They needed to understand what it means if they were going to obtain the promises and avoid the discipline of God. In the following chapters, the author will now tell them.
Application
This very strong warning passage completely refutes the notion that all true Christians will live a godly life. The author of Hebrews tells us that a believer can live the kind of life described as a thorn infested field.
However, it need not be that way. In fact, after all God has given us as believers, it shouldn’t be that way. We have everything we need in the Word of God and our High Priest to produce the kind of fruit that pleases God.
But we must take these warning passages seriously. When we say that they are describing people who are not Christians, we deny the purpose for which they were given. Christians can then say that these verses have no meaning for them. However, Christians need to be warned that how they live and what they believe is of extreme importance. Even though Christians cannot lose eternal life, other kinds of loss are certainly possible. Such losses can be worse than dying in the wilderness at Kadesh and losing an inheritance in the earthly land of Canaan. Christians of every generation need to be given this warning.
Copyright © 2019 by Grace Evangelical Society