Hebrews Chapter 6

From The Open Bible Project

6:1 Therefore leaving the teaching of the first principles of Christ, let us press on to perfection--not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works, of faith toward God,

• (a) The first principle of Christian religion, which we call the catechism.
• (1) Certain principles of a catechism, which comprehend the sum of the doctrine of the gospel, were given in few words and briefly to the poor and unlearned, that is, the profession of repentance and faith in God. The articles of this doctrine were required from those who were not yet members of the Church on the days appointed for their baptism. Of those articles, two are by name recited: the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. (Ed.)

6:2 of the teaching of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.

6:3 This will we do, if God permits.

6:4 For concerning those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit,

• (2) He adds a vehemency to his exhortation, and a sharp threatening of the certain destruction that will come to them who fall away from God and his religion.
• (b) He speaks of a general backsliding and those who fall away from the faith completely, not of sins committed through the weakness of a man against the first and the second table of the law.
• (c) We must note the force of this word, for it is one thing to believe as Lydia did, whose heart God opened in (Acts 16:13) and another thing to have some taste.

6:5 and tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the age to come,

6:6 and then fell away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance; seeing they crucify the Son of God for themselves again, and put him to open shame.

• (d) As men that hate Christ, and as though they crucified him again, making a mockery of him to all the world, to their own destruction, as Julian the Apostate or backslider did.

6:7 For the land which has drunk the rain that comes often on it, and brings forth a crop suitable for them for whose sake it is also tilled, receives blessing from God;

• (3) He lays out the former threatening with a comparison.

6:8 but if it bears thorns and thistles, it is rejected and near being cursed, whose end is to be burned.

6:9 But, beloved, we are persuaded of better things for you, and things that accompany salvation, even though we speak like this.

• (4) He moderates and calms all that sharpness, expecting better things of those to whom he writes.

6:10 For God is not unrighteous, so as to forget your work and the labor of love which you showed toward his name, in that you served the saints, and still do serve them.

• (5) He praises them for their charity, by this encouraging them to go forward, and to hold out to the end.

6:11 We desire that each one of you may show the same diligence to the fullness of hope even to the end,

6:12 that you won't be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherited the promises.

• (6) He shows in these verses that they need to go forward constantly, for their own good: that is, of charity, and patience; and lest any man should object and say that these things are impossible to do, he asks them to consider the examples of their ancestors and to follow them.

6:13 For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he could swear by none greater, he swore by himself,

• (7) Another encouragement, to push them onward because the hope of the inheritance is certain, if we continue to the end, for God has not only promised it, but also promised it with an oath.

6:14 saying, "Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you."[21]

• (e) I will heap many benefits on you.

6:15 Thus, having patiently endured, he obtained the promise.

6:16 For men indeed swear by a greater one, and in every dispute of theirs the oath is final for confirmation.

6:17 In this way God, being determined to show more abundantly to the heirs of the promise the immutability of his counsel, interposed with an oath;

• (f) More than was needed, were it not for the wickedness of men who do not believe God, even though he swears.

6:18 that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we may have a strong encouragement, who have fled for refuge to take hold of the hope set before us.

6:19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and entering into that which is within the veil;

• (8) He compares hope to an anchor because in the same way that an anchor when cast into the bottom of the sea secures the whole ship, so hope also enters even into the very secret places of heaven. He makes mention of the sanctuary, alluding to the old tabernacle and by this returns to the comparison of the priesthood of Christ with the Levitical priesthood.

6:20 where as a forerunner Jesus entered for us, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

• (9) He repeats David’s words, in which all those comparisons that he mentioned before are signified, as he declares in all the next chapter.