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Hebrews 6

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1
Wherefore leaving the doctrine of the first principles of Christ, let us press on unto perfection; not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, ​
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of the teaching of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. ​
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And this will we do, if God permit.
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For as touching those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, ​
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and tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the age to come,
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and then fell away, it is impossible to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. ​
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For the land which hath drunk the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them for whose sake it is also tilled, receiveth blessing from God:
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but if it beareth thorns and thistles, it is rejected and nigh unto a curse; whose end is to be burned. ​
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But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak: ​
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for God is not unrighteous to forget your work and the love which ye showed toward his name, in that ye ministered unto the saints, and still do minister. ​
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And we desire that each one of you may show the same diligence unto the fulness of hope even to the end:
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that ye be not sluggish, but imitators of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. ​

The Certainty of God's Promise 13–20

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For when God made promise to Abraham, since he could swear by none greater, he sware by himself, ​
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saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.
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And thus, having patiently endured, he obtained the promise.
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For men swear by the greater: and in every dispute of theirs the oath is final for confirmation.
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Wherein God, being minded to show more abundantly unto the heirs of the promise the immutability of his counsel, interposed with an oath; ​
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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 lay hold of the hope set before us:
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which we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and stedfast and entering into that which is within the veil; ​
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whither as a forerunner Jesus entered for us, having become a high priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Hebrews 6

Verse 1

leaving the principles — 'Principles' is arche, beginning, so the phrase reads 'the word of the beginning of Christ'. The 'foundation' (themelios) is the six items of vv.1–2. 'Perfection' (teleiotes) occurs only here and in Col 3:14, 'the bond of perfectness'. 'Dead works' return in 9:14, where Christ's blood purges the conscience from them.

Verse 2

doctrine of baptisms — 'Baptisms' is baptismos, the washing of Mark 7:4 and the 'divers washings' of Heb 9:10, in the plural. Laying on of hands, resurrection and eternal judgment complete the list; Paul's address at Athens names both judgment and the resurrection of the dead (Acts 17:31–32).

Verse 4

once enlightened — 'Once' is hapax, the word of 'once to die' (9:27) and 'once offered' (9:28). 'Enlightened' (photizo) is 'illuminated' in 10:32, of the readers' early days. 'Tasted' (geuomai) is the verb of Christ tasting death (2:9), and 'partakers' (metochos) that of 3:14, 'partakers of Christ'. 'Impossible' returns in 6:18.

Verse 6

fall away — Parapipto occurs only here in the New Testament. 'Crucify… afresh' is one verb, anastauroo, and 'renew' (anakainizo) is also found only here. 'Put him to an open shame' (paradeigmatizo) is 'make her a publick example' in Matt 1:19. The same offence is called treading under foot 'the Son of God' in 10:29.

Verse 8

thorns and briers — Thorns and thistles are the produce of the cursed ground (Gen 3:17–18); 'briers' (tribolos) is 'thistles' in Matt 7:16, its only other place. Land that drinks the rain and bears herbs 'receiveth blessing from God' (v.7). 'Rejected' (adokimos) is 'castaway' in 1 Cor 9:27 and 'reprobate' in Rom 1:28.

Verse 9

better things — 'Better' (kreisson) is a keyword of Hebrews, from 'so much better than the angels' (1:4) to 'better things than that of Abel' (12:24). 'Beloved' (agapetos) is used only here in the letter. After the warning, the writer states his confidence in 'things that accompany salvation'.

Verse 10

not unrighteous to forget — 'Labour of love' is the phrase of 1 Thess 1:3. To minister to the saints (diakoneo) is the verb of Paul's collection, 'to minister unto the saints' (Rom 15:25). The readers' record is given in 10:32–34, where they 'had compassion of me in my bonds'.

Verse 12

slothful — Nothros, the word rendered 'dull' in 5:11. 'Followers' is mimetes, imitators, as in 'followers of God' (Eph 5:1). 'Patience' is makrothymia, long-suffering. The examples that follow are Abraham (vv.13–15) and, in chapter 11, those who were 'heirs with him of the same promise' (11:9).

Verse 13

he sware by himself — The oath is that of Gen 22:16, 'By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD', given after Abraham 'hast not withheld thy son'. The verb omnyo is the one used of the oath that made Christ priest, 'The Lord sware and will not repent' (7:21).

Verse 17

immutability of his counsel — Ametathetos, unchangeable, occurs only here and in v.18. 'Confirmed it by an oath' is the single verb mesiteuo, formed from the word for a go-between, found only here. The 'heirs of promise' are Abraham's fellow heirs of 11:9.

Verse 19

anchor of the soul — Ankyra is found elsewhere only in Acts 27, where four anchors are cast from the stern (27:29). 'Within the veil' is the place of Lev 16:2, 'within the vail before the mercy seat', which Christ entered 'through the veil, that is to say, his flesh' (10:20).

Verse 20

forerunner — Prodromos, one who runs ahead, occurs only here in the New Testament. Jesus has entered 'into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us' (9:24). The verse ends with the priesthood 'after the order of Melchisedec', the subject left off at 5:10.