Chapter VI

Verses 1-3. “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, of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this we will do if God permits.”

By this time the Hebrews should have been grounded in the elementary principles of Christ. The foundation was laid in their lives, but they were not where they should have been spiritually. The apostle was not sure whether God would allow him to start from the beginning by laying again the foundation of the doctrines pertaining to these first principles.

It is amazing that it can take so long for a person to be able to distinguish between dead works and the works of faith. This is because a person is still a babe in Christ and has not matured enough to discern between good and evil, between the works of God and self-imposed works. As soon as anything is said about the obedience of faith, such a person sees it as bondage—dead works—something from which he must be delivered. Yet Paul was appointed as an apostle to the Gentiles precisely to bring about this obedience to the faith. Rom. 1:5. If a person’s understanding is unclear regarding repentance from dead works and faith in God and deliverance from their own works in order to do the works of God, then the doctrine about baptism, the laying on of hands, resurrection from the dead and eternal judgment will also be unclear. The one depends on the other.

Verses 4-6. “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 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.”

The apostle is saying that a person should take heed, for it is not so certain that God will permit the foundation to be laid again and again when that person is the cause of his own retarded growth. If he has tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come and then falls away and starts committing conscious sin, then the life of Christ which had grown up by faith in his inner man is crucified again. Thus Christ is put to an open shame.

Verses 7-8. “For the earth which drinks in the rain which often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God; but if it bears thorns and briers, it is useless and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned.”

This is also how it goes with people. God gives abundant grace so that we may bear good fruit worthy of repentance. But if we continue to bear evil fruit we are useless and come under the curse; we will be consumed by the second death—the lake of fire. Only those who overcome shall not be hurt by the second death. Rev. 2:11.

Verse 9. “But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner.”

The apostle explained the development of this disobedience and inattentiveness, so that the Hebrews could see where it would lead them. However, he comforts them by saying, “But . . . we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation.” In other words, “It isn’t like that with you. Yes, you certainly are babes and you should have progressed further; nevertheless, you are not in as bad a condition as what we were describing earlier.”

Verse 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.”

We see here that our works in Christ are of the utmost significance. The Hebrews had served the saints, and a just God would surely reward that. Just as the members of a body serve one another, so are we to serve the saints who are in the same body. This is a proof of unity and fellowship in the Spirit. Throughout all eternity, we will receive benefits and blessings for having served the saints, because our service has contributed to their upward development to the Head of the same body.

Verses 11-12. “And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”

We will not make any progress without diligence and zeal, whether it be in earthly or spiritual matters. The more we give ourselves to something, the more interesting it becomes for us. Our knowledge and wisdom increases and we amass more and more treasures in heaven. Where our treasure is, there will our heart be also. Sluggishness is self-destructive. All the saints of old were persistent and zealous right to the end. Neither lions’ dens, nor the murmurings of the people, nor fire succeeded in weakening their full assurance of hope. Just think of Antiochus who tried to force seven brothers and their mother to eat pork, contrary to the law of Moses. All seven brothers were tortured to death because of their faith. Their mother encouraged each one of them in their hope and their faith so that she could receive them again in the resurrection of the dead. Last of all, the mother died. 2 Macc. 7.1

By enduring in faith and patience, we too die to wrath, passion, empty talk, backbiting, complaining, doubt, unchastity, unrighteousness, and blasphemy of all kinds, etc. Life becomes victorious and triumphant. All this takes place through the cross, and by death over the flesh with its passions and desires.

Verses 13-15. “For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, ‘Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.’ And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.”

It is not without reason that God promised to bless Abraham. We read that this was directly related to the fact that Abraham had been obedient to the Lord and offered his only son, Isaac, who was so dear to him.

“Then the Angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, and said: ‘By Myself have I sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son—blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.’” Gen. 22:15-18.

There was faith, there were promises, and there was faithfulness. As numerous as Israel was and still is, they were all, nonetheless, in the loins of Isaac when Abraham offered his son. By Abraham’s faith, the whole of Israel was sacrificed in Isaac. That is why they are the people of God. Yet most of them have been and continue to be unbelieving.

“But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but: ‘In Isaac your seed shall be called.’ That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed.” Rom. 9:6-8.

Jesus said to the Jews who resisted Him, “I know that you are Abraham’s descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father.’ They answered and said to Him, ‘Abraham is our father.’ Jesus said to them, ‘If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham. But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this.’” John 8:37-40.

Abraham received the promise by the word of faith. But the Jews who did not believe were cut off because of their unbelief. They sought the law of righteousness by works and not by faith, so they did not attain to this law but stumbled over the stumbling stone. So then, it is those who believe that are Abraham’s children, and they are partakers of the promises.

Verse 16. “For men indeed swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is for them an end of all dispute.”

In the old covenant, an oath was to settle matters which could not be settled any other way. For example, “If a man delivers to his neighbor a donkey, an ox, a sheep, or any animal to keep, and it dies, is hurt, or driven away, no one seeing it, then an oath of the Lord shall be between them both, that he has not put his hands into his neighbor’s goods; and the owner of it shall accept that, and he shall not make it good.” Ex. 22:10-11.

However, in the New Testament it is written, “But I [Jesus] say to you, do not swear at all.” James says, “But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No,’ lest you fall into judgment.” Jas. 5:12.

God had sworn: “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” All other oaths cease with this oath. The Son of God speaks to us from heaven, night and day, through the Spirit of truth. In this Spirit, our “Yes” is “Yes” and our “No” is “No,” and then all oaths are abolished; they are superseded by the truth. As James says, if a person does not speak the truth, he falls into judgment.

Verses 17-18. “Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, 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.”

When it is written that God intervened with an oath, it means that He intervened between the old covenant and the new. The oath was the one immutable thing, and the prophecies of the Old Testament were the other. In Psalm 110:4 it is written, “The Lord has sworn and will not relent, ‘You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.’” David and the prophets prophesied about the Messiah, and that the will of the Lord was to prosper by His hand. Yet the scribes of Jesus’ time were not able to recognize Him as the Messiah. That was the natural consequence of them admiring the great men in this world. They could not imagine that the Messiah would come from a poor family. In other words, they were sacrificing to idols in the high places, which makes a person blind. The scribes of our day also admire those who are great in this world. They eat and they drink together with them, and hold fawning speeches for them. They themselves are unbelieving since and they are yoked together with unbelievers. The consequence is that they are completely blind to Christ manifested in the flesh—exactly as their predecessors were 1,900 years ago.

That is why it is written, “Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel . . . .” He does not show that to unbelieving people; whether they are learned or unlearned is of no consequence to God. God reveals His mysteries to the heirs of promise. The scribes, for all their studying, can never see anything but the shell. They can never comprehend the essence of the matter, for that requires godliness. And if any one of them were to receive revelation from the Spirit by virtue of his godliness, he would be excluded from the company of the scribes who have all their knowledge in their heads and not in their hearts.

Verses 19-20. “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”

The anchor of hope lies within the Most Holy Place. Jesus made a way for us into the Holiest through the veil, that is, His flesh. Heb. 10:19-20. He Himself entered in. That is why it is written: “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Unlike a ship’s anchor, this anchor will never lose its hold. Christ, the anchor of our hope, is firmly secure in the Holiest because of God’s oath.

God Himself has written in our hearts and minds the laws by which we can come to where He is. He takes away the legalistic sacrifices and establishes the second, that is, God’s will. Heb. 10:9, 16. God’s will is our sanctification. No other “will” is of any avail—and God’s will is written in our hearts and minds. The Advocate from heaven reveals it, and the scriptures bear witness to it. In the depths of the heart, room is made for God’s kingdom, and there the Father and the Son reveal themselves to all those who keep the commandments. John 14:21, 23.