Chapter 6

¹Let us therefore leave elementary Christian teaching alone and advance toward maturity. We must not be always relaying foundations, of repentance for wrong-doing, and of faith in God, ²with the teaching of baptism and the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead and final judgment. ³And we will advance if God permits it. ⁴For it is impossible to arouse people to a fresh repentance when they have once for all come into the light and had a taste of the gift from heaven, and shared in the holy Spirit ⁵and felt the goodness of the word of God and the strong influences of the coming age, ⁶and yet have fallen back, for they crucify the Son of God on their own account, and hold him up to contempt. ⁷Ground that drinks in frequent showers and produces vegetation that is of use to those for whom it is cultivated receives God’s blessing. ⁸But if it yields thorns and thistles, it is thought worthless and almost cursed, and it will finally be burned.

⁹But about you, dear friends, even though we say this, we are sure of better things that promise salvation. ¹⁰For God is not so unjust as to forget the work you have done and the love you have showed for his cause, in giving help to your fellow-Christians as you still do. ¹¹But we want each of you to exhibit this same earnestness to the very end with regard to your confidence in your hope, ¹²so that you may never grow careless, but may learn to follow the example of those who through their faith and endurance are the possessors of God’s promises.

¹³For when God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to make oath by, he did so by himself, ¹⁴and said,

“I will certainly bless you richly, and greatly increase your numbers.” ¹⁵And so after waiting patiently, he received what God had promised him. ¹⁶For men make oath by something greater than themselves, and they accept an oath as settling finally any disagreement they may have. ¹⁷Therefore, God in his desire to make it perfectly clear to those to whom he made his promise, that his purpose was unalterable, bound himself with an oath, ¹⁸so that by these two unalterable things, which make it impossible for God to break his promise, we who have taken refuge with him may be greatly encouraged to seize upon the hope that is offered to us. ¹⁹This hope is like an anchor for our souls. It reaches up secure and strong into the sanctuary behind the heavenly curtain, ²⁰where Jesus has gone ahead of us, and become forever a high priest of the priesthood of Melchizedek.