Hebrews 6
1 Therefore, let us leave behind the elementary teaching about the Christ and press on to perfection, not always laying over again a foundation of repentance for a lifeless formality, of faith in God —
Let us then, leaving the first principles of the doctrine of Christ, press on to perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
2 teaching concerning baptisms and the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead and a final judgment. (aiōnios g166)
of the doctrine of baptisms, and of the laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of everlasting judgment. (aiōnios g166)
3 Yes and, with God’s help, we will.
And this we will do, if God permit.
4 For if those who were once for all brought into the Light, and learned to appreciate the gift from Heaven, and came to share in the Holy Spirit,
For it is impossible that those who have once been enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and been make partakers of the Holy Spirit,
5 and learned to appreciate the beauty of the Divine Message, and the new powers of the Coming Age — (aiōn g165)
and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, (aiōn g165)
6 if those, I say, fell away, it would be impossible to bring them again to repentance; they would be crucifying the Son of God over again for themselves, and exposing him to open contempt.
and have fallen away, should again be renewed to repentance, since they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to open shame.
7 Ground that drinks in the showers that from time to time fall upon it, and produces vegetation useful to those for whom it is tilled, receives a blessing from God;
For the earth which hath drunk in the rain that cometh often upon it, and beareth plants useful to those for whose sake it is tilled, receiveth blessing from God;
8 but, if it ‘bears thorns and thistles,’ it is regarded as worthless, it is in danger of being ‘cursed,’ and its end will be the fire.
but if it bear thorns and briers it is disapproved, and is near to being accursed; and its end is to be burned.
9 But about you, dear friends, even though we speak in this way, we are confident of better things — of things that point to your Salvation.
But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that are connected with salvation, though we do thus speak.
10 For God is not unjust; he will not forget the work that you did, and the love that you showed for his Name, in sending help to your fellow Christians — as you are still doing.
For God is not unjust so as to forget your work, and the love which ye showed toward his name, in that ye ministered and are still ministering to the saints.
11 But our great desire is that every one of you should be equally earnest to attain to a full conviction that our hope will be fulfilled, and that you should keep that hope to the end.
But we earnestly desire that every one of you may show the same diligence with regard to the full assurance of your hope even to the end;
12 Then you will not show yourselves slow to learn, but you will copy those who, through faith and patience, are now entering upon the enjoyment of God’s promises.
that ye may not become slothful, but imitators of those who through faith and endurance inherit the promises.
13 When God gave his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater by whom he could swear, he swore by himself.
For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he could swear by no greater, he swore by himself,
14 His words were — ‘I will assuredly bless thee and increase thy numbers.’
saying, “Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.”
15 And so, after patiently waiting, Abraham obtained the fulfilment of God’s promise.
And so, having endured with patience, he obtained the promised blessing.
16 Men, of course, swear by what is greater than themselves, and with them an oath is accepted as putting a matter beyond all dispute.
For men indeed swear by one who is greater, and the oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife.
17 And therefore God, in his desire to show, with unmistakable plainness, to those who were to enter on the enjoyment of what he had promised, the unchangeableness of his purpose, bound himself with an oath.
Wherefore God, wishing more abundantly to show to the heirs of the promise the immutability of his purpose, confirmed it by an oath,
18 For he intended us to find great encouragement in these two unchangeable things, which make it impossible for God to prove false — we, I mean, who fled for safety where we might lay hold on the hope set before us.
that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we may have strong encouragement, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us;
19 This hope is a very anchor for our souls, secure and strong, and it ‘reaches into the Sanctuary that lies behind the Curtain,’
which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, sure and steadfast, and which entereth within the veil;
