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 —
So then, let us leave the beginning of the message of Christ and move forward to maturity. Let us not lay again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith in God,
2 teaching concerning baptisms and the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead and a final judgment. (aiōnios g166)
nor the foundation of teaching about baptisms, laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. (aiōnios g166)
3 Yes and, with God’s help, we will.
We will also do this if God permits.
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 for those who were once enlightened, who tasted the heavenly gift, who were sharers 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 who tasted God's good word and the powers of the age 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.
but who then fell away—it is impossible to restore them again to repentance. This is because they crucify the Son of God for themselves again, and publicly shame him.
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 land that drinks in the rain that often comes on it, and that gives birth to the plants useful to those for whom the land was worked—this is the land that receives a 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 bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and is near to a curse. Its end is in burning.
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 we are convinced about better things concerning you, beloved ones, things that concern salvation, even though we speak like this.
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 so unjust that he would forget your work and the love that you have shown for his name, because you served the believers and still serve them.
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.
We greatly desire that each of you may show the same diligence to the end, in order to make your hope certain.
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.
This is so that you will not become lazy, but imitators of those who by faith and patience 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 his promise to Abraham, he swore by himself, since he could not swear by anyone greater.
14 His words were — ‘I will assuredly bless thee and increase thy numbers.’
He said, “I will certainly bless you, and I will greatly increase you.”
15 And so, after patiently waiting, Abraham obtained the fulfilment of God’s promise.
In this way, Abraham obtained what was promised after he had patiently waited.
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 people swear by someone greater than themselves. At the end of each of their disputes, an oath serves as confirmation.
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.
When God decided to show more clearly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable quality of his purpose, he guaranteed it with 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.
He did this so that by two unchangeable things—with which it is impossible for God to lie—we, who have fled for refuge, will have a strong encouragement to hold firmly to 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,’
We have this as a secure and reliable anchor for the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain,
