Hebrews 6

The Danger of Falling Away

1Therefore 1leaving 2the 3elementary teaching about the 4Christ, let us press on to 56maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from 7dead works and of faith toward God, 2of 8instruction about 9washings and 10laying on of hands, and about the 11resurrection of the dead and 12eternal judgment. 3And this we will do, 13if God permits. 4For it is 14impossible, in the case of those who have once been 15enlightened and have tasted of 16the heavenly gift and have been made 17partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5and 18have tasted the good 19word of God and the powers of 20the age to come, 6and then have 21fallen away, to 22restore them again to repentance, 2324since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame. 7For ground that drinks the rain which often 25falls on it and produces vegetation useful to those 26for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God; 8but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and 2728close to being cursed, and 29it ends up being burned.

Better Things for You

9But, 30beloved, we are convinced of better things regarding you, and things that 31accompany salvation, even though we are speaking in this way. 10For 32God is not unjust so as to forget 33your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, by having 34served and by still serving the 35saints. 11And we desire that each one of you demonstrate the same diligence 36so as to realize the 37full assurance of 38hope until the end, 12so that you will not be sluggish, but 39imitators of those who through 40faith and endurance 41inherit the promises.

13For 42when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear an oath by no one greater, He 43swore by Himself, 14saying, “44indeed I will greatly bless you and I will greatly multiply you.” 15And so, 45having patiently waited, he obtained the promise. 1646For people swear an oath by 47one greater than themselves, and with them 48an oath serving as confirmation is an end of every dispute. 1749In the same way God, desiring even more to demonstrate to 50the heirs of the promise 5152the fact that His purpose is unchangeable, 53confirmed it with an oath, 18so that by two unchangeable things in which 54it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to hold firmly to 55the hope set before us. 1956This 57hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and reliable and one which 58enters 59within the veil, 2060where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a 61high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.