New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
Hebrews 6
1
So let us leave the simple teachings about Christ. Let us grow up as believers. Let us not start all over again with the basic teachings. They taught us that we need to turn away from doing things that lead to death. They taught us that we must have faith in God.
Reference
Faith
Matthew 21:32
John 12:44
John 5:24
Parallel theme
Hebrews 12:13
Hebrews 7:11
References Christ
Hebrews 9:14
Ephesians 4:12
References God
2 Corinthians 7:1
Repentance
Acts 26:20
Matthew 3:2
2
They taught us about different kinds of baptism. They taught us about placing hands on people. They taught us that people will rise from the dead. They taught us that God will judge everyone. And they taught us that what he decides will last forever.
Reference
Baptism
Acts 2:41
Acts 2:38
Acts 16:33
Acts 10:47
Mark 16:16
Judgment
Acts 16:15
Acts 24:25
Parallel theme
Acts 6:6
Resurrection
Acts 17:18
Acts 23:6
4
What if some people fall away from the faith? It won't be possible to bring them back. It is true that they have seen the light. They have tasted the heavenly gift. They have shared in the Holy Spirit.
Reference
Holy
Hebrews 2:4
Parallel theme
Matthew 5:13
John 15:6
Ephesians 2:8
John 3:27
Hebrews 10:32
2 Timothy 2:25
1 John 5:16
Spirit
Matthew 12:45
Galatians 3:2
5
They have tasted the good things of God's word. They have tasted the powers of the age to come.
Reference
6
But they have fallen away from the faith. So it won't be possible to bring them back. They won't be able to turn away from their sins. They are losing everything. That's because they are nailing the Son of God to the cross all over again. They are bringing shame on him in front of everyone.
Reference
Parallel theme
2 Peter 2:21
Hebrews 6:4
1 John 5:16
Isaiah 1:28
References God
Hebrews 10:29
Psalm 51:10
Repentance
2 Timothy 2:25
7
Some land drinks the rain that falls on it. It produces a crop that is useful to those who farm the land. That land receives God's blessing.
Reference
Blessing
Genesis 27:27
Parallel theme
Hosea 10:12
Psalm 126:6
James 5:7
Sin
Isaiah 44:3
Psalm 24:5
Ezekiel 34:26
Leviticus 25:21
Malachi 3:10
8
But other land produces only thorns and weeds. That land isn't worth anything. It is in danger of coming under God's curse. In the end, it will be burned.
Reference
9
Dear friends, we have to say these things. But we are sure of better things in your case. We are talking about the things that go along with being saved.
Reference
10
God is fair. He will not forget what you have done. He will remember the love you have shown him. You showed it when you helped his people. And you show it when you keep on helping them.
Reference
Love
1 Thessalonians 1:3
Parallel theme
Matthew 10:42
Galatians 6:10
Proverbs 14:31
Mark 9:41
1 Timothy 6:18
Acts 11:29
References God
Hebrews 13:16
Acts 10:4
Colossians 3:17
11
We want each of you to be faithful to the very end. We want you to be sure of what you hope for.
Reference
12
We don't want you to slow down. Instead, be like those who have faith and are patient. They will receive what God promised.
Reference
Covenant
Hebrews 10:36
1 John 2:25
Faith
Hebrews 13:7
Parallel theme
Romans 12:11
Hebrews 5:11
Hebrews 1:14
Hebrews 12:1
Proverbs 18:9
2 Peter 1:10
Jeremiah 6:16
13
When God made his promise to Abraham, he took an oath to keep it. But there was no one greater than himself to take an oath by. So he took his oath by making an appeal to himself.
Reference
14
He said, "I will certainly bless you. I will give you many children."--(Genesis 22:17)
Reference
Parallel theme
Deuteronomy 1:10
Nehemiah 9:23
Genesis 17:2
Exodus 32:13
Genesis 48:4
Sin
Genesis 22:17
16
People take oaths by someone greater than themselves. An oath makes a promise certain. It puts an end to all arguing.
Reference
17
So God took an oath when he made his promise. He wanted to make it very clear that his purpose does not change. He wanted those who would receive what was promised to know that.
Reference
Covenant
Hebrews 11:9
Hebrews 6:12
Parallel theme
Proverbs 19:21
Isaiah 55:11
Isaiah 14:24
Psalm 110:4
Psalm 33:11
John 10:10
Hebrews 6:16
References God
Hebrews 6:18
18
God took an oath so we would have good reason not to give up. We have run away from everything else to take hold of the hope offered to us in God's promise. So God gave his promise and his oath. Those two things can't change. He couldn't lie about them.
Reference
Hope
Titus 1:2
Parallel theme
1 Samuel 15:29
2 Timothy 2:13
Joshua 20:3
Isaiah 51:12
1 John 1:10
Hebrews 3:11
References God
Numbers 23:19
Romans 3:4
Psalm 46:1
19
Our hope is certain. It is something for the soul to hold on to. It is strong and secure. It goes all the way into the Most Holy Room behind the curtain.
Reference
20
That is where Jesus has gone. He went there to open the way ahead of us. He has become a high priest forever, just like Melchizedek.
Reference
Creation
Hebrews 9:24
Parallel theme
Hebrews 5:6
Hebrews 5:10
Hebrews 8:1
Hebrews 2:10
Hebrews 9:12
Hebrews 1:3
Romans 8:34
References Jesus
Hebrews 4:14
Hebrews 3:1
Summary of Hebrews 6
Hebrews 6 challenges believers to move beyond elementary Christian teaching toward spiritual maturity, warning them about the serious danger of turning away from Christ after experiencing God's blessings while simultaneously encouraging faithful believers to persevere with confidence because God faithfully remembers their service, guarantees His promises through His unchanging character and oath, and provides Jesus Christ as the secure anchor of their hope and eternal High Priest.
The chapter begins by encouraging believers to leave behind the basic foundations of Christian instruction and move toward spiritual maturity, listing subjects such as repentance, faith, baptisms, laying on of hands, resurrection, and eternal judgment as foundational teachings rather than the final destination of Christian understanding.
The writer wants his readers to grow deeper rather than continually returning to elementary principles, although he recognizes that genuine spiritual progress ultimately depends upon God's work.
A serious warning follows concerning people who have experienced extraordinary spiritual privileges, including participation in the Holy Spirit, knowledge of God's word, and experiences connected with the powers of the coming age.
The writer explains that deliberate and persistent rejection of Christ after such profound spiritual experience represents an extremely serious condition, using the imagery of land receiving abundant rain to illustrate the difference between receiving God's provision and producing the fruit that should result from it.
Good land produces useful crops and receives blessing, while land that repeatedly produces thorns and weeds demonstrates that receiving God's provision without producing appropriate fruit leads toward judgment.
However, the writer immediately balances this warning with pastoral encouragement, expressing confidence that his readers possess better things associated with salvation and reminding them that God is not unjust and will not forget their work and love demonstrated through service to other believers.
The readers are encouraged to remain diligent rather than becoming spiritually lazy, imitating people who inherit God's promises through faith and patient endurance.
Abraham becomes the principal example because God made a promise to him and confirmed that promise with an oath, while Abraham demonstrated patience before eventually receiving what God had promised.
The writer uses the human practice of taking an oath to establish certainty and then explains that God's promise is even more secure because God cannot lie and His purpose does not change.
For believers who have placed their hope in God, this provides powerful encouragement because God's promise and oath provide two unchangeable foundations upon which their confidence can rest.
The chapter then presents one of Hebrews' most memorable images, describing Christian hope as an anchor for the soul that reaches beyond the visible world into the heavenly sanctuary where Christ has entered on behalf of His people.
Jesus is presented as the believer's forerunner and eternal High Priest, returning the reader to the central theme of Hebrews and preparing for the deeper explanation of Christ's priesthood that follows in the next chapter.
The central message of Hebrews 6 is that believers must not remain spiritually immature or turn away from Christ after experiencing God's grace and truth, but should continue growing in faith, serving others, and patiently trusting God's promises, because God faithfully remembers genuine Christian service and has confirmed His unchanging purpose through both His promise and His oath, giving believers a secure hope anchored in heaven through Jesus Christ, the eternal High Priest who has entered God's presence on their behalf.
The chapter begins by encouraging believers to leave behind the basic foundations of Christian instruction and move toward spiritual maturity, listing subjects such as repentance, faith, baptisms, laying on of hands, resurrection, and eternal judgment as foundational teachings rather than the final destination of Christian understanding.
The writer wants his readers to grow deeper rather than continually returning to elementary principles, although he recognizes that genuine spiritual progress ultimately depends upon God's work.
A serious warning follows concerning people who have experienced extraordinary spiritual privileges, including participation in the Holy Spirit, knowledge of God's word, and experiences connected with the powers of the coming age.
The writer explains that deliberate and persistent rejection of Christ after such profound spiritual experience represents an extremely serious condition, using the imagery of land receiving abundant rain to illustrate the difference between receiving God's provision and producing the fruit that should result from it.
Good land produces useful crops and receives blessing, while land that repeatedly produces thorns and weeds demonstrates that receiving God's provision without producing appropriate fruit leads toward judgment.
However, the writer immediately balances this warning with pastoral encouragement, expressing confidence that his readers possess better things associated with salvation and reminding them that God is not unjust and will not forget their work and love demonstrated through service to other believers.
The readers are encouraged to remain diligent rather than becoming spiritually lazy, imitating people who inherit God's promises through faith and patient endurance.
Abraham becomes the principal example because God made a promise to him and confirmed that promise with an oath, while Abraham demonstrated patience before eventually receiving what God had promised.
The writer uses the human practice of taking an oath to establish certainty and then explains that God's promise is even more secure because God cannot lie and His purpose does not change.
For believers who have placed their hope in God, this provides powerful encouragement because God's promise and oath provide two unchangeable foundations upon which their confidence can rest.
The chapter then presents one of Hebrews' most memorable images, describing Christian hope as an anchor for the soul that reaches beyond the visible world into the heavenly sanctuary where Christ has entered on behalf of His people.
Jesus is presented as the believer's forerunner and eternal High Priest, returning the reader to the central theme of Hebrews and preparing for the deeper explanation of Christ's priesthood that follows in the next chapter.
The central message of Hebrews 6 is that believers must not remain spiritually immature or turn away from Christ after experiencing God's grace and truth, but should continue growing in faith, serving others, and patiently trusting God's promises, because God faithfully remembers genuine Christian service and has confirmed His unchanging purpose through both His promise and His oath, giving believers a secure hope anchored in heaven through Jesus Christ, the eternal High Priest who has entered God's presence on their behalf.