Bible Study Hebrews 6
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Hebrews 6 · WEB

Pressing On to Maturity and the Anchor of Hope

Listen — WEB narration 0:00 / 0:00 Narration: World English Bible (David Williams), public domain — AudioTreasure.

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Therefore leaving the teaching of the first principles of Christ, let's press on to perfection—not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works, of faith toward God,
2of the teaching of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
3This will we do, if God permits.
4For concerning those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit,
5and tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come,
6and then fell away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance; seeing they crucify the Son of God for themselves again, and put him to open shame.
7For the land which has drunk the rain that comes often on it and produces a crop suitable for them for whose sake it is also tilled, receives blessing from God;
8but if it bears thorns and thistles, it is rejected and near being cursed, whose end is to be burned.
9But, beloved, we are persuaded of better things for you, and things that accompany salvation, even though we speak like this.
10For God is not unrighteous, so as to forget your work and the labor of love which you showed toward his name, in that you served the saints, and still do serve them.
11We desire that each one of you may show the same diligence to the fullness of hope even to the end,
12that you won't be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and perseverance inherited the promises.
13For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he could swear by none greater, he swore by himself,
14saying, "Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you."
15Thus, having patiently endured, he obtained the promise.
16For men indeed swear by a greater one, and in every dispute of theirs the oath is final for confirmation.
17In this way God, being determined to show more abundantly to the heirs of the promise the immutability of his counsel, interposed with an oath;
18that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we may have a strong encouragement, who have fled for refuge to take hold of the hope set before us.
19This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and entering into that which is within the veil;
20where as a forerunner Jesus entered for us, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
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Summary

The author urges his readers to press past elementary teachings toward maturity, then issues one of the most sobering warnings in the New Testament about the impossibility of renewal for those who, having truly tasted heavenly realities, deliberately fall away. He softens the warning by expressing confidence that his readers will bear fruit and urges them to imitate the faith and perseverance of those who inherited the promises. God's oath to Abraham — confirmed by his own unchangeable nature — guarantees the hope that anchors the soul, a hope rooted in Jesus our forerunner who has entered the Most Holy Place as high priest forever.

Themes

  • Pressing on from elementary teaching to maturity
  • The danger of apostasy
  • God's unchangeable promise and oath
  • Faith and patience as the path to inheritance
  • Hope as an anchor anchored in Jesus our forerunner

Key verses

  • Heb 6:1 — “Therefore leaving the teaching of the first principles of Christ, let's press on to perfection.”
  • Heb 6:12 — “That you won't be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and perseverance inherited the promises.”
  • Heb 6:18 — “That by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we may have a strong encouragement.”
  • Heb 6:19 — “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and entering into that which is within the veil.”

Context & background

Hebrews was written c. AD 60-70 to Jewish Christians (likely in Jerusalem, modern Israel, or Rome, modern Italy) tempted to revert to Judaism under persecution. The author is unknown. The "elementary teachings" in vv. 1-2 are doctrines shared by Judaism and Christianity, so going back to them was effectively abandoning Christ. The agricultural metaphor (vv. 7-8) would resonate with farmers in Judea where rainfall determined whether land produced grain or thorns. The "anchor entering within the veil" alludes to the Most Holy Place in the Jerusalem temple — sealed off by a thick curtain — that Jesus has now entered as our forerunner. God's oath to Abraham was originally given near Hebron and Beersheba in the land of Canaan (modern southern Israel).

Cross-references

  • 2 Peter 1:5-11 — Diligence and growth to confirm calling and election
  • Genesis 22:16-17 — God swears by himself to Abraham (quoted v. 14)
  • Hebrews 10:26-31 — Parallel warning against deliberate sin after knowing the truth
  • Luke 8:13 — Seed on rocky ground: those who fall away in time of testing
  • Matthew 27:51 — The temple veil torn at the crucifixion, opening access

Check your reading

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  1. Observe

    What six "first principles" does the author list as the foundational teaching that believers should move beyond (vv. 1-2)?

  2. Observe

    What two "immutable things" make it impossible for God to lie and give believers strong encouragement (vv. 17-18)?

  3. Interpret

    How should the severe warning of verses 4-8 about those who "fell away" be read alongside the encouragement of verses 9-12 directed to the same readers?

  4. Interpret

    In what sense is Christian hope an "anchor of the soul" that "enters within the veil" (v. 19)?

  5. Apply

    The author urges his readers to press on to maturity rather than laying the foundation again and again (v. 1). What does "pressing on to maturity" look like in your current season of life?

  6. Apply

    God's promise to Abraham was confirmed by an oath sworn on his own name — "since he could swear by none greater" (v. 13). How does the absolute reliability of God's promise serve as a practical anchor when you are tempted to doubt his faithfulness?

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