Hebrews 6
1 Therefore leaving the doctrine of the first principles of Christ, let us press on to perfection—not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works, of faith toward God,
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 —
2 of the teaching of washings, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of everlasting judgment. (aiōnios g166)
teaching concerning baptisms and the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead and a final judgment. (aiōnios g166)
3 And this we will do if God permits.
Yes and, with God’s help, we will.
4 For concerning those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit,
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,
and learned to appreciate the beauty of the Divine Message, and the new powers of the Coming Age — (aiōn g165)
6 and 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.
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.
7 For the land which has drunk the rain that comes often on it, and brings forth a crop suitable for them for whose sake it is also tilled, receives blessing from God;
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;
8 but if it bears thorns and thistles, it is rejected and near being cursed, whose end is to be burned.
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.
9 But, beloved, we are persuaded of better things for you, and things that accompany salvation, even though we speak like this.
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.
10 For God is not unrighteous, so as to forget your work and the love which you showed toward his name, in that you served the saints, and still do serve them.
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.
11 We desire that each one of you may show the same diligence to the fullness of hope even to the end,
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.
12 that you won't be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherited the promises.
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.
13 For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he could swear by none greater, he swore by himself,
When God gave his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater by whom he could swear, he swore by himself.
14 saying, "I will indeed bless you, and I will greatly multiply you."
His words were — ‘I will assuredly bless thee and increase thy numbers.’
15 Thus, having patiently endured, he obtained the promise.
And so, after patiently waiting, Abraham obtained the fulfilment of God’s promise.
16 For people swear oaths by something greater, and in every dispute of theirs the oath is final for confirmation.
Men, of course, swear by what is greater than themselves, and with them an oath is accepted as putting a matter beyond all dispute.
17 In this way God, being determined to show more abundantly to the heirs of the promise the immutability of his counsel, interposed with an oath;
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.
18 that 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.
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.
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 curtain;
This hope is a very anchor for our souls, secure and strong, and it ‘reaches into the Sanctuary that lies behind the Curtain,’
