BIBLE STUDY MANUALS: HEBREWS CHAPTER 6:9-19

(Heb 6:1 KJV) "Therefore, [having left] the [beginning] principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection [completion, maturity]; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead [useless] works, and of faith in God

(Heb 6:2 KJV) of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.

(Heb 6:4 NASB) [For it is impossible] ... in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit,

(Heb 6:5 NASB) and have tasted the good Word of God and the powers of the age to come;

(Heb 6:6 NASB) and then having fallen away, [it is impossible, (v. 4)] to renew them again to repentance, [to that which brought them eternal life] since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame [public disgrace].

(Heb 6:7 NIV) Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God

(Heb 6:8 NIV) But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed in the end it will be burned."

[In other words, while the Hebrew Christians who have fallen away insist on performing the sacrifices, (crucifying Christ over and over again), their minds are impossibly closed to what got them saved in the first place: trusting alone in Christ's once for all time sacrifice of their sins alone for eternal life]

[Dave Hunt, "An Urgent Call to a Serious Faith," The Berean Call, December 2002]:

"According to Hebrews 6:4-9, the “falling away” doctrine, rather than glorifying Christ, once again holds Him up to shame and ridicule before the world for two reasons:

2) He would be ridiculed for dying to purchase a salvation but not making adequate provision to preserve it—for giving a priceless gift to those who would inevitably lose it.

If Christ’s death in our place for our sins and His resurrection were not sufficient to keep us saved, then He has foolishly wasted His time. If we could not live a good enough life to earn salvation, it is certain we cannot live a good enough life to keep it. To make the salvation He procured ultimately dependent upon our faltering works would be the utmost folly. “Falling away” doctrine makes us worse off after we are saved than before. At least before conversion we can get saved. But after we are saved and have lost our salvation (if we could), we can’t get saved again, but are lost forever...

If we could lose our salvation, we could never get it back without Christ dying again upon the cross. This is folly. He would have to die an infinite number of times (that is, every time every person who was once saved sinned and was lost and wanted to be “saved again”). Thus, those who reject “once saved, always saved” can only replace it with “once lost, always lost.”

(Heb 6:9) Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are confident of better things in your case--things that accompany salvation.

(Heb 6:10) God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.

(Heb 6:11) We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure.

(Heb 6:12) We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised."

[Joseph C. Dillow, 'The Reign of the Servant Kings', 1992, Schoettle Publishing, Miami Springs, Fl, p. 132-3]:

"The things to which he refers are defined in the following verses (6:10-12): work and love, diligence to the end, and faith and patience. Salvation is the victorious participation with Christ in the coming kingdom as it is in Heb 1:14, which only those who persevere as companions of the King will inherit. The writer obviously expects that his readers will persevere to the end, enter into rest, and obtain these blessings."

Note that the salvation written of here in Heb 6:11 as commented upon by Joseph Dillow above is NOT salvation unto eternal life which is by a moment of faith alone in Christ alone - a gift of God, not by works, (Eph 2:8-9). But persevering to the end [of ones life] is in view which is about the salvation / preservation of those faithful things that one is encouraged / even commanded to do once one has expressed a moment of faith alone unto eternal rewards / blessings in eternity unto entering ones eternal rest / blessings should one persevere in the faith in their temporal lives and not fall away from the faith which the author of Hebrews repeatedly warns the Hebrew Christians against doing. Although the writer of Hebrews is indeed expecting the Hebrew Christians to persevere to the end, enter into God's rest He has provided for them provided they do persevere; there is no guarantee that they all will do just that. This is evidenced in God's Word, especially the epistles wherein there is much instruction and warning to be faithful in ones Christian life in order to "obtain these blessings." Otherwise there will not be the temporal and eternal blessings that the unfaithful believer might have hoped for.

(Heb 6:9) "Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are confident of better things in your case--things that accompany salvation."

Despite the disciplinary words of the author of Hebrews to first century Hebrew Christians in Heb 6:1-8, he now writes encouraging words to his Hebrew Christian "dear friends," i.e., fellow believers, giving them the hope that they may have "better things" to look forward to - things that accompany salvation unto eternal life as opposed to reverting to keeping the Law which they were doing in order to attain / keep eternal life thereby contradicting what they already possessed by a moment of faith alone in Christ alone plus nothing else. This corroborates that these "dear friends" are believers / Christians; and they have not lost their salvation, nor are they NOT in a position if unsaved to regain their salvation, as some contend.

(Heb 6:10) "God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them."

[The author wrote in Heb 6:10 of the faithful work and agape love that these Hebrew Christians had done and expressed toward God's people and continued to help them. Which is in contrast with Heb 6:1-8 which focuses upon the Hebrew Christians' problems with not maturing in the faith and even having fallen away from the faith - having gone back to keeping the Law of Moses in order to be saved unto eternal life]

(Heb 6:11) We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure.

[The author of Hebrews goes on to write, speaking in the plural, evidently representing other believers who may be involved in the Christian lives of the Hebrew believers to whom the Book of Hebrews is addressed, "We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end" - evidently to persevere in faithfulness to the end of their physical lives. And this to make sure that their hope of entering the "rest" of God - the blessings that God assigned to them to receive sure]

Note that the salvation written of here is NOT salvation unto eternal life which is by a moment of faith alone in Christ alone - a gift of God, not by works, (Eph 2:8-9); but persevering to the end [of ones life] is in view which is about the salvation / preservation of those faithful things that one does once one has expressed a moment of faith alone unto eternal rewards / blessings in eternity unto entering ones eternal rest / blessings should one persevere in the faith in their temporal lives and not fall away from the faith which the author of Hebrews repeatedly warns the Hebrew Christians against doing. Although the writer of Hebrews is indeed expecting the Hebrew Christians to persevere to the end, enter into God's rest He has provided for them provided they do persevere; but there is no guarantee that they all will do just that. This is evidenced in God's Word, especially the epistles wherein there is much instruction and warning to be faithful in ones Christian life in order to "obtain these blessings." Otherwise there will not be the temporal and eternal blessings that the unfaithful believer might have hoped for.

(Heb 6:11) "We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure.

(Heb 6:12) We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised."

So with the message of Heb 6:11 in view: that of advising the Hebrew Christians [and all Christians] to continue to show the same diligence to the very end of their lives in order to make their hope of entering God's rest - of receiving eternal rewards / blessings for them sure, then the next verse states to emphasize this point as follows: "We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised," in the sense of eternal rewards - for they already have eternal life - otherwise the message to them would not be to continue to show diligence, not become lazy, to imitate those who persevere in the faith. The message would be to believe in Christ in order to be saved unto eternal life. So the writer and those who are with him in purpose toward the Hebrew Christians express the point of view that they do not want the Hebrew believers to become lazy by not actively endeavoring to be faithful toward God, but instead imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised to them by God by being faithful.

(v. 9) "Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are confident of better things in your case - things that accompany salvation.

'''9 For the only time in the epistle the writer here addresses the readers as "beloved" (agapetoi; NIV, "dear friends"). He has a tender concern for his correspondents, even though he has had to say some critical things about them. "We are confident" (which is the first word in the Gr.) carries a note of certainty: "We are sure." He is sure that there are "better" things about them than the kind of disaster he has been speaking about. The writer is fond of the word "better" (see commentary on 1:4). He does not say what these good things are better than, but it is clearly implied that it is the cursing and the like that he has been speaking of. So he goes on and says, "And having salvation" (echomena soterias). This unusual expression might mean "things that lead to salvation" or "things that follow from salvation." Perhaps we should leave it general as NIV: "things that accompany salvation." The words "even though we speak like this" come last in the Greek and they simply look back. The "we" of course is a plural of authorship and means "I." The writer has been giving some solemn warnings and reminds the readers of them again. But he does not think that in the end they will be caught in the condemnation he refers to.

(v. 10) "God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them."

'''10 "For" (gar, which for some reason NIV does not translate) introduces the grounds for his confidence—a confidence that rests basically on God's constancy. In a masterly understatement the writer refers to God as "not unjust." It is the character of God, the perfectly just judge of all, that gives rise to confidence. This God will not forget what the readers have done. The statement about his remembrance of their work is not an intrusion of a doctrine of salvation by works. But the Christian profession of the readers had been more than formal and they had shown in changed lives what that profession meant. This, the writer is saying, would not go unnoticed with God. He adds, "And the love you have shown him" (lit., "to his name"). "Name" in antiquity summed up all that the person was. The following words show that it is deeds of kindness to men that are in mind. Such deeds, proceeding from loving hearts as they do, demonstrate that the doers have a real affection for God. These Christians have served God's people in the past and they continue with this kind of service. Thus they manifest the love for man that is a proof of real love for God (1 John 4:19-21).'''

(v. 11) "We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure."

'''11 "We want" translates a verb that refers to strong desire. The writer was passionately concerned for his friends, a concern that has already appeared in v. 9 ("dear friends"; lit., "beloved"), and which we see again in his desire for "each" of them. Not one is excluded. He calls on them to show "this same diligence." The past had set a standard, and he looks for it to be maintained "to the very end." Persistently he brings before them the importance of perseverance. "In order to make your hope sure" renders a somewhat unusual expression (lit., "to the fullness of the hope"). The term plerophoria can mean "full assurance" (as in 1 Thess 1:5, where NIV has "deep conviction"). But here it is rather the full development of the hope. Notice that in these verses we have love (v. 10) and faith (v. 12) as well as hope. The three are often joined in the NT (Rom 5:2-5; 1Cor 13:13; Gal 5:5-6; Col 1:4-5; 1 Thess 1:3; 5:8; Heb 10:22-24; 1 Peter 1:21-22). It was evidently an accepted Christian practice to link just these three. In the twentieth century we would easily think of faith and love for a similar short list. But hope? Clearly it had a greater significance for the early church than it has for us. Hope is important. Probably no movement has ever gripped the hearts of people if it did not give them hope.'''

(v. 12) "We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised."

'''12 The Greek does not have the verb "want" (as NIV), but the conjunction hina denotes purpose, i.e., "in order that you do not become lazy." The readers are to "imitate" those who get the promises, "imitate" and not simply "follow." Faith is important throughout this epistle, and it is not surprising to have it included here as a most important part of the Christian life. It is probably faith in God, as is usual in this epistle, that is meant here. "Patience," or "longsuffering," points to a quality of being undismayed in difficulties. Faith has a steadfastness about it that sees it through whatever difficulties present themselves.

The verb "inherit" is often used in the NT where there is no strict notion of inheritance, as here. It simply means "to have sure possession of" without specifying the means. It is uncertain whether the allusion is to the great ones of the past (as in ch. 11) or to outstanding contemporaries. Perhaps the present tense tips the scale in favor of those then living. The readers had good examples. Let them follow them.'''

(Heb 6:11) "We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure.

(Heb 6:12) We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.

(Heb 6:13 NASB) For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself,

(Heb 6:14 NASB) saying, "I WILL SURELY BLESS YOU AND I WILL SURELY MULTIPLY YOU."

(Heb 6:16 NASB) For men swear by one greater than themselves, and with them an oath given as confirmation is an end of every dispute.

(Heb 6:17 NASB) In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath,

(Heb 6:18 NASB) so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us.

(Heb 6:19 NASB) This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil,

(Heb 6:20 NASB) where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek."

(Heb 6:11) "We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure.

[The author of Hebrews is commanding the Hebrew Christians to show the same diligence to being faithful that they had done in the past - persevering through difficulties to the very end of their lives. For they had as of late been waivering from the faith, even reverting back to the Law as a means for salvation.

So the Hebrew Christian were to be diligent in order to make sure their hope for receiving all of the rewards for faithful behavior that God has in store for them as they persevere in faithful behavior - to be received when they come into the Eternal Kingdom. So the author encourages them to persevere in the faith to the end of their days in order to maximize the rewards they will receive]

(Heb 6:12) We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.

[And the author affirms Heb 6:11 with emphasis by writing for himself and others with him, "We do not want the Hebrew Christians to become lazy, but instead to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised, i.e., all of the eternal rewards designated for them for faithful service in the Eternal Kingdom of God]

(Heb 6:13 NASB) For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself,

"Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants to whom You swore by Yourself, and said to them, 'I will multiply Your descendants as the stars of the heavens, and all this land of which I have spoken I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.' "

[Whereupon the author elaborates his point about being diligent by bringing up the example of Abraham, "For when God made the promise to Abraham to inherit, even occupy the promised land with a view to Abraham having to patiently wait and persevere in order to finally receive God's rest / blessing; God's promise was sworn to by God Himself. God swore by Himself because there was no one greater than God to swear by]

(Heb 6:14 NASB) saying, 'I WILL SURELY BLESS YOU AND I WILL SURELY MULTIPLY YOU.'

[And Heb 6:14 reads that God said to Abraham, "I will surely bless you Abraham and I will surely multiply you in fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham to which God swore by Himself to insure that fulfillment. Notice that God swore by Himself that Abraham the father of Israel would multiply and be blessed by inheriting ownership of the promised land, not the church as some contend]

[So Abraham waited patiently for twenty-five years whereupon it is stipulated that "he obtained the promise." For a descendant was born of him who was named Isaac - through his wife Sarah. Albeit he previously got impatient and expected his servant Eliezer to be recipient of his estate. Thereafter Abraham's impatience caused him to bear a son, Ishmael through Sarah's handmaiden, Hagar. Finally, the promised son of Abraham, Isaac, was born to Abraham's wife Sarah after 25 years of waiting. Thereafter the number of Abraham's descendants continued to grow through Isaac and then Jacob and their descendants which number included and still includes Israel and all their descendants thereafter throughout the Church Age on into the Tribulation period until Christ comes again at the end of the Tribulation Period and the New Covenant is fulfilled with that generation of Israel at that time of His coming. This number is already an innumerable number over the years of Israel's existence - all part of God's promise to Abraham which he had obtained many years ago. Now, relative to the passage of time, God's promise to Abraham would be many years to be fulfilled which would occur after Abraham died, was resurrected, received the promised inheritance consisting of eternal life, the promised land - inheritance and forever occupation, innumerable descendants, to be completed in eternity beginning with the Tribulation Period leading into the Millennial Kingdom when Christ comes again to begin His kingdom, wherein all of a generation of Israel will believe in their Savior for eternal life and be transformed into perfect human beings who may live a thousand years and who do not sin, and who know God's Word perfectly - to corule with Christ over the nations. All of this stemming back to God's promise to Abraham which in God's sovereign / eternal viewpoint has already been fulfilled.

Note that the key Descendant of Abraham, Jesus Christ, who was born in the first century would provide propitiation for the sins of the whole world, Whose sacrifice for sins enabled God to fufill His promise to Abraham which included Abraham's justification unto eternal life as well as Abraham's (and His descendants') eternal inheritance of the promised land and all that that entailed for all of Abraham's descendants which includes Israel - when a generation of Israel will finally trust in Abraham's Descendant Jesus Christ for salvation and fulfill the New Covenant God made exclusively with Israel

that God made centuries ago with Israel. And by virtue of Christ's propitiation not only for Abraham and his descendants but for all of mankind, (1 Jn 2:2), all mankind has available to it salvation unto eternal life in the same way Abraham received it: through a moment of faith alone in Christ alone. Note that God's promise to Abraham and his descendants of inheriting the Promised Land which includes Israel, relative to history and the passage of time is still forthcoming considering Israel's rebellious history so far to this point in time, (cf. New Covenant Study

Bear in mind what John 8:56 says about God's viewpoint on the matter of His promise to Abraham:

(Jn 8:56 NKJV) [Jesus said to the Jews] "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad."

So over time, Abraham saw more of the working out of the promise God confirmed by Himself through an oath with Himself, Heb 6:13-17. But the important thing to note is that Abraham had to be patient if he was to see anything in the way of fulfillment during his life. And he was patient and he did see it. So the readers are encouraged to be patient and await God's action in their lives. God does not go back on his promises, as some contend. He is completely reliable because He is Sovereign and Omnipotent. But He works in his own way and time, not ours.

So on the matter of God's promise to Abraham and his descendants of forever inheriting and occupying the entire promised land not yet being fulfilled in an historical / time framework: God's promise to Abraham is nevertheless completely fulfilled so far as God is concerned as Heb 6:15 indicates because God is the One making the promise:

(Heb 6:15 NASB) "And so, having patiently waited, he obtained the promise" - the sign of this being the birth of his son Isaac with Sarah when both Abraham and Sarah were beyond childbearing - a supernatural event. This fulfillment was a completed promise at the time God declared His promise to Abraham thousands of years ago because God is absolutely sovereign and thereby outside of time and His promises and decrees are absolute and sure.

Just as God views believers of the Church Age as already seated with Christ in the heavenlies, so God's promise to Abraham was obtained by Abraham after he waited patiently for it to be fulfilled - not in the sense of in an historical context yet, but in the sense that God is sovereign and what ever He decrees to be fulfilled is fulfilled at the moment He declared His promise and swore by Himself!

(Eph 2:4 NASB) "but God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,

(Eph 2:5 YLT) even being dead in ... trespasses, did make us [alive] together with ... Christ, (by grace [you] are having been saved)

(Eph 2:6 NASB) and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places [lit., heavenlies - an actual position in heaven established and guaranteed for us by God] in Christ Jesus,

(Eph 2:7 YLT) that He might show, in the ages that are coming, the exceeding riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus,"

(Heb 6:11) "We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure.

(Heb 6:12) We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.

(Heb 6:13 NASB) For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself,

(Heb 6:14 NASB) saying, "I WILL SURELY BLESS YOU AND I WILL SURELY MULTIPLY YOU."

"11 We want" translates a verb that refers to strong desire. The writer was passionately concerned for his friends, a concern that has already appeared in v. 9 ("dear friends"; lit., "beloved"), and which we see again in his desire for "each" of them. Not one is excluded. He calls on them to show "this same diligence." The past had set a standard, and he looks for it to be maintained "to the very end." Persistently he brings before them the importance of perseverance. "In order to make your hope sure" renders a somewhat unusual expression (lit., "to the fullness of the hope"). The term plerophoria can mean "full assurance" (as in 1 Thess 1:5, where NIV has "deep conviction"). But here it is rather the full development of the hope. Notice that in these verses we have love (v. 10) and faith (v. 12) as well as hope. The three are often joined in the NT (Rom 5:2-5; 1Cor 13:13; Gal 5:5-6; Col 1:4-5; 1 Thess 1:3; 5:8; Heb 10:22-24; 1 Peter 1:21-22). It was evidently an accepted Christian practice to link just these three. In the twentieth century we would easily think of faith and love for a similar short list. But hope? Clearly it had a greater significance for the early church than it has for us. Hope is important. Probably no movement has ever gripped the hearts of people if it did not give them hope.

12 The Greek does not have the verb "want" (as NIV), but the conjunction hina denotes purpose, i.e., "in order that you do not become lazy." The readers are to "imitate" those who get the promises, "imitate" and not simply "follow." Faith is important throughout this epistle, and it is not surprising to have it included here as a most important part of the Christian life. It is probably faith in God, as is usual in this epistle, that is meant here. "Patience," or "longsuffering," points to a quality of being undismayed in difficulties. Faith has a steadfastness about it that sees it through whatever difficulties present themselves.

E. God's Promise Is Sure (6:13-20)

Abraham is a splendid example of what the author has in mind. Though that patriarch had God's promise, he had to live for many years in patient expectation with nothing to go on except that God had promised. But that was enough. God is utterly reliable. What he has promised he will certainly perform. But we must wait patiently, for he does it all in his own good time, not in ours.

13 The author is fond of Abraham, whom he refers to ten times, a total exceeded only by Luke (fifteen) and John (eleven). Abraham is the supreme example of one who continued to trust God and obey him even though the circumstances were adverse and gave little support to faith. The NT often speaks of God's promise in connection with this man (Acts 3:25; 7:17; Rom 4:13; Gal 3:8, 14, 16, 18). His greatness and the frequency with which God's promise was linked with his name made him a natural example for the author. It is the fact of the promise rather than its content that the author appeals to—especially to the fact that God confirmed it with an oath. Westcott (in loc.) points out that the oath in itself implies delay in fulfilling the promise. If God had been about to fulfill it immediately, there would have been no place for an oath. So from the first Abraham was faced with the prospect of waiting in hope and faith. God swore the oath by himself, a point mentioned by Philo (Legum Allegoriae 3.203). In the Talmud we read, "R. Eleazar said: Moses said before the Holy One, blessed be He: Sovereign of the Universe, hadst Thou sworn to them by the heaven and the earth, I would have said, Just as the heaven and earth can pass away, so can Thy oath pass away. Now, however, Thou hast sworn to them by Thy great name: just as Thy great name endures for ever and ever, so Thy oath is established for ever and ever" (Berakoth 32a; the oath is that mentioned in Exod 32:13). So here it is significant that God swore by himself. But for the present the author says no more than that there was no one greater to swear by.

14 The quotation is from Genesis 22:17. (That it was an oath is attested in Gen 22:16.) The few slight changes from the LXX do not affect the sense. "I will surely bless you" reflects the Hebrew infinitive absolute, which conveys the ideas of emphasis and certainty. This is the first occurrence of the word "bless" in this epistle. The author will use it seven times in all, as many as in all the Pauline epistles put together (and exceeded in the NT only by Luke [thirteen times]). Sometimes it is used of people, when it means "invoke blessings on" or sometimes "give thanks." But where God is the subject, the meaning is "bless," "prosper." Here the blessing refers to descendants who would form a great nation, possess the land, and in due course be the source of blessing to others.

15 "So" should not be taken too closely with "waiting patiently." It is not so much "waiting thus" as "thus [confident in God's promise] he waited patiently." Abraham was content to await God's time for the fulfillment of the promise. This meant real patience, because Isaac was not born till twenty-five years after the promise was first given (Gen 12:4; 21:5) and long after Sarah could have been expected to bear children. Abraham's grandchildren were not born for another sixty years (Gen 25:26), only fifteen years before his death (Gen 25:7). The complete fulfillment of the promise, of course, could not take place within his lifetime (a nation cannot be born so quickly). But enough happened for the writer to say, "Abraham received what was promised.

We should possibly bear in mind also John 8:56: "Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad." In that sense Abraham saw the fuller working out of the promise. But the important thing in the present context is that Abraham had to be patient if he was to see anything in the way of fulfillment. He was patient and he did see it. So the readers are encouraged to be patient and await God's action. He does not go back on his promises. He is completely reliable. But he works in his own way and time, not ours.

(Heb 6:11) "We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure.

(Heb 6:12) We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.

(Heb 6:13 NASB) For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself,

(Heb 6:14 NASB) saying, "I WILL SURELY BLESS YOU AND I WILL SURELY MULTIPLY YOU."

"6:11-12. If they would only diligently hold onto the good course they already were pursuing—and of which God was fully mindful—they would thus guarantee the hope which is duly awarded to those who so persevere. He added, We do not want you to become lazy. The word "lazy" ( nōthroi) is the same word rendered "slow" in 5:11 in the phrase "slow to learn." The sluggishness which marked their immaturity was to be shrugged off. (The Gr. of this verse can mean, "We do not want you to be lazy" rather than "become lazy.") Their real goal should be the inheritance that is set before them. They were to be imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit God's promises.

6:13-15. If the readers were searching for models to "imitate," there was the case of Abraham who received an oath from God, the promise that assured the multiplication of his seed. In due time his patience was rewarded in that he (lit.) "received the promise." Since the reference is to the promise given in Genesis 22:17 after the offering of Isaac, the author may have been thinking of the reception of the promise itself as the reward. In that case the idea is that after Abraham had patiently endured (the test involving Isaac), he obtained the promise. Waiting patiently translates the participle makrothymēsas, related to the noun "patience," makrothymias in Hebrews 6:12. This word, common in the New Testament, refers to the ability to hold one's feelings in restraint without retaliation against others (cf., e.g., Col. 1:11; 3:12; James 5:7-8, 10). A synonym, hypomonē, "endurance, perseverance," means the ability to remain steadfast in the face of undesirable circumstances; cf. Col. 1:11; Heb. 12:1-3, 7; James 5:11)."

(Heb 6:16 NASB) "For men swear by one greater than themselves, and with them an oath given as confirmation is an end of every dispute.