Hebrews Chapter 6
Showing all 20 verses for Hebrews Chapter 6.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, "
"So let's move on from the basic starting lessons about Christ towards full maturity, without going back to lay the foundation all over again - things like turning away from actions that lead nowhere, and trusting God."
I don't want you circling the same starting point out of fear of moving forward - lay the foundation once, then build. Growth means trusting what you've already learned enough to act on it, not endlessly re-checking it.
"Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. "
"Also basic teachings about washings, laying hands on people, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgement."
Even the most important truths become a trap if you never move past reciting them - they're meant to be lived out, not just repeated. Let the basics settle into you so fully that you're free to grow beyond needing to keep proving them to yourself.
"And this will we do, if God permit. "
"And we will move forward towards maturity, if God allows it."
Even your best plans for growing should be held with open hands, not clenched fists - life will bring its own conditions, and that's not a failure of your intention. Stay willing to move forward as the way opens, trusting the door isn't only yours to open.
"For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, "
"It's impossible for people who were once given real understanding, who tasted something genuinely good from God, and who shared deeply in his Spirit -"
I never doubt that what you once tasted of goodness and truth was real - that's exactly why walking away from it matters so much. Don't let anyone tell you your past experience of something true wasn't real; hold onto what you knew was genuine.
"And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, "
"- and who tasted the goodness of God's word and even experienced glimpses of the power of the age still to come -"
Once you've truly tasted something good and real, you know the difference - that knowledge doesn't disappear even if you drift. I say this not to frighten you but to remind you what's genuinely worth staying close to.
"If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. "
"If such people then turn their backs on it all, it's impossible to bring them back to that starting point again - because in effect they're crucifying the Son of God all over again and holding him up to public disgrace."
I'm not trying to frighten you with impossible standards - I'm pleading with you not to treat something real and costly as if it meant nothing. If you're wrestling with doubt, that's not what this describes; come to me honestly rather than quietly walking away for good.
"For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: "
"Land that soaks up the rain that regularly falls on it, and produces a useful crop for the people who work it, receives God's blessing."
What you do with what you've been given matters more than simply having received it. Let what nourishes you actually grow something useful in your life - that's not about earning my approval, it's simply what a life fully alive looks like.
"But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned. "
"But land that only produces thorns and thistles is worthless - it's in danger of being written off, and ends up being burned."
I don't want to see what's been given to you go to waste on thorns - not because I'm keeping score, but because I want your life to actually bear something good, for your own sake and for others. It's never too late to turn the soil over and start producing something worthwhile.
"But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak. "
"But dear friends, even though we've spoken this seriously, we're confident that better things are true of you - things that go along with real rescue and change."
Even when I speak hard truths to you, it comes from love, not doubt about you - I believe better things of you than your worst moments suggest. Let a hard word from someone who loves you be a wake-up call, not a verdict.
"For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. "
"God is not unfair - he won't forget the hard work and loving care you've shown for him, in how you've served and continue to serve other believers."
Every act of care you've shown someone else, even the ones nobody noticed, is remembered - none of it is wasted or forgotten. When you doubt whether you're doing enough, look at how you've actually treated people; that tells the truer story.
"And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end: "
"We want each of you to keep showing that same effort, all the way to having complete confidence in your hope, right to the end."
Don't let your hope fade just because the road is long - the same steady effort you've already shown in caring for others is exactly what will carry your hope all the way through. I'm not asking for a burst of energy; I'm asking for endurance.
"That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. "
"So that you don't become lazy, but instead imitate those who, through trust and patient endurance, received what was promised."
The people who inherit what was promised aren't the ones with the most dramatic faith - they're the ones who simply kept going, patiently, without giving up. Find someone whose steady faith you admire, and let their example pull you forward when your own energy runs low.
"For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, "
"When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater to swear by, he swore by his own self."
When I make a promise to you, there is nothing bigger backing it up than my own word, because nothing bigger exists. That should tell you something about how seriously to take the hope you've been given - it doesn't rest on shaky ground.
"Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. "
"God said, 'I will most certainly bless you, and I will multiply your descendants greatly.'"
What's promised to you may take longer than you'd like to see fulfilled, but that doesn't make it any less certain. Hold on the way Abraham did - not because waiting is easy, but because what's coming is worth it.
"And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. "
"And so, after waiting patiently, Abraham received what had been promised."
Nothing worth having in your life is likely to arrive the moment you want it - Abraham waited years, and so might you. Don't mistake a long wait for a broken promise; keep going, because patience is doing real work even when you can't see it.
"For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. "
"People swear oaths by someone greater than themselves, and a confirming oath settles any dispute once and for all."
When someone gives you their word backed by something they hold sacred, that's meant to be the end of doubting them - trust is built to rest, not to be endlessly re-litigated. Let that same principle guide how much weight you give to what has truly been promised to you.
"Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: "
"So God, wanting to make it extra clear to those who would inherit the promise that his purpose would never change, backed it up with an oath."
I don't just say things once and expect you to simply take it on faith with no reassurance - I go out of my way to make my faithfulness unmistakable, again and again. When doubt creeps in, remember how much extra effort has already gone into convincing you that this can be trusted.
"That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: "
"So that through two unchangeable things - his promise and his oath - in which it's impossible for God to lie, we who have run to him for safety can have powerful comfort as we hold firmly onto the hope set before us."
When life feels unstable, I want you to have somewhere absolutely solid to run to - not a vague hope, but something doubly guaranteed. Take hold of that hope with both hands; it was built strong enough to bear your full weight.
"Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; "
"This hope is like an anchor for our inner life - completely secure and unshakeable, reaching right into the inner sanctuary itself."
I don't promise you calm seas - I promise you an anchor strong enough to hold when the storm comes. Let your hope be planted somewhere unshakeable within you, not dependent on how calm the surface of your life happens to look today.
"Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. "
"Jesus has gone in there ahead of us as our forerunner, having become a high priest forever in the line of Melchizedek."
I didn't ask you to go anywhere I haven't already gone myself - I went first to make sure the way through is open and safe for you to follow. Wherever you're afraid to go, know that I've already been there ahead of you.