A Call to Maturity
1 Therefore leaving the teaching of the elementary principles of Christ, let us press on to perfection—not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, faith in God, 2 teaching about ritual washings, laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 We will do this, if God permits.
4 For concerning those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 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.
7 For the ground which has drunk the rain that comes often upon it and produces a crop useful to those for whom it was cultivated, 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.
9 But beloved, even though we are speaking like this, we are confident of better things for you, things that accompany salvation. 10 For God is not unjust, 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. 11 We desire that each one of you may show the same diligence to the fullness of hope even to the end, 12 that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and perseverance inherited the promises.
God’s Promise is Certain
13 For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he could swear by no one greater, he swore by himself, 14 saying, “Surely with blessings I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply you.” 15 Thus, having patiently endured, he obtained the promise.
16 For men indeed swear by something greater than themselves, and in every dispute of theirs this oath serves as final confirmation. 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, 18 so that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we may have great encouragement, who have fled for refuge to take hold of 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 veil, 20 where as a forerunner Jesus entered for us, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.