Hebrews 6:9 ¶
But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that
accompany salvation, though we thus speak. 10
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. 11 And we
desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance
of hope unto the end: 12 That ye be not
slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the
promises. 13 For when God made promise
to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, 14 Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee,
and multiplying I will multiply thee. 15
And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. 16 For men verily swear by the greater: and an
oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. 17 Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew
unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it
by an oath: 18 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: 19 Which hope we have
as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that
within the veil; 20 Whither the
forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever
after the order of Melchisedec.
Paul here addresses these Hebrew believers,
these Jewish believers in Christ, as beloved, suggesting as John Gill
said a connection as the elect of God rather than simply the sons of Jacob.
Paul expects more of them than the questions they’ve apparently posed to him. He
expects more from them in the walk with Christ than they seem ready or able to
offer. Like a good preacher he now mends some of the flesh he tore with his
hard preaching to this point. God will not forget their good deeds for Christ
through their good deeds for Christ’s people, the church.
He encourages them to persist in their faith
and behavior resultant, in their hope and expectation of the end. They are
called to follow those who, like those who did make it to Canaan, and those who
will make it to Heaven, will inherit the promises of God. God has promised and
we trust in Him as there is none greater.
Genesis 22:15 ¶ And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham
out of heaven the second time, 16 And
said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this
thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: 17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in
multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the
sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his
enemies; 18 And in thy seed shall all
the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.
God has made absolute promises through
Himself in physical form, the Lord Jesus Christ, and we should trust in those
promises and reach for them.
Titus 1:2
In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the
world began;
Jesus here is likened to Melchizedek as was
mentioned in chapter 5 to prepare us for what comes next in Paul’s argument.
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