Hebrews Chapter 6

Perseverance in Christ Jesus

6:1

Therefore, knowing and understanding all these Truths (from Chapter 1 through 5) AND choosing to OBEY the Will of God, as the Holy Spirit has revealed it to us; let us continue steadfastly (with strong determination) to becoming Sanctified. Now, Paul assumes that his readers are convinced of the crucial importance of Obedience to God’s Will. This “becoming Sanctified” means we are being transformed with Christ-like attributes. The way we think and act should reflect Jesus. Would those who know us best say we resemble Jesus in the way we treat others? Has anyone told you that they see Jesus in you? The real danger is IF we REFUSE to obey God’s Will for us and continually disobey the Holy Spirit, we will eventually make an irreversible decision that will doom us to a state of spiritual immaturity. Do you know someone who ‘claims’ to be a Christian, yet lives their life just like a nonbeliever? We are being warned that we must CONTINUALLY strive to choose to obey God. Jesus said we MUST deny self; pick up our cross daily and then follow Him. (See Math. 16:24-27) This means we absolutely MUST deny our fleshly wants and desires; suffer whatever persecution God allows into our lives; and STILL choose to obey Jesus in EVERY area of our lives. It’s so easy to be a nominal, lazy Christian, yet very difficult to become His true Disciple. Do you want to “just get by” or become so close to your Savior that you have the deep satisfying fellowship and closeness of hearing and obeying the Holy Spirit daily? The difficult hard choices and sacrifices we make bring us closer to being like Jesus. He sacrificed His very life for us; we must be willing to do the same IF we truly want the very best He has for us. A man is no fool who gives up what he knows he cannot keep for what he knows he cannot lose. (See Math 16:26) We are guaranteed to lose all earthly possessions; yet who we become in Christ will last for all Eternity. Our lives for all eternity will reflect our sacrificial choices for Jesus here on earth. It is our choice; our way or God’s way. Only God’s way brings Eternal Rewards!

6:2

It should not be necessary to explain and teach again the basic foundational doctrines of our Faith. If we have to again be taught how to apply the basic truths to our lives, then that means we have not obeyed God. Remember, if we ARE obeying, then obedience becomes a natural response to us, no one has to ‘remind’ us. We simply obey and do the right thing. We know and believe Jesus is our Savior and Messiah. We acknowledge this Truth in our lives by confessing and repenting of ALL our sins. We quit doing the “dead works” (this would be ANYTHING that does NOT glorify and honor God). We learned and were taught these basic truths through the outward signs of Baptism, purification and laying on of hands. We firmly believe in the Resurrection of all those who die and of Eternal Judgement for all people. All of these truths should now be firmly a part of our belief system and understanding. It should not be necessary to ‘re-learn’ these Truths.

6:3

Now we proceed on to deeper spiritual truths that bring us to an even deeper spiritual maturity. We daily choose to obey the Holy Spirit. We continually worship God throughout our lives each day, bringing Him praise and honor in the way we live. Ask yourself, does this thought and action bring God Glory and Praise? If not, get rid of it! We thank Him daily with a grateful and confessing and repenting heart. We search ourselves daily confessing every sin and seeking to make certain we are being obedient. IF we fail to do this daily, we will fall into apathy, relying on ourselves, then complaining and feeling sorry for ourselves because something is not going “our way”. Remember, we want to obey Jesus and do His Will, so that the end result will be His, not ours. We absolutely must seek God’s power to overcome sin and all negative thoughts and attitudes – even in the middle of trials and tribulations! Why? Because we cannot be powerful in God’s Word through the Holy Spirit AND be negative complainers at the same time! It is impossible. We cannot be growing Christlike and thinking negative thoughts at the same time. Think about it, can you smile and frown at the same time? Can you go forward and backward at the same time? Of course not! So we must daily – even moment by moment – choose to obey the Holy Spirit, totally relying on God. So which are you choosing? It’s time to be completely honest here.

6:4-6

This long sentence is actually one of the more difficult to understand in the English translation. It is misunderstood and misinterpreted by many biblical scholars. The sentence is actually modified by tenses of a series of participles. The grammatical usage must be ‘broken down’ in order to be better understood. The verb “impossible” becomes the area of misunderstanding. It is impossible. What does the “IT” refer to? Note that the participle form of the verb is used to form complex tenses. Verse 6: “IF they do”… As long as the Believer is “crucifying” and “publicly putting Him (Jesus ) to ridicule”, they cannot repent. If a person is deliberately committing a sin, they cannot repent. If we deny Jesus by actively living in disobedience, continuing in those thoughts and actions, we disgrace and dishonor Jesus. We cannot repent while still actively continuing those actions. We cannot go forward and backward at the same time! So IT – Repenting and Restoration – is impossible.
ONLY If and When we STOP the action(s) of deliberately disobeying and committing sins, and seek God with a humble and repentant heart, can we be forgiven. Think about this carefully: If someone hits you and hurts you, then says “I’m sorry, forgive me” then continues to hit you; is he really sorry, or repentant of his actions? Are you obligated to forgive him as he continues his actions of hurting you? The logical answer is NO! He is lying, his actions prove it! He is not sorry, nor repentant, because he continues to deliberately do evil. So it is with Believers; as long as one continues in deliberately disobeying the Holy Spirit, one cannot be repentant! They may SAY they are, but the truth is they cannot be repentant and continue to commit sin. You cannot go North and South at the same time. Nor can you continue to commit evil and claim to be a repentant Believer; you are lying! Thus it is impossible IF you continue in this manner.
However, once you stop the sinful action and you humbly seek forgiveness and truly repent of the evil action – firmly seeking to not commit that action again – then forgiveness can occur. If you REFUSE to repent, and turn away from the sinful act, then IT cannot be forgiven.

6:7

Now the Holy Spirit continues with His warning to us by telling the Hebrews – and us – this parable: Just as the earth receives the rain that falls on it on a regular basis, then produces vegetation – crops and fruit that are beneficial to those for whom it was grown, it receives a blessing from God. As we are obedient to the Will of God, through the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit, we will produce godly fruit that brings blessings to others. At the same time, we are laying up – or storing- Rewards and blessings for ourselves at the Judgement seat of God. This refers to the Bema Seat of Judgement; where Jesus is the Judge of the Universe. These are the works or fruits that are described as “gold, silver, precious gems”; or as “wood, hay and stubble.” (See 1 Corth. 3:15) Jesus gives rewards to those who have been obediently faithful to His Will. (See Math 18:23-35; 24:42-51; 25:14-30 and Mark 8:34-38 and Luke 12:1-12; 41-48; 19:11-27. These are just a few of the many scriptures that tell us that Jesus has wonderful Rewards He has planned for us to receive IF WE ARE FAITHFULLY OBEDIENT TO THE HOLY SPIRIT! Can we lose those Rewards? Absolutely! Reread and pray about this issue, as it is one of the most important aspects of your Spiritual walk with Jesus. Keep in mind that these “REWARDS” are Eternal!

6:8

HOWEVER, Now here comes another part of the warning: IF the soil or earth – representing the person who claims to be a Believer – bears or yields thorns and thistles, that are worthless and cursed; because thorns and thistles hurt people; just as sins hurt ourselves AND other people; then those ‘works’, or ‘fruits’, are completely burned up! See 1 Corth. 3:15. Who burns them up? Jesus! Why? So that all evil works are destroyed! Remember, Those Believers can still receive Eternal Life. Yet, their evil works must be destroyed! The end result of evil works is destruction!

6:9

Even though this strong and convicting language is being used, the Holy Spirit is confident that the Hebrews – and all true Believers – do not fit into the “fallen away” category. Those who have given up and quit; or out of apathy, ignored the study of God’s Word and because they failed to see God through the diligent study of His Word, they then failed to hear and obey Him. Are they excused because they “didn’t know any better?” NO, absolutely NOT! God requires us to seek Him with our whole heart, mind and soul. If we passionately search for God, we will find Him; He promises us that! So, either God lied to us, or we didn’t truly search and seek Him with all our heart, mind and soul. See what Jesus says in Matt. 22:37 and Luke 10:27. If we fail to truly know God, and thus do not obey the Holy Spirit, then we fail to bring God’s blessings to others and fail to lay up treasures in Heaven for all Eternity. We actually bring about our own failure! These two things, bringing God’s blessings to others and laying up treasures in Heaven go hand in hand with salvation and sanctification. So how do we KNOW we are being Sanctified? IF we are obeying the Holy Spirit and producing godly fruit we bring Glory, Honor and Praise to our Lord and Savior! We can rejoice and have great joy and satisfaction in obeying God. Soul searching is good here!

6:10

Now the Holy Spirit assures them, and us, that God IS righteous and He will honor our labor of love which we are producing for His name’s sake – in the name of Jesus – in obedience to the Will of the Holy Spirit – in ministering to the needs of His saints. These “saints” refers to the other believers. God is keeping very careful records of every little thing we do ( and don’t do) for His Kingdom. Those of us who obey the Holy Spirit are living joyful and useful lives for Jesus. We should thank God with all our heart and soul that He loves us so much to give us these wonderful opportunities of studying His Word, understanding His Word AND faithfully applying it to our lives. We are now, right now in this Bible Study, living out His Word in our lives and bringing Him great Glory, Honor and Praise. What a wonderful privilege and honor He has given us! Thank you Jesus!

6:11

BUT, now comes another part of the warning, The Holy Spirit says He earnestly desires that each of us would show diligence and self discipline in everything we promise to do in Jesus’ name. We are to “keep our word”. God’s Word is always True; is yours? Do you honor your Lord and Savior by keeping your word and promises? If we say we will do something, we must be men and women of integrity who can be counted on to follow through and do what we say we will do! There is no worse witness to Jesus than a Believer who FAILS to KEEP THEIR WORD! You can’t count on them, they let down the body of Christ and disobey God when they fail to keep their verbal commitments. Remember, anyone can say “I believe” yet the proof of your belief is in “Obedience”. Obeying the Holy Spirit means we hear God’s Word and then obey – by COMPLETING the work or project. Anyone can quit, it is the easiest thing to do, just quit. Yet the true Believer will have the fortitude, perseverance and patience to see the work completed; regardless of the sacrifices necessary. That is when the Believer experiences growth in utilizing the transforming Power of the Holy Spirit. The more you obey and keep your commitments to God, the more you will experience the unbelievable joy in knowing you are REALLY becoming transformed into the image and likeness of Jesus! You are being Sanctified! True success in life is the God given ability to understand God’s Word and put it into day to day practice in your life. A truly successful person ALWAYS GLORIFIES GOD! God ALWAYS keeps His Word. We dishonor Jesus, and His Word, whenever we fail to keep our word and commitments. This is actually a form of blasphemy!

6:12

Now the Holy Spirit continues to encourage us – literally cheering us on in developing the character traits that define a mature Believer. The Holy Spirit does not want us to become “spiritual sluggards”. Our behavior will prove how much we love and trust our Lord and Savior. Our very personalities are being transformed into those that truly reflect Jesus. We teach and encourage others, we are lovingly honest and challenge others to seek Jesus in their lives by studying His Word and obeying Him. We seek guidance, direction, power and wisdom from the Holy Spirit in all we do in life. We are patient and loving towards others who are still struggling. We learn to be merciful and forgiving, even when they don’t ‘deserve’ it. Yet we are truthful and honest in dealing with our own sins and those of others. We must think and pray “What would Jesus do?” We pray and search His Word to find what the Holy Spirit would want us to do. As you are being transformed into a mature Christ-like Believer, you will find your life becomes a series of prayers-in-action. All life becomes a continuous prayer. Yes, the Holy Spirit did tell us to “Pray without ceasing”. (1 Thessalonians 5:17) Now, we must encourage others to do the same!

6:13-15

Next the author switches back to the references of God’s promises. God assures us He will ALWAYS Keep ALL His promises. When one makes a promise they often swear to it by referencing to God or the Bible. God swears by Himself since He IS the Ultimate Power. The Bible assures us that there is no one greater than God. (14.) The Holy Spirit reminds us that God assured Abraham that He will assuredly (with God’s own Word of guarantee) bless and multiply him. (See Gen. 22:16-17). (15.) The last reference to His promises to Abraham; is that we are reminded that God fulfilled His promise to Abraham. Even though Abraham had to wait long and patiently. Isaac was the miracle son given to Abraham; the son of promise. Isaac was the pledge of the future blessings that would bring about the Nation of Israel and the birth of the true miracle Son of God – Jesus, our Emmanuel, God with us; our Savior and Messiah!

6:16-17

All through the ages men have pledged and sworn by someone much greater than themselves. With this oath comes a confirmation that what is spoken will be fulfilled. This spoken oath – Word – assures us that the promise will be fulfilled. (17.) God uses this “sworn oath” process to assure them, and us, that His Promises will be kept. His plans will be fulfilled. His purpose for mankind are always certain and secure. If we doubt God, then we are saying we do not believe the Word and Oath of the Creator of the Universe! Jewish law requires two qualified witnesses to prove a Truth. Those “two witnesses” are the Word and Oath of God.

6:18

God gives us all these proofs and assurances so we will be utterly and completely convinced that He always and forever has complete and total control of every single aspect of our lives. We may need to read that statement over a few times until it sinks into our very soul and heart. God has the very best plan for our lives for all Eternity and He guarantees us that He will fulfill His perfect plan. We actually are fleeing from the draw of sin, pain and death as we obey God. Now, how do we show we do NOT believe God. One way is to worry. IF we worry it is because we don’t believe or trust God. Think about it. If we truly believe He loves us and has a perfect plan for our lives we simply CANNOT WORRY! If you think you can worry and still trust God you are deceiving yourself – lying to yourself and believing your own lie. Remember who the author of lies is – Satan! So beware. If the emotion of fear begins to creep into your thoughts – immediately call out to Jesus – “ Jesus I trust you, I believe you love me, please protect me, help me, give me courage and strength, please give me wisdom and guidance.” Keep on praying until you KNOW God is with you, taking care of you, protecting you, hearing your cry for help. Don’t stop praying! Pray without ceasing! Even as you proceed in what you must do, continue in prayer! He knows your needs before you even cry for help. God assures us by these verses that He is our Stronghold, our Power, our Provider, our Healer – He is Everything we can possibly need in life. We must practice trusting Him, continually and fervently. So, how do we begin? By trusting God for the smaller, more simple things in life. Things we think we can handle ourselves. We deceive ourselves if we think we are ‘in control’ of anything. As we practice trusting God for our every day daily needs, AND recognizing and thanking Him for His Love, care and provision, we will make trusting Him a habit. This “Trusting God habit” will serve you well when a bigger trial or tribulation comes along in life. Trust God, you WILL have trials and tribulations, you know they will come your way.

6:19

Now we can all be certain that this sure Hope is an absolute Truth verified by God Himself. This assurance of God providing for and protecting us forever, serves as an anchor of our soul. Now we know that no one, or no thing, or any circumstances of life can interfere or cause God’s promises to fail. Nothing can separate us from God’s Love. (Romans 8: 35-39) The reference to “entering the veil” refers to the veil that could not be passed through into the Holy of Holies – The very presence of God – Except by the High Priest only once a year to provide atonement – a sacrifice- for the sins of the people. (Leviticus 16:2) The High Priest was the one ordained by God to offer the sacrifice for the sin of the people. Jesus offered the sacrificial Lamb – Himself, as the Lamb of God – for our sins. We now have the incredible privilege of entering into God’s Holy Presence because Jesus has gone before us and opened the way.

6:20

Jesus, as our “High Priest” has entered into Heaven. He has opened up Heaven to us. We can now speak directly to God because of Jesus’ sacrificial death. He paid the sin price so we can pray directly to God and be heard. We “enter into the presence of God” literally the “Holy of Holies” so we can have a personal loving relationship with our Creator. This relationship means we must be sincere and diligent in seeking to obey Jesus. You cannot have a relationship with someone if you are not truthful with them. Jesus has already paid the price for our sin on the cross, yet we must confess, repent and ACCEPT His sacrifice in order to receive that forgiveness from God the Father. The Holy Spirit wants us to understand exactly what Jesus has done to give us the unbelievable privilege of entering into God’s Holy Presence. The constant references to Melchizedek let the Hebrews know that Jesus had a far superior status before God then even that of Melchizedek.

It is crucial that we grasp these important concepts of God’s Truth in order to fully understand very important Truths that the Holy Spirit will be revealing to us in future chapters of Hebrews. Pray to be prepared for the exciting transformation God has planned for your life!