Commentary - Hebrews 6:9-20

Bird's-eye view

After delivering one of the most severe and sobering warnings in all of Scripture (Heb. 6:4-8), the author makes a sharp pastoral turn. He pivots from the terrifying prospect of apostasy to the solid ground of Christian assurance. He addresses his readers as "beloved," expressing his conviction that they are in fact genuine believers, destined for salvation. This confidence is not based on mere sentiment, but on two things: the observable fruit in their lives (their work and love for the saints) and, more importantly, the unshakeable character of God, who is not unjust to forget such fruit. The author then exhorts them to press on with diligence to realize the "full assurance of hope" to the end. To bolster this exhortation, he points to Abraham as the prime example of one who inherited God's promises through faith and patience. The remainder of the passage then unpacks the ultimate ground of our assurance: God's unchangeable promise, which He doubly secured with an oath. Because God swore by Himself, we have two immutable things to rest on, providing strong encouragement. This hope is then described as a firm and secure anchor for the soul, a hope that is not lodged in ourselves but has entered the heavenly sanctuary, secured for us by our forerunner, Jesus Christ, the great high priest after the order of Melchizedek.

In short, this passage teaches that Christian assurance is not presumptuous; it is a duty to be pursued. And it is not grounded in our fluctuating feelings, but in the objective reality of God's sworn, unchangeable promise, which has been fulfilled and secured by Jesus Christ.

Outline

Context In Hebrews

This passage provides a crucial pastoral balance to the severe warning that immediately precedes it. In Hebrews 5:11-6:8, the author rebuked his readers for their spiritual dullness and warned them of the impossibility of restoring those who fall away after having been enlightened. Such a warning, if left to stand alone, could drive tender consciences to despair. Therefore, the author immediately follows it with this warm, encouraging, and theologically rich explanation of true Christian assurance. He is making a critical distinction between those who are merely associated with the covenant community (and can fall away) and those who are genuine heirs of the promise. This section, then, is not a contradiction of the warning, but its necessary complement. It shows the positive side of perseverance. Furthermore, by concluding with the mention of Jesus as a "high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek," this passage masterfully transitions the argument back to the central theme of the epistle, which the author had paused in 5:10. It sets the stage for the detailed exposition of Christ's superior priesthood in chapter 7.

Key Issues

The Unsinkable Anchor

After the thunder and lightning of the previous verses, the sun comes out. The pastor, having warned of the cliff edge, now turns to those who are walking on the path and encourages them to keep going. He does this not with sentimental platitudes, but with robust, objective, theological argument. The problem for many Christians is that they treat assurance as a matter of introspection and feelings. They are constantly taking their spiritual temperature, checking their pulse, and as a result, they live in a state of perpetual uncertainty. The author to the Hebrews will have none of it.

He grounds our assurance not in the shifting sands of our subjective experience, but in the bedrock of God's character and the finished work of Jesus Christ. He gives us two things to look at, neither of which is ourselves. First, he points us to the justice of God, who will not disown the genuine work of His Spirit in us. Second, and most powerfully, he points us to the promise and oath of God, two unchangeable things that are located entirely outside of us. Our hope is not a feeling we generate, but an anchor that has been thrown into the very Holy of Holies in heaven, fixed there by Christ Himself. This is not a call to presumption, but a call to a confident and diligent faith that rests on the God who cannot lie.

Verse by Verse Commentary

9 But we are convinced about you, beloved, of things that are better and that belong to salvation, though we are speaking in this way.

The change in tone is immediate and intentional. After the stern warning, he addresses them as beloved. This is pastoral wisdom. A faithful minister warns of hell, but he does not assume his entire congregation is headed there. He has spoken "in this way" to warn them of the danger of apostasy, but his settled conviction, his persuasion, is that they are the real deal. He is convinced of "better things" for them, things that accompany, or belong to, salvation. True salvation is not just a "get out of hell free" card; it is accompanied by fruit, by perseverance, by a life that is being genuinely transformed. The warning was for the pretenders in their midst, but the encouragement is for the true saints.

10 For God is not unrighteous so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and continuing to minister to the saints.

Here is the first objective ground for his confidence. Notice, he does not ground it in their sterling performance, but in God's character. It is not that their work earns salvation, but that their work is the evidence of a salvation already given. And God, being righteous, will not deny the work of His own Spirit. To forget their labor of love would be an act of injustice on God's part, and God is not unjust. Their "work and the love" were demonstrated practically, by ministering to the saints. This is not about abstract feelings but about tangible service. They had done it in the past, and they were still doing it. This is the evidence of a living faith, and God sees it and will honor it. He will not treat His true children as though they were apostates.

11-12 And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not become dull, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Assurance is not automatic; it is to be pursued with diligence. The desire of the pastor is that every single one of them would press on. The goal is the "full assurance of hope." This implies that assurance can grow. It is not a static possession but a dynamic reality that is realized through perseverance. The alternative to this diligence is to become "dull" or sluggish, which was the very problem he diagnosed back in chapter 5. Laziness is the enemy of assurance. Instead of being lazy, they are to be imitators of the saints who have gone before. And what is the pattern they are to imitate? It is not a flashy, mystical experience. It is "faith and patience." Faith believes the promise when it is given, and patience waits for its fulfillment. This is the long, steady obedience of the Christian life, and it is the path to both the inheritance and the assurance of it.

13-15 For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, “I WILL GREATLY BLESS YOU AND I WILL GREATLY MULTIPLY YOU.” And so, having patiently waited, he obtained the promise.

He now provides the supreme example of faith and patience: Abraham, the father of the faithful. God made a promise to him. But God, knowing the weakness of human faith, went further. He condescended to confirm His promise with an oath. An oath appeals to a higher authority, but there is no authority higher than God. So, in a stunning move, God swore by His own existence. He put His own being and character on the line. The promise quoted is from Genesis 22, after the sacrifice of Isaac, where God promised to bless and multiply Abraham's descendants. And the result? Abraham, having patiently endured, received what was promised. He saw the beginning of its fulfillment in Isaac and died in full confidence of its completion.

16-17 For men swear by one greater than themselves, and with them an oath given as confirmation is an end of every dispute. In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, guaranteed it with an oath,

Here the author explains the logic. He appeals to common human experience. When men have a dispute, they settle it by an oath, swearing by someone or something greater than themselves. This provides a final, binding confirmation. The author then says God acted "in the same way." This is an anthropomorphism, of course, but the point is clear. God wanted to do everything possible to settle the dispute in our hearts, to end our internal arguments and doubts. He wanted to demonstrate "even more" clearly to us, the "heirs of the promise," the absolute unchangeableness of His plan. The promise alone was enough, but out of His abundant grace, He added an oath on top of it, like a divine notary stamping and sealing a deed.

18 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.

This is the magnificent conclusion of the argument. We have two unchangeable things: God's promise and God's oath. And undergirding both is a third unchangeable thing: the very nature of God, for whom it is "impossible...to lie." The result of this divine guarantee is not for God's benefit, but for ours. It is so that we, who have fled from the wrath to come and have taken refuge in Christ, would have strong encouragement. This is not a weak or flimsy hope. It is a robust, muscular confidence. It empowers us to "take hold" of the hope that is set before us, to seize it with firm conviction.

19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and confirmed and one which enters within the veil,

The author now gives us one of the most powerful metaphors in the Bible. This hope is an anchor of the soul. An anchor does its work by being thrown out of the ship and grabbing hold of something solid and unseen on the seabed. It secures the ship against the wind and waves. Our hope works in the same way. It is not an anchor we throw into the hold of our own ship, into our feelings or experiences. That would be useless. This anchor is thrown upward and forward. It passes "within the veil," which is a direct reference to the veil in the temple that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. Our anchor is fixed not on earth, but in the very throne room of God in heaven.

20 where a forerunner has entered for us, Jesus, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

And who set this anchor for us? Jesus, our forerunner. A forerunner was a scout who went ahead of an army or a smaller ship that went into a harbor first to secure the moorings for the larger vessel to follow. Jesus has gone into heaven not just for Himself, but "for us." He went there to secure our place. His presence there is the guarantee of our future arrival. And how did He enter? As our high priest. This brings the argument full circle, back to the theme of Melchizedek. Jesus's entry into the heavenly sanctuary as our eternal high priest is the fact that makes our anchor absolutely, unshakably secure.

Application

The practical takeaway from this rich passage is that Christians ought to have assurance, and they ought to know where to find it. If you are looking for assurance by staring at your own navel, you will never find it. Your heart is a tumultuous sea of shifting feelings, doubts, and sins. To look there for stability is like a ship's captain throwing the anchor into his own cabin during a storm.

We are commanded to look outside of ourselves. First, look to the evidence of God's grace in your life. Do you love the brethren? Do you find yourself serving them, even when it is inconvenient? Thank God for that, for He is not unjust to forget that fruit, which He Himself has produced. But second, and most importantly, look to the two unchangeable things: God's promise and God's oath. Your salvation rests on the character of the God who cannot lie and who has sworn by His own name to save you. Your hope is not a wish; it is an anchor. And that anchor is not dragging along the bottom of your fickle soul. It is lodged in the bedrock of heaven, behind the veil, where Jesus Christ, your forerunner, has secured it forever.

Therefore, when the storms of doubt or trial or temptation come, do not look at the waves. Look to the anchor. Remind yourself of the promise and the oath of God. Take hold of that strong encouragement, and do not become lazy. Imitate Abraham. Believe God, and patiently wait for Him. He will not fail you.