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Hebrews 6

KJV · Chapter 6/13

1Therefore 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,

2Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.

3And this will we do, if God permit.

4For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,

5And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,

6If 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.

7For 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:

8But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.

9But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.

10For 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.

11And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end:

12That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

13For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself,

14Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.

15And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.

16For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife.

17Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:

18That 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:

19Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;

20Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

The author warns of the danger of abandoning the faith after having experienced so much of God's grace, but expresses confidence that the readers will attain better things. He points to the promise made to Abraham as an example of firm and securely anchored hope.

Explanation

This is one of the most debated passages in Hebrews, about the possibility of 'falling away' after having experienced real spiritual blessings; different Christian traditions interpret this passage differently regarding the security of salvation. The author uses the image of land that produces good plants or thorns depending on how it receives the rain, illustrating that the same grace can yield different fruit depending on each person's response. The mention of God's oath to Abraham reinforces that divine promises are absolutely trustworthy, compared to a firm anchor for the soul. Today's practical application is to persevere in faith with secure hope, avoiding both complacency and despair.

Fun facts

  • The image of hope as 'an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast' (6:19) inspired the anchor as one of the earliest secret symbols used by Christians in the Roman catacombs, before the cross became the more common symbol.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Hebrews 6:1The “principles of the doctrine of Christ” listed here — repentance, baptisms, laying on of hands, resurrection, eternal judgment — were probably the basic teachings given to someone entering the faith. The letter proposes moving on from these foundations, without needing to repeat them constantly.
  2. Hebrews 6:2The list of basic teachings of the Christian faith, started in the previous verse, continues with baptisms, laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment, likely topics taught to every new convert.
  3. Hebrews 6:3The letter adds a note of humility: moving on from these foundations will only happen if God permits it.
  4. Hebrews 6:4This is one of the most debated passages in the letter: saying it is “impossible” to renew to repentance those who fall away after being enlightened raises the question of what would happen to someone who abandons the faith. Christian traditions interpret this point in different ways to this day, so it's worth reading the text knowing it isn't unanimous among Bible readers.
  5. Hebrews 6:5The description of someone who has truly tasted the faith continues: someone who has already tasted the good word of God and had a taste of the power of the world to come.
  6. Hebrews 6:6This is one of the most debated passages in the letter: saying it is “impossible” to renew to repentance those who abandon the faith after this raises a serious question, and Christian traditions read this point differently to this day.
  7. Hebrews 6:7The letter uses a farming image: land that receives rain and produces a useful harvest for those who cultivate it receives God's blessing because of it.
  8. Hebrews 6:8But land that only produces thorns, with no benefit at all, is close to being rejected, and its end, the letter says, is to be burned.
  9. Hebrews 6:9Despite the harsh warning it just gave, the letter softens its tone, saying it expects better things from its readers, signs of real salvation.
  10. Hebrews 6:10The letter recalls that God does not forget the work of love they have already shown, caring for other Christians, work they were still doing at that very moment.
  11. Hebrews 6:11The letter's wish is that everyone keep this same dedication until the end, to reach the full assurance of the hope they profess.
  12. Hebrews 6:12The goal is not to become lazy, but to follow the example of those who, through faith and patience, ended up inheriting God's promises.
  13. Hebrews 6:13Saying that God swore “by himself” to Abraham, since there was no one greater to swear by, is a way of reinforcing the absolute value of the promise — not because God needed an oath to be trustworthy, but to give more assurance to the one who received the promise.
  14. Hebrews 6:14The letter quotes the promise made to Abraham in Genesis: blessing and multiplication of descendants, guaranteed by God Himself.
  15. Hebrews 6:15The letter recalls that Abraham only received the promise after patiently waiting, an example of perseverance the letter hopes its readers will also have.
  16. Hebrews 6:16The letter explains how an oath worked back then: people swore by someone greater than themselves, and that oath served to end any argument or doubt.
  17. Hebrews 6:17That's why, the letter says, God also used an oath when promising Abraham, an extra way of guaranteeing to the heirs of the promise that His plan would not change.
  18. Hebrews 6:18With the promise and the oath, two things that cannot lie, the letter says that those who take refuge in that hope have a strong and secure comfort.
  19. Hebrews 6:19The image of hope as an “anchor of the soul” that “entereth into that within the veil” refers to the Holy of Holies, the innermost part of the temple where only the high priest entered once a year. Saying that Jesus entered there as a forerunner means He opened the way for others to follow Him afterward.
  20. Hebrews 6:20The letter closes the chapter saying that it was there, in the most sacred place, that Jesus entered as forerunner, eternal high priest after the order of Melchisedec, a theme the next chapter explains in detail.

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