Hebrews 6

¹Therefore, leaving behind the foundational account of the Christ, let us be carried forward toward maturity. We should not be laying a foundation all over again—a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, ²of instruction about ritual washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. ³And this we will do, if God permits.

⁴For it is impossible for those who were once-for-all enlightened, who tasted the heavenly gift, who became participants in the Holy Spirit, ⁵and who tasted the goodness of God’s word and the powers of the coming age, ⁶and then fell away—it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they are crucifying the Son of God all over again for themselves and exposing him to public disgrace. ⁷For ground that drinks the rain falling frequently upon it, and produces vegetation useful to those for whom it is cultivated, shares in a blessing from God. ⁸But if it yields thorns and thistles, it is rejected and close to being cursed; its end is to be burned.

⁹But concerning you, beloved, we are convinced of better things—things that belong to salvation—even though we speak this way. ¹⁰For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love you demonstrated for his name by serving the holy ones, as you continue to do. ¹¹We desire each of you to demonstrate the same diligence toward the full assurance of hope until the end, ¹²so that you do not become sluggish, but rather imitators of those who, through faith and patient endurance, inherit the promises.

¹³For when God made his promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater to swear by, he swore by himself, ¹⁴saying, “I will certainly bless you with blessing and multiply you with a multitude.” ¹⁵And so, after waiting with patient endurance, Abraham obtained the promise. ¹⁶For people swear by something greater than themselves, and the oath serves as a confirmation that ends all dispute. ¹⁷In the same way, because God wanted to demonstrate even more clearly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable nature of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath. ¹⁸He did this so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us. ¹⁹We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, both secure and firm, entering into the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, ²⁰where Jesus has entered as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.