The theme of Hebrews is the absolute supremacy and sufficiency of Jesus Christ as revealer and as mediator of God's grace. A striking feature of this presentation of the gospel is the unique manner in which the author employs expositions of eight specific passages of the Old Testament Scriptures.
The Recipients:
https://www.biblestudytools.com/hebrews/
The letter was addressed primarily to Jewish converts who were familiar with the Old Testament and who were being tempted to revert to Judaism or to Judaize the gospel (cf. Galatians 2:14). Some have suggested that these professing Jewish Christians were thinking of merging with a Jewish sect, such as the one at Qumran near the Dead Sea. It has also been suggested that the recipients were from the "large number of priests who became obedient to the faith" (Acts 6:7).
(b) The danger so frequently adverted to of their relapsing into their former state; of apostatizing from Christianity, and of embracing again the Jewish rites and ceremonies - a danger that would exist nowhere else in so great a degree as in Judea.
Compare Hebrews 2:1-3; Hebrews 3:7-11, Hebrews 3:15; Hebrews 4:1; Hebrews 6:1-8; Hebrews 10:26-35.
See Expositor's Greek Testament:
Hebrews 4
Hebrews 6
If 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.
The significance of ἑαυτοῖς seems to be “so far as they are concerned,” not “to their own judgment” or “to their own destruction”. The apostate crucifies Christ on his own account by virtually confirming the judgment of the actual crucifiers, declaring that he too has made trial of Jesus and found Him no true Messiah but a deceiver, and therefore worthy of death. The greatness of the guilt in so doing is aggravated by the fact that apostates thus treat τὸν υἱὸν τ. Θεοῦ, cf. Hebrews 10:29. καὶ παραδειγματίζοντας, the verb is found in Numbers 25:4, where it implies exposing to ignominy or infamy, such as was effected in barbarous times by exposing the quarters of the executed criminal, or leaving him hanging in chains.
“This was the crime the Hebrew Christians were tempted to commit. A fatal step it must be when taken; for men who left the Christian Church and went back to the synagogue became companions of persons who thought they did God service in cursing the name of Jesus” (Bruce).Theme:
The theme of Hebrews is the absolute supremacy and sufficiency of Jesus Christ as revealer and as mediator of God's grace.
The prologue (1:1-4) presents Christ as God's full and final revelation, far surpassing the revelation given in the OT. The prophecies and promises of the OT are fulfilled in the "new covenant" (or "new testament"), of which Christ is the mediator. From the OT itself, Christ is shown to be superior to the ancient prophets, to angels, to Moses (the mediator of the former covenant) and to Aaron and the priestly succession descended from him. Hebrews could be called "the book of better things" since the two Greek words for "better" and "superior" occur 15 times in the letter. A striking feature of this presentation of the gospel is the unique manner in which the author employs expositions of eight specific passages of the OT Scriptures:
Literary Form:
Hebrews is commonly referred to as a letter, though it does not have the typical form of a letter. It ends like a letter (13:22-25) but begins more like an essay or sermon (1:1-4). The author does not identify himself or those addressed, which letter writers normally did. And he offers no manner of greeting, such as is usually found at the beginning of ancient letters. Rather, he begins with a magnificent statement about Jesus Christ. He calls his work a "word of exhortation" (13:22), the conventional designation given a sermon in a synagogue service (see Ac 13:15, where "message of encouragement" translates the same Greek words as "word of exhortation"). Like a sermon, Hebrews is full of encouragement, exhortations and stern warnings. It is likely that the author used sermonic materials and sent them out in a modified letter form.
Hebrews 1 King James Version (KJV)
1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers
by the prophets,
by the prophets,
2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
The Major Riddle of Hebrews (Hebrews 6:4-6)
• So now comes one of the primary challenges in the entire New Testament
(Hebrews 6:4-6) The danger of a relapse and forfeiting their inheritance.
4] For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
5] And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
6] If 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.
Weren’t these believers?
They were once enlightened;
They have tasted of the heavenly gift;
They were made partakers of the Holy Ghost;
They have tasted the good word of God, and powers of the coming age.
• Can these readers lose their salvation?
• How does this passage impact your views of Eternal Security?
Preparation for this Session:
• Reexamine Numbers 14. Then study carefully Hebrews 6 and formulate your own analysis of this passage and how it impacts your perspective of Eternal Security.
(There are 16 different views of this passage by various commentators!)
Alternative Views of Differing Scholars:
• Professing, but not real, believers.
• Truly saved, then permanently lost.
• “impossible”means “difficult.”
• Repetitive lost and resaved, to a limit.
•Refers to Old Testament sacrifices.
• Purely hypothetical...
…and variations of each of the above.
4] For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of
the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
• This is the beginning of one long sentence (Hebrews 6:4-6).
• It identifies the first three of five qualifiers:
1) Once enlightened
2) Tasted the heavenly gift
3) Partakers of the Holy Ghost.
5] And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
The two remaining qualifying participles:
3) Tasted the good word of God
4) Have seen miracles and signs (Hebrews 2:4)
“...world to come: is the Greek word, aion : which is singular, (not plural: “ages,” or “world”)
Specifically: Meaning the Messianic Age.
• They have understood the glory that awaits Christ and his Metachoi in the coming Millennial Kingdom, but they have turned away to go back to the world.
• They are in the same position as the Exodus generation at Kadesh-Barnea, refusing to go forward to fight for their inheritance.
Hebrews 8
Hebrews 9
Hebrews 10
14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?
Hebrews 2
1 Therefore* we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at anytime we should let them slip.
2 For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward;
3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;
4 God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders,and with divers
miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost,according to his own will?
miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost,according to his own will?
6 But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of
him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him?
him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him?
7Thou madest him a little* lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with
glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands:
glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands:
8 Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet
all things put under him.
all things put under him.
9 But we see Jesus, who was madea little* lower than the angels for the suffering
of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste
death for every man.
of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste
death for every man.
10 For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing
many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
11 For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for
which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,
which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,
12 Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.
13 And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children
which God hath given me.
which God hath given me.
14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself
likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the
power of death, that is, the devil;
likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the
power of death, that is, the devil;
3 For this man was countedworthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as hewho hath builded the house hath more honour thanthe house.
5 AndMoses verily was faithful in all his house, as aservant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after;
6 But Christ as a son over his ownhouse; whose house are we, if we hold fast theconfidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto theend.
8 Harden not your hearts,as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in thewilderness:
10Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, andsaid, They do alway err in their heart; and they havenot known my ways.
12 Take heed,brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart ofunbelief, in departing from the living God.
13 Butexhort one another daily**, while it is called To day;lest any of you be hardened through thedeceitfulness of sin.
14 For we are made partakersof Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidencestedfast unto the end;
Hebrews 4
1 Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.
2 For unto us was the gospelpreached, as well as unto them: but the wordpreached did not profit them, not being mixed withfaith in them that heard it.
3 For we which havebelieved do enter into rest, as he said, As I havesworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest:although the works were finished from the foundationof the world.
4 For he spake in a certain place ofthe seventh day on this wise, And God did rest theseventh* day from all his works.
6 Seeingtherefore it remaineth that some must enter therein*,and they to whom it was first preached entered not inbecause of unbelief:
7 Again, he limiteth a certainday, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; asit is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden notyour hearts.
11 Let us labour therefore toenter into that rest, lest any man fall after the sameexample of unbelief.
12 For the word of God isquick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedgedsword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of souland* spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is adiscerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifestin his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
14Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
Hebrews 5
1 For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins:
2 Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity.
5 So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, today have I begotten thee.
7 Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and
*supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to
save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;
*supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to
save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;
12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God ;and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
• So now comes one of the primary challenges in the entire New Testament
(Hebrews 6:4-6) The danger of a relapse and forfeiting their inheritance.
4] For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
5] And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
6] If 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.
Weren’t these believers?
They were once enlightened;
They have tasted of the heavenly gift;
They were made partakers of the Holy Ghost;
They have tasted the good word of God, and powers of the coming age.
• Can these readers lose their salvation?
• How does this passage impact your views of Eternal Security?
Preparation for this Session:
• Reexamine Numbers 14. Then study carefully Hebrews 6 and formulate your own analysis of this passage and how it impacts your perspective of Eternal Security.
(There are 16 different views of this passage by various commentators!)
Alternative Views of Differing Scholars:
• Professing, but not real, believers.
• Truly saved, then permanently lost.
• “impossible”means “difficult.”
• Repetitive lost and resaved, to a limit.
•Refers to Old Testament sacrifices.
• Purely hypothetical...
…and variations of each of the above.
4] For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of
the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
• This is the beginning of one long sentence (Hebrews 6:4-6).
• It identifies the first three of five qualifiers:
1) Once enlightened
2) Tasted the heavenly gift
3) Partakers of the Holy Ghost.
5] And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
The two remaining qualifying participles:
3) Tasted the good word of God
4) Have seen miracles and signs (Hebrews 2:4)
“...world to come: is the Greek word, aion : which is singular, (not plural: “ages,” or “world”)
Specifically: Meaning the Messianic Age.
• They have understood the glory that awaits Christ and his Metachoi in the coming Millennial Kingdom, but they have turned away to go back to the world.
• They are in the same position as the Exodus generation at Kadesh-Barnea, refusing to go forward to fight for their inheritance.
Qualifying Participles:
6] If 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.
Participle Dependencies:
• Notice in the Greek reading, verses 4 through 6 form one long sentence, modified by tenses of a series of participles.
• A participle is a form of a verb that is used to form complex tenses, such as “as loving” and “as loved” in English, and may also be used as an adjective.
adunaton
(impossible) verse 4
parapesontas Aorist – completed action
(fallen away)
anastaurountas Present active
(crucifying) continuing
action
paradeigmatizontas Present active
(publicly ridiculing)
anakainizein eis metanoian
(being restored by repentance)
verse 6
Hebrews 6
1 Therefore 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,
unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection
of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
6 If 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.
shame.
7 For 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:
bringeth forth herbs meet for them* by whom it is dressed, receiveth
blessing from God:
8 But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto
cursing; whose end is to be burned.
cursing; whose end is to be burned.
9 But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that
accompany salvation, though we thus speak.
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.
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 benot slothful, but followers of them who through faithand patience inherit the promises.
16For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to
them an end of all strife.
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:
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:
19Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast,
and which entereth into that within the veil;
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.
Hebrews 7for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
Melchizedek the Priest
1 This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him,
2 and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, the name Melchizedek means “king of righteousness”; then also, “king of Salem” means “king of peace.”
3Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest forever.
4 Just think how great he was: Even the patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth of the plunder!
5 Now the law requires the descendants of Levi who become priests to collect a tenth from the people—that is, from their fellow Israelites—even though they also are descended from Abraham.
6 This man, however, did not trace his descent from Levi, yet he collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises.
7 And without doubt the lesser is blessed by the greater.
8 In the one case, the tenth is collected by people who die; but in the other case, by him who is declared to be living.
9 One might even say that Levi, who collects the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham,
10 because when Melchizedek met Abraham, Levi was still in the body of his ancestor.
Jesus Like Melchizedek
11 If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood—and indeed the law given to the people established that priesthood—why was there still need for another priest to come, one in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron?
12For when the priesthood is changed, the law must be changed also.
13 He of whom these things are said belonged to a different tribe, and no one from that tribe has ever served at the altar.
14 For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah, and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests.
15 And what we have said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears,
16 one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life.
17 For it is declared: “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”
18 The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless
19 (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.
20 And it was not without an oath! Others became priests without any oath,
21 but he became a priest with an oath when God said to him: “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: ‘You are a priest forever.’ ”
22 Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantor of a better covenant.
23Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office;
24but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood.
25 Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.
26Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens.
27 Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.
28 For the law appoints as high priests men in all their weakness; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever.
Hebrews 8
The High Priest of a New Covenant
1 Now the main point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven,
2and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by a mere human being.
3Every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, and so it was necessary for this one also to have something to offer.
4 If he were on earth, he would not be a priest, for there are already priests who offer the gifts prescribed by the law.
5 They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.”
6 But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises.
7 For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another.
8 But God found fault with the people and said : “The days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah.
9 It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not remain faithful to my covenant, and I turned away from them, declares the Lord.
10 This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
11 No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest.
12 For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”
13 By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.
Hebrews 9
Worship in the Earthly Tabernacle
1 Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary.
2 A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the lampstand and the table with its consecrated bread; this was called the Holy Place.
3 Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place,
4 which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant.
5 Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory, overshadowing the atonement cover. But we cannot discuss these things in detail now.
6 When everything had been arranged like this, the priests entered regularly into the outer room to carry on their ministry.
7 But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance.
8The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still functioning.
9This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper.
10They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings—external regulations applying until the time of the new order.
The Blood of Christ
11 But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation.
12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.
13 The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean.
14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!
15 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.
16 In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it,
17 because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living.
18 This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood.
19 When Moses had proclaimed every command of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves, together with water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people.
20 He said, “This is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep.”
21 In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies.
22 In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
23 It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
24 For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence.
25 Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own.
26 Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.
27 Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,
28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.
Hebrews 10
Christ’s Sacrifice Once for All
1 The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship.
2 Otherwise, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins.
3 But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins.
4 It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
5 Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me;
6 with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased.
7 Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll— I have come to do your will, my God.’ ”
8 First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”—though they were offered in accordance with the law.
9Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second.
10 And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
11 Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.
12 But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God,
13 and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool.
14 For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.
15 The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says:
16 “This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.”
17 Then he adds: “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.”
18 And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary.
A Call to Persevere in Faith
19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus,
20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body,
21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God,
22let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.
23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,
25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
26 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left,
27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.
28 Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.
29 How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?
30 For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.”
31 It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
32 Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering.
33 Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated.
34 You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions.
35 So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.
36You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.
37 For, “In just a little while, he who is coming will come and will not delay.”
38 And, “But my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back.”
39 But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.
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