New Living Translation

New King James Version

So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don’t need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deedsa and placing our faith in God.

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The Peril of Not Progressing

Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to [a]perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,

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You don’t need further instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.

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

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And so, God willing, we will move forward to further understanding.

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And this [b]we will do if God permits.

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For it is impossible to bring back to repentance those who were once enlightened — those who have experienced the good things of heaven and shared in the Holy Spirit,

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

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who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the power of the age to come —

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and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come,

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and who then turn away from God. It is impossible to bring such people back to repentance; by rejecting the Son of God, they themselves are nailing him to the cross once again and holding him up to public shame.

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[c]if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.

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When the ground soaks up the falling rain and bears a good crop for the farmer, it has God’s blessing.

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For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God;

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But if a field bears thorns and thistles, it is useless. The farmer will soon condemn that field and burn it.

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but if it bears thorns and briers, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned.

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Dear friends, even though we are talking this way, we really don’t believe it applies to you. We are confident that you are meant for better things, things that come with salvation.

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A Better Estimate

But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner.

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For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers,b as you still do.

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For God is not unjust to forget your work and [d]labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.

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Our great desire is that you will keep on loving others as long as life lasts, in order to make certain that what you hope for will come true.

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And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end,

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Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God’s promises because of their faith and endurance.

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that you do not become [e]sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

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God’s Promises Bring Hope

For example, there was God’s promise to Abraham. Since there was no one greater to swear by, God took an oath in his own name, saying:

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God’s Infallible Purpose in Christ

For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself,

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“I will certainly bless you,
and I will multiply your descendants beyond number.”c

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saying, “Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.”

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Then Abraham waited patiently, and he received what God had promised.

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

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Now when people take an oath, they call on someone greater than themselves to hold them to it. And without any question that oath is binding.

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For men indeed swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is for them an end of all dispute.

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God also bound himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that he would never change his mind.

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Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the [f]immutability of His counsel, [g]confirmed it by an oath,

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So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us.

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that by two [h]immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we [i]might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.

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This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary.

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This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil,

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Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek.

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where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

Parallel

New Living Translation

New King James Version

Hebrews 6

Hebrews 6