The Peril of Falling Away

6 Therefore leaving the ^[a]elementary teaching about the ^[b]Christ, let us press on to ^[c]maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, ² of instruction about washings and laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment. ³ And this we will do, if God permits. ⁴ For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, ⁵ and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, ⁶ and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, ^[d]since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame. ⁷ For ground that drinks the rain which often ^[e]falls on it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God; ⁸ but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close ^[f]to being cursed, and ^[g]it ends up being burned.

Better Things for You

⁹ But, beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you, and things that ^[h]accompany salvation, though we are speaking in this way. ¹⁰ For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the ^[i]saints. ¹¹ And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence ^[j]so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end, ¹² so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

¹³ For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, ¹⁴ saying, “I will surely bless you and I will surely multiply you.” ¹⁵ And so, having patiently waited, he obtained the promise. ¹⁶ For men swear by ^[k]one greater than themselves, and with them an oath given as confirmation is an end of every dispute. ^17 [l]In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, ^[m]interposed with an oath, ¹⁸ so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have ^[n]taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us. ^19 [o]This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters ^[p]within the veil, ²⁰ where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.