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For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.
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He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God’s house.
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“Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house,” bearing witness to what would be spoken by God in the future.
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But Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory.
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For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed.
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Jesus the Great High Priest
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.
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Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God,
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We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.
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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.
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A Call to Persevere in Faith
Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus,
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let 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.
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Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
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And, “But my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back.”
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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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Faith in Action
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
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By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
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By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.
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By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.
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And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
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By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.
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By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.
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By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.
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And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise.
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All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth.
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By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son,
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By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.
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By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.
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By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions concerning the burial of his bones.
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By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.
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By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.
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By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.
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By faith he kept the Passover and the application of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.
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By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.
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By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days.
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By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.
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who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions,
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These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised,
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fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
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Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.
