By Rev. Ron Purkey
Guest Columnist

Read: Hebrews 6:9-20

“Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast. …” (Hebrews 6:19)

By Rev. Ron Purkey

What are you placing your hope in for the future? Your country’s government, educational system, some plan or organization? My hope is in a person, the Lord Jesus Christ, who sits at the right hand of God. I have hope and know that I’m going to heaven. And, right here and now in this present life, I have God’s presence to help me.

The writer of Hebrews closes with as solid a passage on eternal security as we will find anywhere in the Bible. He points, first of all, to their own lives (verses 10-12) and reminds them that they had given every evidence of being true Christians. We find faith, hope, and love described in these three verses, and these traits are the characteristics of true believers (1 Thessalonians 1:3; Romans 5:1-5). But he cautions them in verse 12 not to be “dull of hearing” (or “slothful,” same word as in Hebrews 5:11). God has given his promises; they need only exercise faith and patience to receive the blessing.

He then uses Abraham as an illustration of patient faith. Certainly Abraham sinned — and even repeated one sin twice — yet God kept his promises to him. After all, the covenants of God do not depend on the faith of the saints for their certainty; they depend only on the faithfulness of God. God verified the promise of Genesis 22:16-17 by swearing by himself — and that settled it. Abraham did not receive the promised blessing because of his own goodness or obedience, but because of the faithfulness of God. Abraham experienced many trials and testings (as did the original readers of Hebrews), but God saw him through.

In verse 17, the writer says that God did all this for Abraham that the “heirs” might know the dependability of God’s counsel and promise. Who are these heirs? According to verse 18, all true believers are heirs, for we are Abraham’s children by faith (see Galatians 3). So, there are “two immutable things” that give us assurance: God’s promises (for God cannot lie) and God’s oath (for God cannot change). The unchanging word of God and the unchanging person of God are all we need to assure us that we are saved and kept for eternity. We have a “hope” to anchor our souls, and this “hope” is Christ himself (Hebrews 7:19-20; 1 Timothy 1:1). How can we “drift” spiritually (Hebrews 2:1-3) when in Christ we are anchored to heaven itself? We have a sure and steadfast anchor; and we have a “forerunner” (Christ) who has opened the way for us and will see to it that we one day shall join him in glory. Instead of frightening saints into thinking they are lost, this wonderful chapter warns against unbelief and an unrepentant heart and also assures us that we are anchored in eternity.

Read Ron Purkey’s Bible study outlines at www.rcpbibleoutlines.com free on the website. Purkey has been an ordained Baptist minister for 50 years.