A Call to Maturity

1Therefore having left the word of the beginning of Christ, we should go on to perfection; not again laying down the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, 2Of the teaching of immersions, and placing upon of hands, and of the rising up of the dead, and of eternal judgment. 3And this will we do, if God even permit. 4For impossible for them once enlightened, and having tasted of the heavenly gift, and having partaken of the Holy Spirit, 5And tasted of the good word of God, and powers of the life about to be, 6And having fallen, again to renew to repentance; crucifying to themselves the Son of God, and exposing to ignominy. 7For the earth drinking the rain coming often upon it, and bringing forth the vegetable fitting well to them by whom it is cultivated, receives commendation from God: 8And producing thorns and briers is rejected, after having been tried, and near cursing; whose end for destruction.

9And we have been persuaded of you, dearly beloved, of better things, and connected with salvation, if we also thus speak. 10For God is not unjust to forget your work and fatigue of love, which ye showed to his name, having served to the holy ones, and serving. 11And we desire each of you to show the same earnestness to the complete certainty of hope to the end: 12That ye be not sluggish, but imitators of them inheriting the promises by faith and longsuffering.

God’s Unchangeable Promise

13For God promising to Abraham, since he had none greater to swear by, sware by himself, 14Saying, Truly will I praise thee, and multiplying will I multiply thee. 15And so, having endured long, he gained the promise. 16For truly men swear by the greater: and the oath for confirmation to them the end of all controversy. 17In which God, willing more abundantly to show to the heirs of the promise the firmness of his counsel, he intervened by an oath: 18That by two unalterable deeds, in which it is impossible for God to deceive we might have a strong consolation, taking refuge in holding firmly the hope set before: 19Which we have as an anchor of the soul, unshaken and firm, and entering into that further within the veil. 20Where the forerunner, Jesus, went in for us, according to the order of Melchisedec, being a high priest forever.