¹So let’s move on beyond the basic teachings about Christ and grow up as believers. Let’s not start all over from the beginning. We already know that we need to turn away from doing things that lead to death. We know that we must have faith in God.

²We’ve learned about different ways of becoming clean and about placing hands on people to bless them. We know that people will rise from the dead and that God will judge everyone for eternity.

³So now I want to talk about things beyond these basic teachings, and I’ll do that as God allows.

⁴If a person falls away from the faith after seeing the light, tasting the gift from heaven, sharing in the Holy Spirit,

⁵and tasting the good things of God’s word and the powers of the coming age,

⁶it’s not possible to bring them back. They won’t be able to turn away from their sins. They’re nailing the Son of God to the cross all over again and bringing shame on him in front of everyone—although they’re the ones who are really losing out.

⁷God blesses any land that soaks up rain and produces a crop useful to the farmer.

⁸But land that produces only thorns and weeds isn’t worth anything. It’s in danger of coming under God’s curse. In the end, it will be burned.

⁹Even though we’re talking like this, we’re sure of better things in your case, dear friends—things that go with being saved.

¹⁰God isn’t unfair. He won’t forget what you’ve done and the love you’ve shown him as you’ve helped his people and as you keep on helping them.

¹¹We want each of you to show this same dedication to the very end, so that everything you’re hoping for will happen.

¹²We don’t want you to become lazy. Instead, imitate those who receive through faith and patience what God has promised.

God Keeps His Promise

¹³When God made his promise to Abraham, he swore an oath by himself—there was no one greater to swear an oath by.

¹⁴He said, “I will certainly bless you and give you many children.”

¹⁵Abraham waited patiently, and then he received what God had promised him.

¹⁶People swear an oath by someone who’s greater than they are, and the oath guarantees that they’ll keep their promise. After that, nobody argues about whether the person really meant what they were saying.

¹⁷When God made his promise to Abraham and his family, he wanted them to know that he’d never change his mind.

¹⁸That’s why he swore an oath. Then there were two things that guaranteed God was telling the truth: his promise and his oath. He gave us those two things so that we’d be very encouraged as we run to take hold of the hope that has been set before us.

¹⁹It’s like a firm and secure anchor for our souls. This hope leads all the way into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain,

²⁰where Jesus has gone to open the way ahead of us. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.