1 T herefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,

So let us leave the first things you need to know about Christ. Let us go on to the teaching that full-grown Christians should understand. We do not need to teach these first truths again. You already know that you must be sorry for your sins and turn from them. You know that you must have faith in God.

2 o f instruction about washings and laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment.

You know about being baptized and about putting hands on people. You know about being raised from the dead and about being punished forever.

3 A nd this we will do, if God permits.

We will go on, if God lets us.

4 F or 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,

There are those who have known the truth. They have received the gift from heaven. They have shared the Holy Spirit.

5 a nd have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come,

They know how good the Word of God is. They know of the powers of the world to come.

6 a nd then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.

But if they turn away, they cannot be sorry for their sins and turn from them again. It is because they are nailing the Son of God on a cross again. They are holding Him up in shame in front of all people.

7 F or ground that drinks the rain which often falls on it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God;

It is the same with a piece of ground that has had many rains fall on it. God makes it possible for that ground to give good fruits and vegetables.

8 b ut if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned. Better Things for You

But if it gives nothing but weeds, it is worth nothing. It will be hated and destroyed by fire.

9 B ut, beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you, and things that accompany salvation, though we are speaking in this way.

Dear friends, even as we tell you this, we are sure of better things for you. These things go along with being saved from the punishment of sin.

10 F or 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 saints.

God always does what is right. He will not forget the work you did to help the Christians and the work you are still doing to help them. This shows your love for Christ.

11 A nd we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end,

We want each one of you to keep on working to the end. Then what you hope for, will happen.

12 s o that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Do not be lazy. Be like those who have faith and have not given up. They will receive what God has promised them. God’s Promise

13 F or when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself,

When God made a promise to Abraham, He made that promise in His own name because no one was greater.

14 s aying, “ I will surely bless you and I will surely multiply you.”

He said, “I will make you happy in so many ways. For sure, I will give you many children.”

15 A nd so, having patiently waited, he obtained the promise.

Abraham was willing to wait and God gave to him what He had promised.

16 F or men swear by one greater than themselves, and with them an oath given as confirmation is an end of every dispute.

When men make a promise, they use a name greater than themselves. They do this to make sure they will do what they promise. In this way, no one argues about it.

17 I n the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath,

And so God made a promise. He wanted to show Abraham that He would never change His mind. So He made the promise in His own name.

18 s o that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us.

God gave these two things that cannot be changed and God cannot lie. We who have turned to Him can have great comfort knowing that He will do what He has promised.

19 T his hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil,

This hope is a safe anchor for our souls. It will never move. This hope goes into the Holiest Place of All behind the curtain of heaven.

20 w here Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

Jesus has already gone there. He has become our Religious Leader forever and has made the way for man to go to God. He is like Melchizedek.