A Call to Maturity

1Therefore having left the word of the beginning of Christ, let us be carried to perfection; not again laying the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, 2of the teaching of baptisms, and of the laying on of hands, and of the resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. 3And we will do this, if God may permit. 4For it is impossible that those having been once enlightened, and tasted the heavenly gift, and have been made partakers of the Holy Ghost, 5and having tasted the beautiful word of God, and the dynamites of the coming age, 6indeed having fallen away, to renew them again unto repentance; having crucified to themselves again the Son of God, and put him to an open shame. 7For the earth drinking the rain coming often upon her, and bringing forth the herb nutritious to those by whom it is also cultivated, receives blessings from God: 8but that which produces thorns and thistles, is reprobate, and nigh unto the curse; whose end is unto burning.

9But, beloved, we are persuaded better things concerning you, and things appertaining to salvation, if indeed we do thus speak. 10For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and the divine love which you manifested in his name, having ministered to the saints, and ministering. 11But we desire each one of you to exhibit the same diligence unto the full assurance of hope unto the end: 12in order that you may not be dull, but imitators of those who through faith and longsufferings do inherit the promises.

God’s Unchangeable Promise

13For God having promised Abraham, since he had no greater one by whom to swear, swore by himself, 14saying, If indeed blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee: 15and thus having waited long, he received the promise. 16For men swear by the greater: and an oath of confirmation is to them an end to all controversy: 17but God, in this wishing more abundantly to show forth to the heirs of the promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: 18that through two immutable things in which it was impossible that God should lie, we who have fled may have a strong consolation to lay hold of the hope set before us, 19which we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast and entering into that which is in the veil, 20whither Jesus the forerunner has entered in our behalf, having been made a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.