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Hebrews 6:1. Therefore, having left the beginnings of the teaching of Christ, let us hasten to perfection; Above he said: you have become weak, you have become infants and have reached such a state that you need to learn again the original foundations of faith, therefore now he says that you must finally think as perfect and surpass the word of the beginning of Christ, that is, the first principles of faith, and strive for “perfection,” that is, be receptive to the more sublime. Or you can also understand it in this sense: since it seemed that they were limping in terms of behavior, now he speaks to them about an impeccable life, as if saying: you should not always revolve around the beginning, that is, learn in the faith, like converts, but you should strive for perfection, that is, for a better life. For he is perfect who, together with faith, leads a right life. After all, faith is the beginning and foundation, and without it nothing can be done, just as without letters it is impossible to read and write. However, just as one cannot constantly study letters alone, so one cannot constantly be instructed in the faith, like infants and imperfect ones. If anyone wishes to accept the first interpretation, and rejects this on the grounds that it does not correspond to what was previously said by the Apostle Paul, let him remember that it is his custom, when speaking about one thing, to quickly move on to another: as, for example, in the Epistle to the Corinthians, while talking about meals, he moved on to talk about the sacraments (1 Cor. 11:20-30). Thus, even now, having initially reproached them for their weakness and inability to perceive what is more perfect, he turns to a discussion about the way of life, calling them imperfect and for the fact that they have not ordered their lives according to faith. and let us not again lay the foundation for turning from dead works and believing in God, That is, again, not doing from the very beginning what you did at the time you intended to be baptized, such as “turning from dead works,” that is, renouncing the works of Satan. Whoever comes to Christ obviously comes in this way, precisely by repenting of the past, both in teaching and in life: after all, if you do not reject the former, then how can you achieve the latter? Therefore he adds: “and faith in God.” Then there is faith, precisely after repentance from dead works. Thus, he says: you should not be taught about faith like beginners, for you have already believed. But this hints that they wavered and therefore needed a foundation. Hebrews 6:2. doctrine of baptisms, Paul said this in the plural, not because there are many baptisms: for there is one baptism (Eph. 4:5), but because it seemed to follow from the following. Once he announced again, he would have baptized again; and in case of retreat he would baptize again: of necessity there would be many new baptisms, but this is absurd. Therefore you must not repeat baptism, but remain at the first baptism. Perhaps they, as they firmly adhered to the law, recognized many baptisms under grace in the Jewish way. Notice that repentance is followed by baptism. Since repentance in itself cannot show us clean, therefore we are baptized so that everything may be a work of the grace of Christ. Through this they received the Holy Spirit to prophesy and work miracles. When, it is said, Paul laid his hands on them, they received the Holy Spirit (Acts 19:6). This occurs at baptism under the image of immersion in water and rising from it, and is confirmed in the confession of faith, for we confess that we believe in the resurrection of the dead. That is, a court that gives either eternal benefits or punishment. It seems that he says this because they probably hesitated, although they had already believed, or lived poorly and carelessly, saying at the same time: watch. It is impossible to say that if we lived carelessly, or fell away from the faith, we will be baptized again, again we will have the opportunity to be washed from our sins and be rewarded with the same things that we were rewarded with before. You are seduced, he says, reasoning in this way. Hebrews 6:3. And we will do this, if God allows. “We’ll do this” - what? - that is, to go towards perfection, if God wishes. I didn’t say this as if God had not commanded it, but as I usually said, that if God pleases, then this is exactly what I want to do. And at the same time, he teaches us here that we should make everything dependent on His will and that even with undeniably good deeds we should not trust our own judgment and our own strengths. The Apostle Jude clearly convinces of this. Hebrews 6:4. For it is impossible - once enlightened, He didn’t say it was useless or indecent, but “impossible,” so he led them to despair regarding the hope of a second baptism. and having tasted the gift of heaven, That is, remission of sins. For no one is able to give this except God alone. and become partakers of the Holy Spirit, After the remission of sins comes the communion of the Holy Spirit: for He does not dwell in a body burdened with sins. The Holy Spirit was communicated through the laying on of hands, as stated above. Hebrews 6:5. and have tasted the good word of God He did not say directly what it is: but, of course, he makes it clear to us that this says about any spiritual teaching. So he calls either the power to work miracles, or to live like angels, in the sense of not needing anything here, but looking to the future, and already here receiving an immaterial and spiritual guarantee of a future life. Hebrews 6:6. and those who have fallen away, to renew them again with repentance, That is, through repentance. What is this? Is repentance rejected? It won't happen. But - renewal through secondary baptism. For renewal is the effect of baptism alone, just as the prophet says: “your youth is renewed like an eagle” (Ps. 103:5); The effect of repentance is that it frees you from decay and makes you strong. But he cannot restore him to his former lordship. For in baptism everything was a work of grace. Therefore, by “repentance,” he says, namely, by baptism. For first everyone repents of his former life, then he is baptized, as he himself said above: “conversion from dead works.” And from what follows it is clear that he denies secondary baptism. when they again crucify the Son of God within themselves Baptism is a cross. “Our old man was crucified with Him,” and “we are united with Him in the likeness of His death.” And again: “we were buried with Him through baptism.” For just as Christ died in the flesh on the cross, so we die to sin in baptism. Therefore, whoever is baptized a second time crucifies Christ a second time, as far as it is in his power. But this is ridiculous. For He died and rose again once, and “death no longer has power over Him” (see Rom. 6:4–9). So, there is no secondary baptism, since there is no secondary cross. What prevents there from being a third, and a fourth, and so on ad infinitum? He didn’t just say, “they will crucify again” and stop; but he also added: “in ourselves” to show that we, carelessly spending our lives in the assumption that there is another baptism, do everything as if we ourselves supported a bad opinion. That is, they celebrate, they disgrace. This can be understood in two ways; or so that those who crucified the Lord then invented for His shame such a kind of death, obviously cursed and shameful, and designated for evildoers: or so that Christ, having once been crucified, is subsequently confessed to be immortal. Therefore, the one who crucifies Him a second time makes this confession false, which brings dishonor to Christ, who only tasted death once and then became immortal. Thus, the impossibility of this matter is confirmed in two ways: firstly, by the fact that whoever was awarded such benefits and squandered everything is no longer worthy to enjoy the same benefits again, secondly, and even more, by the fact that it is impossible for the Son of God to be crucified again. Heb.6:7. The earth that drank the rain that fell on it repeatedly He calls the soul earth, and rain the teaching, as in another place: “I will command the clouds,” says God, “not to shed... rain” on the vineyard (Is. 5:6). And again: “the stream of God is full of water” (Ps. 64:10), that is, the one who received from God the gift of teaching others was filled with the highest waters, or gifts. Here he makes it clear that they both received and drank the word, and were often rewarded with it, and yet did not receive the benefit that he said above: “judging by the times, you should have been teachers” (Heb. 5:12). and grows useful grains That is, a life filled with virtue. For there is nothing so useful, that is, decent and desirable, as purity of life. those for whom it is cultivated, “Green,” he says, that is, a virtuous life, is generated by the earth for those for whom it is cultivated, and for those it is “useful”: for those who bring virtue will themselves enjoy it. Some understood “them” to mean: teachers; for, indeed, good behavior is brought up by them, so that they are participants in the virtue of their students. receives blessing from God; Here he silently reproaches the Hellenes, who attribute the production of fruits to the power of the earth. And it is not even the hands of the farmer that produce the fruits, but everything, he says, is the work of God: He Himself blesses and gives an abundance of fruits. Hebrews 6:8. and the producing thorns and thistles He did not say: “producing,” as he said above about “grains,” but: “producing,” as he would have said, spewing out and throwing out some surplus. “Thorns and thistles” are everyday worries, the deception of wealth and, in general, any sin, just as David says: “I became a sufferer when a thorn pierced me” *** (Ps. 31:4). The thorn does not just enter, but it pierces, and if we haven’t pulled it all out, but a little of it remains, then it causes great pain and requires treatment and care. But there is also thistle: where you touch it, it hurts, and everywhere it is unpleasant: on earth it brings dishonor, and especially in the next century. worthless and close to damnation, He said that the good land is blessed by God; and barren - he didn’t just say: cursed, but “close to damnation,” so that they wouldn’t despair. For whoever is “close to damnation” may also be far from it. whose end is burning. And this is so that we do not despair. For he did not say: the earth will be burned, but “whose end is burning,” that is, if it remains barren to the end. In this way, you can avoid barrenness and burn up thorns, and become useful, and receive blessings. Hebrews 6:9. However, for you, beloved, we hope that you are in better condition and are holding on to salvation, although we say so. Having reproached and frightened him enough, he again consoles him so as not to make them completely careless. For whoever severely punishes a lazy person makes him even more lazy. Therefore he says: I say this not because I condemned you, and not because I consider you full of thorns, but because I am afraid that this might happen to you. And he did not say: we expect from you, but: “we hope”, that is, we are in firm confidence about you that you do not live like that, but better, and that you care about your own salvation, although we expressed it so strongly. So, he says this either about their life, namely, that you are so thorny, or about retribution, that you are not “close to damnation” and not to “burning,” but a different reward is assigned for you. Pay attention to the following. Hebrews 6:10. For God is not unjust that he should forget your work Look how he encouraged and strengthened them in hope for the best, reminding them of their previous deeds and the truth of God: for if God is just, He will not forget your deeds, that is, mercy, brotherly love, but will reward you. Therefore, do not despair, but fully hope for the best, since God is completely just. So, it was not about you that I said that I said cruelly, for I know that you are not worthy of damnation. and the labor of love you have shown in His name by serving and ministering to the saints. What is important is giving evidence of them, pointing not only to deeds, but also to deeds with diligence. For to serve is a sign of zeal. He talks about the love and mercy that they showed not to their brothers, but in the name of God. Look what the greatest consolation is in what we do not for people, but for God, just as Christ says in the Gospel: “they did it for me” (Matthew 25:40). For whoever cares about the unrighteous for the sake of the name of God does it for God. “Saints”, that is, the faithful. For every believer is holy, even if he is a layman. “For an unbelieving husband,” he says, “is sanctified by a believing wife, and an unbelieving wife is sanctified by a believing husband” (1 Cor. 7:14). Thus faith here produces sanctification. Therefore, let us be attentive not only to hermits as saints, but also to the laity: they, of course, are holy both in faith and in life, but the laity are also holy in faith, and many in life. Look how he calms them down. For having said: “having served,” he did not stop, but added: “and having served,” that is, now you are doing the same thing. Hebrews 6:11. We wish that each of you, for complete confidence in hope, will show the same zeal to the end, As if to answer someone’s question: why did you say this, Paul, if you didn’t want to punish us? - he says that he said this, wanting you to do well in the future; not judging you for the past, but fearing for the future. And he didn’t say: I want, which would exactly show the teacher’s authority, but “I wish,” which is characteristic of fatherly love. For I do not wish this in words, but my soul burns for you. This is how you understand the expression “I wish.” And not just about you, but about each individual: so he cared about everyone, both small and great, and knew everyone. To have “perfect confidence in hope,” that is, to discover complete and perfect hope and not be confused. Look how it doesn’t directly strike you and doesn’t say: you are desperate and have not yet come to your senses, but it seems to say: I want you to always be thorough and to be what you are now and in the future. Hebrews 6:12. so that you do not become lazy, And this is to their consolation: for it refers to the future time. And although he said above: “because you have become unable to listen” (Heb. 5:11): for hitherto he indicated the inability to listen; Now, he says, I’m taking care in advance that this inability does not touch your soul. For just as inaction and immobility harms the body, so not exercising in good deeds makes the soul too careless. but imitated those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. Above, I reminded them of what they had previously been virtuous in, providing them with an example in their own deeds. Now he brings them to the Patriarch Abraham. So that they do not think that they, as unworthy of any word, are forgotten and abandoned by God, he points out that spending life among temptations is the lot of especially glorious men, and that God did this with great men. After all, if He had immediately given what He promised, their faith could not have been revealed: but now He delays in fulfilling it, so that through patience their faith would be revealed. For then faith in the one who promised becomes obvious when someone, having not received what was promised for a long time, nevertheless believes that he will receive and does not despair. Therefore, I express these reproaches to you in order to restore you and so that you “will imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” And who these men are, he explains further. But look how he placed faith in the first place, then long-suffering, because long-suffering comes from faith. For whoever does not believe that the Promised One will certainly give, does not endure long-suffering. Hebrews 6:13. God, giving a promise to Abraham, as he could not swear by anyone higher, swore by Himself, Hebrews 6:14. saying: By blessing I will bless you, and by multiplying I will multiply you. (Compare Gen. 22:16–17) Since there were many who inherited the promises by faith, he now omitted all the others, leaving them for later, and reminds only of Abraham, both because of the importance of his person, and especially because he was worthy and received the promise. And by this he also shows that one should not indulge in cowardice, but trust in God, Who usually does not fulfill a promise quickly, but after a long time. When did God “swear by Himself”? Or in the very words in which he says: “I swore by Myself.” Or maybe someone will say that the word: “truly” contains an oath of God by Himself; for “truly” means “truly.” This is nothing other than a statement of truth; but who else can be the truth but God? So the Lord in the Gospel, saying: “Truly, truly, I say to you” (for example, John 6, etc.), swears by the same oath; he swears by himself, like the Father, since he does not have to swear by the highest. However, some thought that the Son Himself then talked with Abraham: for Scripture says: The angel said to Abraham (Gen. 18). But in no way, they say, the Father could not be an Angel, but the Son is an Angel of the great council. Hebrews 6:15. And so Abraham, being patient, received what was promised. How is it that at the end of the letter he says that they “only saw from afar” the fulfillment of the promise “and they rejoiced” (Heb. 11:13), and now he says that Abraham “received what was promised”? He is not talking about the same thing here and there, but here he is talking about earthly promises, which Abraham received after a long time, and there about heavenly ones, which he has not yet received. However, both of these - both what he received and what he has not yet received - serve as a consolation for the faint-hearted - one because we too will receive if we show patience, the other because if the one who achieved perfection so many years earlier has not yet received, then we are too unreasonable, indignant at what we do not yet receive. See how he said, “having suffered long, he received what was promised,” to show the great power of long-suffering, and that it was not the promise alone that accomplished everything, but also long-suffering. Here he also instills fear in them, making it clear to the contrary that cowardice hinders the fulfillment of the promise. And this happened in the desert to an ancient people who were faint-hearted and did not receive the promise at all. So, someone will say: why did the saints, having endured for a long time, not receive, as they say at the end of the epistle? In any case, they will receive it. But those who murmured among the people did not receive it, and will not receive it. Hebrews 6:16. People swear by the highest, and an oath as confirmation ends every dispute between them. That is, an oath resolves bewilderment in any controversy. For they say and object a lot in a dispute on both sides, but the oath, being the last and confirming, resolves everything that is doubtful. Hebrews 6:17. Therefore (ἐνᾧ) God, wanting to show the heirs of the promise the immutability of His will, used an oath as a means, That is, precisely because an oath gives people complete confidence, and God swears. Or, “therefore,” instead: in what God swore, he says, by Himself, He abundantly proved to us that He would in every possible way and immutably fulfill what He promised. For although God should have been believed without an oath, He condescends for our sake and does not look at His own dignity, but in order to convince us, He allows us to speak unworthy about Himself. For we who are faithful, blessed in his seed, which is Christ, are heirs of the promise. Look how he says then that the Son is a mediator between God and people. For God and the Father swore by Himself as the Word. Hebrews 6:18. so that in two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, Which one and which one? Both because he simply said and promised, and because he added an oath to the promise. Since people consider that which is confirmed with an oath to be more reliable, therefore God added it. "In which" instead of "of them" - of these two things the promise is the most certain, and "it is impossible for God to lie." Therefore, just as He swore for our sake, although it is unworthy for Him to swear, so understand that He is “accustomed to these things even if He suffered” (Heb. 5:8). For people also consider more reliable what is known through experience. we had firm consolation, having come running to take hold (κρατήσοα) of the hope set before us, That is great consolation and encouragement. This is said not so much in relation to Abraham, but in relation to us, who have resorted to Him, that is, who have placed their hope in Him. Where do we have encouragement? To hold fast (κρατήσοα) “to the hope that is set”: that is, so that we, on the basis of what was given to Abraham, should be convinced about the promises concerning us, and would not doubt about the future and heavenly blessings for which we hope; on the contrary, that we may hold fast and securely to this hope and not lose it. For the promise to Abraham is a promise to us, and especially to us who have believed in Christ, as stated above. Hebrews 6:19. which for the soul is like an anchor (ἄγκυραν) safe and strong. We have this hope as an anchor. For just as that anchor during a storm gives stability to ships, so hope makes firm and patient people who waver under the influence of temptations. He didn’t just say “anchor,” but “safe and strong.” For there is an anchor that does not keep the ship stable, either when it is damaged, or when it is very light. Quite rightly, he remembered not the foundation, but the anchor: because the foundation is applied to people who are very firm and wise, and the anchor is applied to those who are subject to a storm, as those were when they were overwhelmed by temptations. and enters into the interior behind the veil, I said above: hope, for what we hope for will come true. Now, assuring more completely, he says that we already have this in hope. For she, having entered into heaven, did what we already do with the promised blessings, although we are still on earth, although we have not yet received them. Hope has such power that it makes those on earth heavenly. But just as in the Old Testament the veil separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the tabernacle, so for us heaven is a veil separating the earthly from the most divine and most heavenly. Hebrews 6:20. where Jesus entered as a forerunner for us, Having said that our hope ascends to heaven, he confirms what was said, certifying it with deeds. For He, Christ, also entered: and not only entered, but entered as a forerunner, that is, as if convincing us that we too should enter. For the forerunner goes ahead of someone who follows him, and the distance between the forerunner and those who follow him is not at all great, just as between John and Christ. Therefore, do not be embarrassed: soon we will enter where our forerunner is. But he was not content with saying: forerunner, but added also: “for us,” for greater persuasiveness, as if to say: He Himself did not need to enter there: for why would He need this, when He is God? But just as for our sake He took on flesh, so for our sake He also entered into heaven to open the way for us. Therefore, it is necessary for us to enter ourselves. Or the expression “for us” means: to intercede for us before the Father, just as the high priest entered the Holy of Holies once a year, praying for the people. becoming High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. And this is the greatest consolation; if our High Priest is in heaven, then He is much better than the Jewish high priests, namely: in the method of election, for He is not according to the order of those, but “according to the order of Melchizedek”; both in place and in the tabernacle, for He is on the mountain and in heaven; by covenant, for greater and more perfect goods, and by permanence, for eternal, and not temporary, and, finally, by personality, for He is the Son of God. So don't be discouraged. But all this is said about Christ according to the flesh, for according to the flesh He became the High Priest. “I returned to passion when the thorns hit me.” You might be interested in: