Hebrews 6:17-20
The LORD does not need confirmation of the reliability of His own Word but we do and so our Great God and Saviour establishes for us that His Word is unchanging, "Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:"
"His Word needs no confirmation but our faith does. "In his gracious understanding of man's need for evidence that cannot be refuted, God makes it doubly convincing. The unchangeable character of the Creator has already been stressed in chapter 1, and now the focus falls on the unchangeable character of his purpose. This is a further development, concentrating particularly on the mind of God. The word 'unchangeable' (ametathetos) is used only here (and in verse 18) in the New Testament." Guthrie, D. (1983). Hebrews: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 15, p. 155). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
To whom is He speaking? He is addressing the one who has believed on Him for eternal life/the saved/ones who have been born from above = "the heirs of promise" Just to stay with our text, "…the heirs of promise…" are the people who have fled to Christ for refuge. "…..who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:" What is set before us as believers? It is our life – the race is set before us – and we are told to run with patience that race. Php 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
"Strong Consolation" means strong encouragement. He is encouraging the believer in Him to lay hold, to take charge, 1Ti 6:12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.
Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
What is a forerunner?, In the days of the Sailboats, the time of Biblical events, the forerunner was the little rowboat that took the anchor into the harbor and anchored it in a safe place. The harbor was too dangerous for the big Sail Boat. Once the anchor was set in the safe place they began to bring in the big ship. There was a capstan, a wench, and they began to haul in the ship but they had to keep the line tight. Why? To keep the ship from wrecking on the rocks, and being tossed around by the wind.
This verse says that Jesus is our forerunner, "….Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. Jesus is not only the forerunner that carried the anchor He is also the anchor. So Jesus took us and anchored us into heaven itself, the very presence of God. Heb 9:12 " Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us". Here we are on earth with the anchor of the Holy Spirit and there in heaven is Christ our anchor.
Christ is our anchor and He is there within the veil (in the presence of God for us, 6:19. He indwells us Eph. 1:13-14 and He is our advocate, 1 John 2:1-2 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world
The line, the chain from the anchors represent our life, Heb 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. The hope set before us is to finish the race well pleasing unto the LORD. Keep the tension tight on the line for you can be tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine. – You can shipwreck your life, 1Ti 1:19 Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck: It is important that you keep the tension on the line for someday you will stand before Him to give an account of your life. 2 Cor. 5:10. Keep your mind on the LORD and your eye on the prize.
When you were saved you believed in a person, Christ, therefore, He is your anchor and He went within the veil and He is there within the veil for you now. You have Christ living in you (John 14:16, Eph. 1:14) and you have Him with the Father, (1 John 1:2). And also because of Him, we are allowed there. Under the old Levitical high priest, the people were not allowed in but He has opened the way for us. A new and living way, see Heb.10:19-20 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;
So what does that mean to us as we live our life unto Him? Heb.4:14-16. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
"Jesus our forerunner"
Hebrews 6:17-20
The LORD does not need confirmation of the reliability of His Word but we do and so our Great God and Saviour establishes for us that His Word is unchanging, "Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:"
"His Word needs no confirmation but our faith does. "In his gracious understanding of man's need for evidence that cannot be refuted, God makes it doubly convincing. The unchangeable character of the Creator has already been stressed in chapter 1, and now the focus falls on the unchangeable character of his purpose. This is a further development, concentrating particularly on the mind of God. The word 'unchangeable' (ametathetos) is used only here (and in verse 18) in the New Testament." Guthrie, D. (1983). Hebrews: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 15, p. 155). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
To whom is He speaking? He is addressing the one who has believed on Him for eternal life/the saved/ones who have been born from above = "the heirs of promise" Just to stay with our text, "…the heirs of promise…" are the people who have fled to Christ for refuge. "…..who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:" What is set before us as believers? It is our life – the race is set before us – and we are told to run with patience that race. Php 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
"Strong Consolation" means strong encouragement. He is encouraging the believer in Him to lay hold, to take charge, 1Ti 6:12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.
Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
What is a forerunner?, In the days of the Sailboats, the time of Biblical events, the forerunner was the little rowboat that took the anchor into the harbor and anchored it in a safe place. The harbor was too dangerous for the big Sail Boat. Once the anchor was set in the safe place they began to bring in the big ship. There was a capstan, a wench, and they began to haul in the ship but they had to keep the line tight. Why? To keep the ship from wrecking on the rocks, and being tossed around by the wind.
This verse says that Jesus is our forerunner, "….Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. Jesus is not only the forerunner that carried the anchor He is also the anchor. So Jesus took us and anchored us into heaven itself, the very presence of God. Here we are on earth with the anchor of the Holy Spirit and there in heaven is the anchor of Christ.
Christ is our anchor and He is there within the veil (in the presence of God for us, 6:19. He indwells us Eph. 1:13-14 and He is our advocate, 1 John 2:1-2 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world
The line, the chain from the anchors represent our life, Heb 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. The hope set before us is to finish the race well pleasing unto the LORD. Keep the tension tight on the line for you can be tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine. – You can shipwreck your life, 1Ti 1:19 Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck: It is important that you keep the tension on the line for someday you will stand before Him to give an account of your life. 2 Cor. 5:10. Keep your mind on the LORD and your eye on the prize.
When you were saved you believed in a person, Christ, therefore, He is your anchor and He went within the veil and He is there within the veil for you now. You have Christ living in you (John 14:16, Eph. 1:14) and you have Him with the Father, (1 John 1:2). And also because of Him, we are allowed there. Under the old Levitical high priest, the people were not allowed in but He has opened the way for us. A new and living way, see Heb.10:19-20 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;
So what does that mean to us as we live our life unto Him? Heb.4:14-16. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
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