Useful Bible Studies > Hebrews Commentary > chapter 6
At the time of the Bible, the best way to travel long distances was by boat.
Boats are quite safe in good weather. But it is very dangerous to try to travel by boat during a storm.
Of course, a storm may begin during a journey. Then the sailors let down anchors to try to keep the boat in a safe place. The anchors are heavy objects, usually metal. By means of the anchors, the boat links to the solid ground that is under the sea.
That description of an anchor helps us to understand something about the nature of hope for Christians. Our lives often seem uncertain and unsafe, as boats are in a storm. But boats can be safe, even during a storm, if their anchors hold firmly to something solid. And when we link with God, we are safe, even during terrible troubles. We are weak, but he is strong.
The connection between us and God is our hope. We expect him to do good things for us, because we are his people. That fact is enough to make us strong, even during the worst troubles. We may not know how or when he will act. We may not know whether he will rescue us during this life or not. But we know that, in the end, he will not disappoint us. He will take us to our home in heaven, and then our troubles will end. He has prepared a place for us there, where this world’s cruelty cannot hurt us.
Anchors are not always successful. They only reach the surface of the rocks under the sea. But what Jesus did for us is better than that. He has provided our connection to God. And that is not just a surface connection. Our connection reaches right into the most holy place, where God is.
Our connection reaches there because Jesus went there. He went beyond the curtain that separated the most holy place from the rest of the temple (God’s house) – Hebrews 9:12. People could not go there, but there was an exception for the chief priest (Hebrews 9:7). And Jesus is our chief priest.
That is why Christian hope is sure and certain.
Next part: Where Jesus went (Hebrews 6:20)
Please use the links at the top of the page to find our other articles in this series. You can download all our articles if you go to the download page for our free 450 page course book.
© 2014, Keith Simons.