Useful Bible Studies > Hebrews Commentary > chapter 6
God had made a plan. He would establish a relationship with those people who, like Abraham, believed him. God had decided that he would never change that plan (Hebrews 6:17). So he did two things that would help those people to believe him:
(1) He made a promise to them. God’s words are always true and his promises are never false. So that promise would never change. God would never disappoint anyone who believed it.
(2) He made an oath. In other words, he declared strongly that he would carry out his promise. His oath would never change. He declared his promise to be as certain as the fact that he is God.
He did these things for Abraham because Abraham’s family would become the people of God. He does these things for Christians because they have become the people of God.
There is a good reason why Christians use the language of rescue. When they trust Christ, they escape the devil’s power (Hebrews 2:14-15). There is no other way that God will save us. There is no other way for us to escape from the punishment for our own evil deeds (Hebrews 2:3; Romans 6:23). God offers us hope because he promises to save us. He asks us to trust him.
But we cannot trust in something that seems uncertain to us. That is why God gives his promises. That is also why he sometimes has used oaths. He wants us to know that we can trust him completely.
He has declared these things strongly so that we can believe strongly in him. The hope that God offers can never disappoint.
Next part: The anchor of hope (Hebrews 6:19)
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© 2014, Keith Simons.