Heb 6:13-20 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for Heb 6:13-20: 6:13-20 This passage focuses on the reliability of God’s faithfulness to his promises. The theme of God’s oath is developed with an illustration (6:13-15 ), followed by a general principle (6:16 ), followed by the main point: God has sworn a significant oath (6:17-18 ), which gives us hope because it shows that Jesus is our permanent High Priest (6:19-20 ). Summary for Heb 6:13-14: 6:13-14 Abraham was the premier exemplar of faith: He continued to believe that God would give him a son, then was willing to sacrifice that son in obedience to God (11:17-19 ; Gen 15:1-5 ; 22:1-14 ). In response to Abraham’s faith, God took an oath, assuring Abraham that he would bless him and multiply his descendants .

Summary for Heb 6:13-20: 6:13-20 ^a This passage focuses on the reliability of God’s faithfulness to his promises. The theme of God’s oath is developed with an illustration (6:13-15 ^b), followed by a general principle (6:16 ^c), followed by the main point: God has sworn a significant oath (6:17-18 ^d), which gives us hope because it shows that Jesus is our permanent High Priest (6:19-20 ^e).
Summary for Heb 6:13-14: 6:13-14 ^f Abraham was the premier exemplar of faith: He continued to believe that God would give him a son, then was willing to sacrifice that son in obedience to God (11:17-19 ^g; Gen 15:1-5 ^h; 22:1-14 ⁱ). In response to Abraham’s faith, God took an oath, assuring Abraham that he would bless him and multiply his descendants.
6:15 ^j what God had promised: Through Isaac, God made Abraham into a great nation (Exod 1:7 ^k).
6:16 ^l It is a general principle in human relationships that when people take an oath, the oath is binding. If in human contexts oaths give assurance that something is true, an oath from God ought to inspire much greater confidence (6:17-19 ^m).

• someone greater than themselves: Cp. 6:13 ⁿ.
Summary for Heb 6:17-18: 6:17-18 ^o God also bound himself with an oath: See 7:20-22 ^p. God’s oath makes it clear that he would never change his mind . . . because it is impossible for God to lie (see Ps 110:4 ^q).

• We have fled to him for refuge, like those in the Old Testament era who killed someone accidentally (Num 35:9-34 ^r; Deut 4:41-43 ^s); Christ is like a city of refuge, where believers escape God’s wrath. Christ’s followers, therefore, have great confidence.
Summary for Heb 6:19-20: 6:19-20 ^t Christian hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. In the first century, an anchor was an image of stability and safety.

• through the curtain: A curtain separated the outer room of the sanctuary, into which only priests could go, from the inner room, the Most Holy Place (Exod 25:10-40 ^u). Only the high priest could go into the Most Holy Place, and only once per year on the Day of Atonement (Exod 29 ^v; Lev 16:1-25 ^w). Because of Jesus’ extraordinary high priesthood, he has already gone in there for us into the presence of God as our eternal High Priest, and he leads us in with him (Heb 10:19-23 ^x).

• the order of Melchizedek: This phrase introduces the discussion in 7:1-28 ^y.

Thematic note: The Resurrection of the Dead
Jesus spoke of a future resurrection of all people—either to eternal life or to judgment (Mark 12:26-27 ^z; John 5:28-29 ^aa; 6:39-40 ^ab, 44 ^ac, 54 ^ad; 11:25-26 ^ae; cp. Luke 20:34-36 ^af). When Christ returns, all his people will be resurrected to be with him forever (1 Thes 4:13-18 ^ag; cp. 2 Cor 5:1-10 ^ah).
This strong hope characterized the outlook of the early Christians. They were able to endure their suffering because their eyes were fixed on what lay beyond this life (2 Cor 4:16-18 ^ai; cp. Heb 12:2 ^aj). They expected Jesus to return and resurrect their bodies, and they looked forward to living with him forever (1 Pet 1:3-6 ^ak, 23 ^al). Their faith was based on the foundation of Jesus’ own bodily resurrection (1 Cor 15:12-20 ^am; Acts 4:33 ^an; see also 2 Cor 4:14 ^ao).
Resurrection bodies will be fundamentally different from the bodies we experience in this life, with all of their limitations and failings. These renewed bodies will be glorious, strong, immortal, and spiritual, like Christ’s own resurrection body (1 Cor 15:35-58 ^ap).
Because they are already joined to Christ, believers actually begin to experience resurrection existence here and now. They have already been “raised” with Christ; they have already been given “resurrection life” (Rom 6:4-11 ^aq; 8:10-11 ^ar; Col 2:12 ^as). As a result, their lives are now centered in the spiritual realities of heaven rather than in worldly things (Col 3:1-4 ^at). Believers can experience the transforming power of that new life here and now, the new life of the Spirit that frees them from the power of sin and death (Rom 8:1-4 ^au). In all the difficulties they face, their trust is not in themselves but in the resurrection power of God (2 Cor 1:9 ^av).

Passages for Further Study
Job 19:25-27 ^aw; Pss 16:10 ^ax; 49:15 ^ay; Dan 12:2-3 ^az; Matt 16:21 ^ba; 28:1-10 ^bb; Mark 12:18-27 ^bc; John 3:13-16 ^bd; 5:25-30 ^be; 6:39-40 ^bf; 11:21-27 ^bg; Acts 2:23-24 ^bh; 3:14-15 ^bi; 4:33 ^bj; 10:39-41 ^bk; 17:2-3 ^bl; 24:15 ^bm; 26:22-23 ^bn; Rom 1:4 ^bo; 4:25 ^bp; 6:4-11 ^bq; 8:10-11 ^br; 1 Cor 15:12-58 ^bs; 2 Cor 1:8-9 ^bt; 4:13-18 ^bu; 5:1-10 ^bv; Eph 1:19-20 ^bw; Col 2:12 ^bx; 3:1-4 ^by; 1 Thes 4:13-18 ^bz; 1 Pet 1:3-6 ^ca, 23 ^cb; Rev 20:11-15 ^cc; 21:1-7 ^cd; 22:1-6 ^ce