Church members gathered for Wednesday service on November 8, continuing in the study of the book of Hebrews. The main passage was in Hebrews 6:9-12, speaking of the security of our salvation in God’s justice.

After giving serious warnings, the author makes sure the Hebrew believers understand that they were given out of sincere love, calling them beloved (ESV) in vs 9 and expressing confidence that they will hold onto their faith till the end and inherit eternal life. We must ask where the author’s confidence comes from, as he just gave us several examples of those who couldn’t enter the rest, grew dull in hearing or fell away beyond repentance. The answer is in verse 10 – the confidence in our salvation is in God’s justice, God’s righteousness, not ours. And God’s righteousness is that Christ died for us while we were still sinners, he died for the ungodly.

Because God is just, he will not forget the good work that he has begun in us and continuously works out in us in our serving one another. However, this doesn’t mean we can sit down and think that everything will be fine. Verse 11 speaks of diligence which is the evidence that we live with hope, and hope looks towards the future and works with patience every day until it secures it. So the assurance of our hope is worked out through our diligence. Hope must be cultivated and become part of our Christian character through diligence and patience.

Verse 12 warns us against becoming lazy, sluggish or as translated in Heb 5:11 dull of hearing in our daily faith. The diligence the author speaks of is not becoming busy bodies focused on works, but being diligent in trusting God in daily life. Faith is holding onto hope, holding onto God’s promises with patience each day. We must be diligent in relying on God in times when we tend to rely on ourselves, and renew our faith daily through the scripture and prayer. We must look at the numerous stories of those who through faith and patience inherited God’s promises and follow their example.