The Christian has a sure hope that holds them fast.
In Hebrews 6, after a warning and another call to perseverance, the author concludes that his original audience would indeed hold fast to their hope and experience final salvation (Heb. 6:9). With this, we find that the Christian’s hope rests more fully on the faithfulness of God than the faithfulness of man.
In a beautiful example, the author references the story of Abraham where God promised His blessing with an oath and fulfilled it. God’s blessing was secured on the basis of two things: God’s vow and God’s promise—and God does not lie (Heb. 6:17-18).
Human beings frequently make and break promises. Oftentimes when people break those promises it is not because they intended to, but simply because of circumstances outside of their control. They were fully committed to fulfilling their word until something prevented them that they could not foresee.
Yet this is not so for God.
Firstly, God’s purpose is immutable, that is He does not change. He keeps His promise. Secondly, we can be encouraged that there is no circumstance outside of God’s control. He is the Creator of all, and He is the Sovereign that upholds the creation even presently. He is all-powerful. Thirdly, God is both alpha and omega, the beginning and the end. He is the eternal God who knows everything that will ever come to pass.
Not only this, but He knows it all so well that He even knows what would happen if things were to go differently in the future (see 1 Sam. 23:6-14), yet He knows what will actually happen before any of it begins to unfold!
As such, the promises of God can be trusted. God never has, nor will He ever break His promise. The testimony of Scripture again and again is that God is both a promise-making and promise-keeping God.
This is wonderful news not only historically but also presently.
The Christian does not merely read stories of God’s promises in a former covenant, but we are today recipients of God’s promise of eternal life (see Titus 1:2). As such, the faithfulness of God has direct bearing upon the modern believer in Jesus Christ just as much as it did for Abraham over 3,000 years ago! He is the same, unchanging, faithful God. He was faithful then. He is faithful now.
This should fill our hearts with hope, a hope that according to the author of Hebrews is like an anchor for our souls:
“We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain” (Heb. 6:19).
This hope in an eternal, unchanging, faithful God reaches into the very heart of heaven. It reaches into the true holy of holies, not merely the earthly picture of the heavenly reality. Our hope reaches unto the abode of God, where our Lord Jesus went before us (Heb. 6:20) and it is a hope that holds us fast, no matter what comes our way.
No trial, no suffering, no problem can shake a hope that is anchored in the immutable God. In His nature He is unchanging, and He will surely fulfill each and every promise He has made to us and bring us one day to His glorious habitation.