Hebrews 6:16  For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife.
17  Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:
18  That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:
19  Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;
20  Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

Two words of significance are used here in v.16. The word “swear” means “to affirm, promise, threaten,” with an oath. It is a solemn promise that is made guaranteeing to fulfill the promise being made. Boaz had made a solemn promise to Ruth and certified that promise with two measures of barley. Later, the kinsmen that was nearer to Naomi than Boaz removed his sandal and gave it to Boaz. This was a solemn promise that this deal was completed and could not be changed.
The word “oath” refers to “that which is being pledged or promised”. God tells us that men confirm their words with an oath. The oath needs to be something worthy, something of greater value than the one who is making the oath.
In verse 17 God did not make His promise to Abraham by promising a mountain, or some trees. He made His promise upon His holy name. God’s plan here was to show Abraham and his descendants that God does not go back on His Word. A promise made by God is a sure Word. God was making this argument as a sure hope for Abraham and his descendants. He is using that same example here to show those who read this letter that there is no reason to doubt what God has said. As we have noted already, the problem is with man’s lack of patience, not with God’s inability to do as He says.
You may recall that while Jesus hung on the cross, the Jews mocked Him and taunted Him to come off that cross to prove that His promise to rebuild the Temple in three days was sure.
The promise that Jesus made was sure. It was not conditional on those foolish people and their ungodly demands. They would soon see that Jesus had been true to His every Word. They were under God’s wrath because they rejected His Word and he proved His Word to be true.
Today we are seeing our governments mocking God by claiming that the Biblical teaching on God’s creation of man is mythology. God has already declared that He created them “male and female”. That is not mythology. That is Biblical fact and the entire parliament should be in fear and trembling for defying the living God not just verbally, but on record as well. Future governments will read bill C4 and will be reminded that the parliament of Canada decided that God’s Word is mythology if man does not like it.
Talk about the height of foolishness and the depths of wickedness. Canada is already under God’s judgment and they have just invited greater judgment from Him. Those that are saved need to draw nigh to God because the road forward is going to become much more bumpy for us unless the Lord returns soon. God’s enemies have proven themselves to be far too foolish to humble themselves in repentance toward God and trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation.
In verse 18, God reminds us that these two immutable things, the oath and the promise are sure because God cannot lie. Those who have fled to God for refuge are absolutely safe. Our freedoms on this earth my be threatened. Our well being on earth may be threatened. However, man cannot touch the soul. It is the lost who should be trembling. They will at the great white throne judgment.
Those who are saved have a sure hope set before them. Paul could speak with confidence before Timothy in II Timothy 4 because he knew that even though he was living under the threat of death at the hands of wicked Nero, he knew where he was going. He knew there was a sure reward for Him. Nero was the loser.
In verse 19 we see that this hope is an anchor. It is an unmovable hope! God has not changed His promise of salvation since it was first revealed in Genesis 3:15. Millions of people have scoffed at and rejected that promise over the centuries. That has not changed the hope for a moment. God has not changed it because people do not like it. God is right. Man is often wrong.
Jesus Christ went into the holiest in heaven and presented His blood on the mercy seat in heaven, after His death. He presented that blood before His Father as the propitiation for the sins of man. His was that final presentation. No further animal sacrifices would be made. The veil of the Temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. Jesus Christ had opened the way for all people to be forgiven and saved. That promise applied to Abel as well as to all those who would trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation.
In verse 20 God takes us back to where He left off in chapter 5:11. Jesus Christ is that Priest after the order of Melchisedec that is different than the Old Testament priesthood. God will continue to develop this in the next chapter. Those who are saved are encouraged to trust in God’s sure Word with their souls. God cannot lie. We do not see Heaven at the moment of salvation. We know that It is real and we know our sins are forgiven when we turn to God in repentance and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ alone for salvation.
That fact has been debated and twisted over the centuries by the lost, but the saved know it to be truth. Paul, who was once a blasphemer, was gloriously saved by Jesus Christ. His was not an imaginary salvation. It was real and it was evident by the change that God wrought in his heart and life. That is still true for all who are saved today. We do not need to dumb down God’s Word to try to fit those who do not want His salvation, but want to be called “Christians.” We do them no favours by accepting their lies. We help them by pointing them to the truth.
Pastor Bartel