Hebrews 6:18
18 God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged.
that
The “that” shows the purpose of God’s oath. Since God guarantees His promises by an oath, we can be encouraged or consoled. We receive this encouragement by the coming of Christ to pay for sin and provide assets for godly living.
The “that” demonstrates the purpose God had in mind was to give “strong consolation” to believers under duress. He wanted believers to be perfectly clear about His purpose for them; He wanted them to maintain confidence while they waited for His promises to be fulfilled.
by two unchangeable things,
The “two unchangeable things” are (1) God’s promise and (2) His oath that guarantees it. There is no possibility of changing these irrevocable dynamics.
in which it is impossible for God to lie,
Since it is impossible for God to lie, we can count on His truthfulness. His immutable character demands it. It is impossible for God’s Word to be proven false because of its double establishment by a promise and an oath. God is truth itself; therefore, He cannot lie.
We can count on God’s promises.
Since it is impossible for God to lie, both His promise and His oath will come to pass. Because God does not lie or deceive and is all-powerful, we can count on His promises. He cannot violate His own integrity. This is what gave Abraham encouragement and assurance. Solely by His grace and mercy, God promised Abraham that He would bless and multiply his descendants. Though this should have been sufficient for Abraham, God knew doubts would enter his mind. And so, He also swore an oath to Abraham and his heirs in order to confirm His promise. This oath was made out of the sovereign and loving will of God.
God knew that future generations of His people would be tempted to give up on Him because of the persecution they faced or because of the delay of God’s fulfilling His promise. He knew WE would need encouragement to persevere in the midst of such trials and tribulations. God is the personification of truth. His Word can be trusted. We can trust Him because His nature is unchangeable. God’s promise of hope will not deceive those who trust in it. Our blessings will be fully realized. Christian hope is based on an eternal order, not a temporal order. This is the believer’s encouragement.
Encouragement means to be comforted and consoled. This consolation comes from the assurance of faith and our help from God’s promises. This is what relieves our souls of all fears, doubts, and troubles. It either prevents them or is stronger than them. For comfort is the relief for the mind against sorrow and trouble. The immutability of God’s words and oaths relieves us of fears and troubles. It comforts our sorrow and thereby gives us encouragement and incentive to maintain our faith.
These two unchangeable things encourage those of us who have fled for refuge to hold fast the hope set before us. The hope set before us is our final and complete salvation, that is, the renewal of our bodies and all creation.
In this world it can be hard to believe that Christ is going to make all things new. But we can be confident of this renewal because God has given us two unchangeable confirmations of it: His promise and His oath. Remember that God’s faithfulness guarantees that we who have fled for refuge to Christ will be saved.
Be Encouraged and Thankful in the coming season of God’s Promise and Oath!
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