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8th February 2024
SaturdayReflection
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'GotQuestions.org'
'mission: to glorify God and reach people for Christ'
We have this hope
'Hebrews 6 v 19 as an anchor'
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In Hebrews 6:16-20, the biblical writer intends to instil steadfast hope in his readers to keep them from drifting about aimlessly through the Christian life.
He does so by identifying three wholly reliable sources of hope as an anchor for the soul: God's Word, God's character, and God's Son.
The Lord not only gives us the promise of salvation and eternal life, but He reinforces it by binding Himself with an oath "so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that he would never change his mind"
(Hebrews 6:17, NLT).
God's Word and nature are rock solid.
He is trustworthy, and "it is impossible for God to lie".
The dependability of God's promise and His character bolster our faith so that we can "take hold of the hope set before us" and "be greatly encouraged"
(verse 18).
We have this hope as an anchor for our lives.
It is safe and sure, and goes through the curtain of the heavenly temple into the inner sanctuary.
On our behalf Jesus has gone in there before us and has become a high priest forever, in the priestly order of Melchizedek.
..... Hebrews 6 v 19, 20
Our hope-inspired encouragement is based on the finished work of Christ.
As our high priest, Jesus "has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven ...
With his own blood - not the blood of goats and calves - he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever".
Through his life, death, and resurrection, Jesus Christ has won the ultimate victory over sin and death for us. Because of Him, we have the promise of eternal life
The anchor has been a symbol of hope among Christians since the days of the early church.
The anchor metaphor emphasizes the stability and safety of Christ as our hope.
The writer describes this hope as an anchor that is "firm and secure" (NIV),
"sure and steadfast" (ESV),
"strong and trustworthy" (NLT).
A ship's anchor allows the vessel to remain fixed and unmoving regardless of the conditions at sea.
Our faith in Jesus Christ keeps us from becoming "like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind" (James 1:6).
Just as an anchor stops a ship from drifting with the winds and currents, keeping our eyes on the hope of heaven and the "pioneer and perfector of our faith", who is Jesus Christ, will prevent our souls from wavering and wandering in times of pressure and turmoil.
God has "caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials"
(1 Peter 1:3-6, ESV).
As believers, we have "a living hope" and "hope as an anchor" that holds secure because it is tethered to the steadfast Word of God and the unchanging, reliable character of God.
He is faithful, and His promises are true.
One commentator imagines the anchor's rope extending "from heaven's heights back down to earth, where faithful people can 'seize the hope set before us.'
Like rock climbers scaling an imposing height, Christians steady themselves by trusting God's promises, holding on for dear life to this cord of hope".
With Jesus Christ as our anchor, no power of darkness and no earthly opposition can harm us
(Romans 8:31-34).
The hope set before us as an anchor of our soul is that Jesus Christ has already gone before us into the holy of holies where God dwells in glory.
God's Word promises that we will be with Him there one day.
That future reality is already secured by the finished work of Jesus, our High Priest.
He is also our Great Shepherd who "through the blood of the eternal covenant" equips us "with everything good for doing his will" while we are on earth.
This hope as an anchor holds us steady in this life and secure in the future because it is firmly attached to the eternal throne of God.
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This is an edited version.
The full article and Bible references are avaiable on request
'About GotQuestions.org'
Welcome to GotQuestions.org, the flagship website of Got Questions Ministries,
a network of sites with a shared mission: to glorify God and reach people for Christ by providing biblical answers to spiritually related questions.
We are Christian, evangelical, theologically conservative, and nondenominational.
As a parachurch ministry, our purpose is to come alongside the Church,
joining in the Great Commission Jesus entrusted to His followers,
by offering support and answers to those seeking clarity on spiritually related questions.
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