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Let Us Go On By Arlen L. Chitwood www.lampbroadcast.org
Chapter Eight Inheriting the Promises
That you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself,
saying, “Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.”
And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.
For men indeed swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is for them an end of all dispute.
Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath,
that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.
This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil,
where the Forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. (Hebrews 6:12-20)
Jesus Christ is God’s appointed “heir of all things,” and the ages (not only time but all that exists within time [cf. John 1:3]) have been brought into existence in connection with the Son’s activity as God’s appointed “heir of all things” within these ages (Hebrews 1:2).
This is the manner in which the book of Hebrews begins, which sets the tone for the entire epistle.
The Son is at the center of everything in Scripture, beginning with Genesis 1:1; all of the Old Testament is about Him (Luke 24:25-27, 44; John 5:39, 45-47); He is the Word, which is God, made flesh (John 1:1, 2, 14); and His heirship is central to all things that Scripture reveals about the Son, beginning at the same point in Genesis (cf. Psalm 8:1-9; 1 Corinthians 15:45-50; Hebrews 1:4-13).
Man was created for a purpose, which was revealed at the time of his creation (Genesis 1:26-28). He was created to “have dominion.” And man being created to have dominion has its basis in God having previously appointed His Son, “heir of all things.”
Man lost his right to exercise dominion through the action of the first man, the first Adam. Man, through Adam’s action, found himself in a fallen state, necessitating redemption.
Then the second Man, the last Adam, subsequently paid redemption’s price through and by His finished work at Calvary; and man, through redemption, once again finds himself back in a position wherein he can one day realize the purpose for his creation.
The second Man, the last Adam, will realize His appointed position as “heir of all things” through and by exercising dominion over all of God’s creation (as it pertains to the earth). And He, along with numerous redeemed co-heirs, will exercise this dominion for 1,000 years, for the duration of the coming Messianic Era.
Thus, in the preceding sense, the central subject of Scripture is not really redemption per se but that which redemption makes possible, with the One who paid redemption’s price seen at the center of all that redemption makes possible.
Redemption entered the picture in Genesis after man found himself in a position wherein he could no longer realize the purpose for his creation, with redemption centering on bringing man back into the position where he could one day realize this purpose (Genesis 3:15, 21-24; cf. vv. 1-13). And redemption enters the picture today — or at any point in history — for exactly the same purpose that it did 6,000 years ago.
Unredeemed man is alienated from God and in no position to ever take the scepter; he is in no position to ever realize the purpose for his creation. He must first be redeemed. Then, the purpose for man’s redemption, going back to the purpose for his creation, can one day be realized.
Thus, whether dealing with man’s creation, his fall, or provided redemption following the fall, the same central purpose is always present; and that purpose has to do with man ultimately exercising dominion:
1) Man was created to exercise dominion.
2) Satan brought about his fall to prevent him from exercising dominion.
3) And redemption has been provided so man can be brought back into the position wherein he can one day exercise dominion, realizing the purpose for his creation in the beginning.
The thought of man exercising dominion both precedes and follows redemption at any point in Scripture. It must, for this is the way matters are introduced in Genesis, establishing an unchangeable pattern.
It is as outlined in the opening part of the book of Hebrews. This book, as previously stated, opens by calling attention to the fact that the Son has been appointed “heir of all things” (1:2).
Then reference is made to His redemptive work and His present position at God’s right hand (v. 3). And following this, the Spirit of God provides seven Messianic quotations from the Old Testament, pointing to that day when the appointed Heir will come into possession of His inheritance (vv. 5-13). The order is exactly as seen in the opening three chapters of Genesis.
Hebrews begins by centering on the Son after this fashion. But, again, redemption provided by the Son is for a purpose; and that purpose begins to be unfolded in the book immediately following the seven Messianic quotations by calling attention to the central purpose for the entire present dispensation.
And that purpose is singular:
The central purpose for the entire dispensation, in complete keeping with all things revealed in the Old Testament about the Son, is to acquire the co-heirs who will occupy the throne with the “heir of all things” during the coming day of His power (Hebrews 1:14ff; cf. Romans 8:17).
The second Man, the last Adam, has provided redemption so that fallen man (descending from the first man, the first Adam) can be brought back into the position for which he was created. Thus, redemption is not an end in itself. Rather redemption is a means to an end. The end is “heirship,” and redemption places the person in a position wherein he can one day come into a realization of this heirship.
It is as in the type of beginning in Exodus chapter twelve. The death of the firstborn in Egypt was not an end in itself. That which occurred on the night of the Passover in Egypt was a means to an end. But the death of the firstborn had to occur first. The end of the matter revolved around an “inheritance” that lay in a land removed from Egypt, set before those passing through events surrounding the Passover.
And that is exactly what the book of Hebrews is about in a type-antitype structure. It is about man, who has been redeemed, for a revealed purpose. It is about redeemed man one day inheriting with the Son in a land removed from this earth. It is about redeemed man coming into possession of “so great salvation” in that coming “seventh day” — the seventh millennium — first spoken of in Genesis 2:2, 3 (Hebrews 1:14-2:5; 4:4-9).
(See the author’s book, From Egypt to Canaan, for a more comprehensive treatment of the preceding.)
God has set aside an entire dispensation lasting two millennia, during which He is calling out the co-heirs who will inherit with His Son during that coming day when the Son exercises dominion. And these co-heirs are being called out from among the redeemed.
Thus, in this respect, the central subject of Hebrews revolves around matters beyond redemption. The central subject of the book revolves around God’s dealings with the saved relative to an inheritance in a land set before them. It revolves around redeemed man being brought into the position for which man was originally created.
An original type involving saved man in Hebrews can be seen in the account involving Eve in Genesis chapter two. Viewing the antitype, this chapter in Genesis presents Christ’s co-heirs from Hebrews occupying the position of consort queen, typified by Eve.
Christ is the second Man, the last Adam, typified by the first man, the first Adam (Romans 5:14). The redeemed of the present dispensation form His body (Colossians 1:18); and as Eve was removed from Adam’s body to reign as consort queen with him (“let them have dominion” [both the male and the female; Genesis 1:26, 27]) so will the bride of Christ be removed from Christ’s body to reign as consort queen with Him.
Then in a subsequent type, the central mission of the Holy Spirit to the earth during the present dispensation is seen to center — not around redemption per se — but around the purpose for redemption. According to Genesis chapter twenty-four, the central mission of the Holy Spirit in the world today is to acquire a bride for God’s Son.
In Genesis chapter twenty-three the wife of Jehovah is seen set aside following Calvary (seen through events surrounding the death of Sarah, which follows the offering of Isaac [chapters 22]).
Then in chapter twenty-five Israel is seen restored through Abraham’s remarriage when he took Keturah as his wife. And between Sarah’s death (chapters 23) and Abraham’s remarriage (chapters 25), there is an entire chapter (sixty-seven verses) detailing events that occur between these two times — times that foreshadow God’s past and future dealings with Israel.
Events in chapter twenty-four have to do with one central subject — Abraham’s servant sent into the far country to acquire a bride for Abraham’s son, Isaac. And the bride was to be acquired only from within Abraham’s family (vv. 3, 4).
Matters surrounding redemption, allowing unsaved man to become a member of the family, occur, in the type, back in chapter twenty-two (the offering of Isaac); and the whole of that dealt with in chapter twenty-four pertains to matters occurring within the family, foreshadowing matters occurring among the saved. Events in this chapter pertain to matters subsequent to and separate from redemption.
(More specifically, viewing the type and antitype together, the basis for redemption occurs through the Father offering the Son in chapter 22 [typifying events surrounding Calvary], with redemption itself occurring throughout the time depicted by events in chapter twenty-four [events throughout the present dispensation].
But, the fact remains, events in chapter twenty-four do not deal with redemption per se. Events in this chapter deal with family members [typifying those already saved] and the search for the bride. And events in this chapter occur between Israel being set aside and Israel’s future restoration, which is where events during the present dispensation occur.)
The Holy Spirit, in the antitype of Abraham’s servant, is in the world today; and His primary mission revolves around calling out a bride for God’s Son. Redemption must occur first. The Spirit, on a separate and initial aspect of His work, must first breathe life into an individual, allowing that individual to pass from “from death to life”; and this places the individual within the company of the saved, within the company of those among whom the Spirit is presently conducting His search for the bride.
The redemptive work of the Spirit in this respect is fundamental and primary. But there is a purpose for redemption, and the realization of that purpose has to do with the Spirit’s work surrounding the acquisition of a bride for God’s Son during the present dispensation, with a view to the Son’s reign during the coming dispensation.
And, in this respect, the bride of Christ — in perfect accord with Eve being removed from Adam’s body (Genesis 2) or Rebekah being removed from the family of Abraham (Genesis 24) — is to be acquired from the family of God. That is, the bride is to be called out from among the saved.
And events foreshadowed by those in Genesis chapters two and twenty-four, rather than events foreshadowed by those in Genesis chapter twenty-two, is where one finds himself in the book of Hebrews. This book deals with the Holy Spirit calling out a bride for God’s Son, offering to redeemed man the privilege and opportunity to one day participate in activities surrounding the bride.
This book centers on a salvation out ahead, a rest, an inheritance. The book of Hebrews is about Christians one day entering into positions with the Son as co-heirs, comprising the Son’s bride, the one who will reign as consort queen in the antitype of Eve or Rebekah.
Through Faith and Patience
Accordingly, Scripture clearly reveals, in numerous places, that a future position with God’s Son as co-heir is not something that a person automatically enters into on the basis of his position “in Christ.” Rather, a Christian’s present actions will determine his future position in this respect (Romans 8:17).
The matter is probably stated in Hebrews 6:12 in the simplest terms to be found anyplace in Scripture. This verse reveals two things that must be present in a Christian’s life in order for him to have a part in God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 22:17, 18 — “faith and patience [‘patient endurance’].” These two indispensables — two things that really encompass everything else — point to the Christian exercising “faith” throughout the pilgrim walk (Romans 1:17) as he “patiently endures” under all the various trials and testing that come his way (James 1:2-4).
But though the matter is stated in what would be considered a relatively simple manner, the journey along the route leading to the goal is far from simple or easy. To the contrary, it is difficult and hard. The pilgrim path is strewn with pitfalls all along the way. Nothing throughout the pilgrim walk really comes easy.
Nor are things intended to come easy. That’s not the way God arranged matters.
Something of incalculable value — the greatest thing God has ever designed for redeemed man — is being offered to man through the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the world today; and man, because of the onslaught of Satan, has been called upon to fight, to struggle.
The bride, in the final analysis, will be made up of those interested enough in that which is being offered to pay the price.
And a central crux of the matter involves the knowledge and resulting action of the enemy — the present world rulers (Satan and his angels) in heavenly places. Christ with His co-heirs will one day replace Satan and those ruling under him. Satan and his angels know this (Ephesians 3:9-11), the warfare rages (Ephesians 6:11ff), and the enemy will do everything within his power to prevent Christians from achieving victory in the present race of the faith.
But, on the other side of the picture, Christians have “an Advocate [Greek: parakletos, ‘One called alongside to help’] with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1) and a “Forerunner” presently seated at God’s right hand (Psalm 110:1; Hebrews 6:20). And our “Forerunner” is the “Author [‘source’] of eternal salvation [‘age-lasting salvation’ — referring to the saving of the soul in relation to the 1,000-year Messianic Era] to all them that obey Him” (Hebrews 5:9).
There are numerous, unending problems strewn all along the route; but that which God deems of incalculable value is shown — numerous, different ways — to be worth every effort Christians can possibly expend. Christians are to keep their eyes fixed on the goal, casting all their care upon Him, committing their way to the Lord and relying upon Him to bring matters to pass and to see them safely through (cf. Psalm 37:5; Hebrews 12:1, 2; 1 Peter 5:7).
Christians are to “count it all joy” when falling into various trials and testing, knowing that “the trying” of their faith “works patience [‘patient endurance’]”; and they are to faithfully endure under the various trials and testing after this fashion in order that the Holy Spirit can progressively perform a work in their lives (the metamorphosis of Romans 12:2) which will, in the end, result in their being “perfect [‘mature’] and entire [‘complete’], wanting nothing [‘lacking nothing’]” (James 1:2-4).
And, governing their pilgrim walk after the instructed fashion, “through faith and patience [‘patient endurance’]” Christians will one day “inherit the promises.”
1) Original Promises to Abraham
The example that the Spirit of God provides at this point in Hebrews, to illustrate “faith and patience” in relation to one’s calling, is that of Abraham. Abraham was called out of one land in order to realize an inheritance in another land. He was called from Ur of the Chaldees to realize an inheritance in the land of Canaan.
While still in Ur, God commanded and promised Abraham:
Now the LORD had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you.
I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:1-3)
Then, after Abraham had departed Ur and was in the land of Canaan, following several experiences, God said to him:
And the LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: “Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are -- northward, southward, eastward, and westward;
for all the land that you see I give to you and your descendants forever.
And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered.
Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you.” (Genesis 13:14-17)
Then beyond that, the Lord reaffirmed these words to Abraham by making an unconditional, everlasting covenant with him:
On the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying: “To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates --
the Kenites, the Kenezzites, the Kadmonites,
the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim,
the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.” (Genesis 15:18-21)
Placing the preceding in perspective, the seed of Abraham (through Isaac and Jacob [Genesis 17:19, 21; 21:12; 25:23; 26:3, 4; 27:37; 28:13, 14]) was to be multiplied in an innumerable manner and dwell as a separate, distinct nation in the land to which Abraham had been called. And, with the seed of Abraham in this land, God would bring matters to pass after such a fashion that all the other nations of the earth (all the Gentile nations) would be blessed through the nation emanating from the loins of Abraham through Isaac and Jacob.
2) Subsequent Promises to Abraham
The preceding outlines God’s promises concerning a seed and a land, along with God’s purpose, given to Abraham at the beginning of and at different times during his pilgrim journey. The reference in Hebrews though is to God’s promise to Abraham at a later point in time (“after he had patiently endured” [6:15; cf. vv. 13, 14]), moving the matter beyond the preceding promises. The reference is to God’s promise recorded in Genesis chapter twenty-two, immediately following the account of Abraham offering his son on a mount in the land of Moriah (vv. 1-14; cf. Hebrews 11:17-19), some five or six decades after God’s original promises to Abraham in Ur.
At this time God said unto Abraham:
. . . “By Myself I have sworn, says the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son --
blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies.
In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” (Genesis 22:16-18)
The previous promises given to Abraham — at the beginning of and at different times during his pilgrim walk (at the beginning of and at different times during the long period of “faith and patience”) — were, as previously stated, unconditional in nature. But now a conditional aspect of the matter comes into view. The nations would be blessed through Abraham’s seed, from both heavenly and earthly spheres, because Abraham had obeyed God’s voice.
Thus, though the land was given to Abraham and his seed through an unconditional covenant, the people of Israel dwelling in the land, with God’s blessings flowing through the Jewish people out to the Gentiles nations of the earth, was conditional — something clearly seen in the covenant made with Israel at Sinai, which, as all covenants following the Abrahamic covenant, was based on and had to do with this initial covenant.
God, at this time, told the Jewish people, through Moses:
Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine.
And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the children of Israel.” (Exodus 19:5, 6)
Then, the book of Hebrews, reiterating the subsequent experiences of the unfaithful generation under Moses, states exactly the same thing relative to Christians concerning promises and blessings being of the same conditional nature as they pertain to their heavenly calling:
And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? (Hebrews 3:18)
So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief [unfaithfulness].
Let us [Christians under Christ] therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.
For to us was the gospel preached, as well as to them [the good news concerning the land, not the good news concerning salvation by grace]: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith by them that heard it” (Hebrews 3:18-4:2).
In the covenant that God made with Abraham in Genesis chapter fifteen (vv. 8-21), animals were slain, with God alone passing between the slain animals. This was an Eastern way of saying that I would have to be as one of these slain animals if this covenant is ever broken.
Then, in Genesis chapter twenty-two, another element is added to the matter. In connection with that which God promised Abraham, before reiterating the matter in this passage, God swore by Himself (for there was none greater by whom He could swear) that His promises to Abraham would be brought to pass (vv. 16-18).
These promises would be brought to pass at the same time Christ exercised the Melchizedek priesthood, typified in Genesis 14:18, 19 (cf. Hebrews 6:20). And in this respect, note that which the Father said to the Son in Psalm 110:4:
The LORD has sworn [by Himself], and will not relent [He will not change His mind], “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”
Though a conditional element enters into the matter — faithfulness, obedience — the promises are based on that which is unconditional. And the whole of the matter is affirmed in this respect by God swearing by Himself, for there was none greater by whom He could sware.
The Hope Set Before Us
Insofar as Abraham having both a heavenly seed and an earthly seed that would one day rule over the Gentile nations and through whom the Gentile nations would be blessed, the matter is as certain as the veracity of God’s oath. God has sworn by Himself concerning the matter.
Israel, Abraham’s earthly seed through natural, lineal descent from Isaac and Jacob, will one day dwell in the land of Canaan at the head of the nations, with Christ seated on David’s throne in their midst. And not only will Israel rule the nations after this fashion but the nations will be blessed through Christ and Israel.
And the Church, Abraham’s heavenly seed by positionally being “in Christ” (Galatians 3:16, 28, 29), will one day dwell in a heavenly land at the head of the nations. The Church will occupy the position of consort queen, seated on the throne with Christ (Christ actually will have a dual reign — seated on David’s throne in the earthly Jerusalem and on His own throne in the heavenly Jerusalem. The Church though will reign as consort queen with Him only from His own throne in the heavens, not from David’s throne on the earth). And not only will the Church rule the nations after this fashion — as co-heir with Christ — but the nations will be blessed through Christ and the Church.
Both Israel and the Church possess a hope, and that hope is in relation to the calling of each. For Israel, it is earthly and has its basis in Genesis 22:16-18; and for the Church, it is heavenly and has its basis at the same point in Scripture.
1) Israel’s Hope
The hope of Israel is mentioned in Acts 28:20. Paul was in Rome, imprisoned and bound by a chain, “for the hope of Israel.” And that hope is explained in Acts 26:6, 7. It has to do with “the promise made by God to our fathers,” and it is connected with Israel’s future “resurrection” (Acts 23:6; 24:15). That is, “the hope of Israel” revolves around the promises given to Abraham and reiterated to Isaac and Jacob being realized following the resurrection of Old Testament saints at Christ’s coming.
And Israel is not going to realize this hope apart from the two indispensables — “faith and patience [‘patient endurance’].” Israel is going to have to pass through “the time of Jacob’s trouble,” a time of trouble “such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Jeremiah 30:7-9; Matthew 24:21).
Israel, during this time, will be brought into a position wherein the nation will be forced to cry out to the God of their fathers. They will actually be forced into a position of faith (belief) in God; and when Christ returns and the Jewish people look upon their Messiah, the nation will then believe in Him. A nation, at that time — through belief — will be brought forth “in one day,” born “at once” (cf. Exodus 2:23-25; 3:7, 8; Isaiah 66:8; Hosea 5:13-6:2; Joel 2:1-27; Jonah 2:1-10; Zechariah 12:10-13:1; 14:1-9).
2) The Christians’ Hope
The text relative to “hope” in Hebrews chapter six (v. 18) though does not concern Israel. Rather, it concerns Christians alone — “. . . the hope set before us” — with Israel being in view within the larger scope of the promise as given to Abraham (vv. 14, 15).
(Actually, Israel alone was in view within the original scope of the promise. The lineal descendants of Abraham through Isaac and Jacob were made the repository for both heavenly and earthly promises.
But the heavenly aspect of the promised rulership and blessings was later offered to, rejected by, and taken from Israel at a time when the kingdom of the heavens was “at hand” [Matthew 3:1, 2; 4:17; 10:5-7; 12:22-32; 21:43].
Then the one new man “in Christ” was called into existence to be the recipient of that which Israel had rejected [Matthew 16:18; Galatians 3:28, 29; Ephesians 2:12-15; Hebrews 3:1; 1 Peter 2:9-11].)
The Christians’ hope, with its basis found the same place as Israel’s — within God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 22:17, 18 — is referred to numerous places in the New Testament; and different aspects of this hope are shown through the different references.
In Ephesians this “hope” has to do with an inheritance (1:11-18); in Colossians it has to do with the coming glory of Christ (1:5, 23, 27); in 1 Thessalonians it has to do with a future salvation (5:8); in Titus it has to do with an inheritance and life in the coming age (1:2; 2:12, 13; 3:7); in 1 Peter it has to do with an inheritance, the salvation of one’s soul, and participation in Christ’s coming glory (1:3-9; 3:14, 15; 4:12, 13); and in 1 John it has to do with being unashamed and like Christ when Christians see Him “as He is” at the judgment seat (2:28-3:3).
Hebrews, accordingly, should be no different; and that is exactly the case. The “hope,” in this epistle, is something set before Christians, which is associated with God’s promise to Abraham, an inheritance, and the saving of the soul (6:13-19; 10:36-39).
The “confidence and the rejoicing of the hope” is to be held by Christians in an unwavering, steadfast manner (3:6; 10:23); and Christians are exhorted to assemble together for the specified purpose of discussing this hope and being a help to one another in things related to this hope (10:23-25 [in v. 23, “profession of our faith” in the KJV should literally be translated “confession of the hope”]).
An Anchor of the Soul
This hope is presented as “an anchor of the soul” (Hebrews 6:19). It is an anchor “both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil [i.e., beyond the veil, inside the Holy of Holies].” And Christ, beyond the veil, is presented as “the forerunner . . . for us” (the One who has gone ahead on our behalf). He is presently acting as High Priest on our behalf, anticipating the coming day of His power; and He, as High Priest beyond the veil, is providing a present cleansing for the “kings and priests” (Revelation 5:10) who will ascend the throne with Him during that coming day.
Note how the preceding is reflected at the end of Hebrews chapter six:
where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever [“with respect to the age,” the coming Messianic Era] according to the order of Melchizedek. (v. 20)
The Christians’ hope is not only firmly anchored on the person of Christ beyond the veil, but it is anchored upon Christ as He will appear in that coming day — as the great King-Priest, “according to the order of Melchizedek.” It is a present hope that looks to a future day for its realization, and it has to do with the saving of the soul.
This is why, within the capstone of the book, Christians are exhorted to keep their eyes fixed upon Jesus (Hebrews 12:1, 2). Christians are exhorted to keep their eyes fixed on the One beyond the veil, where the anchor of their soul lies; and, in this manner, they are to faithfully run with patient endurance “the race” set before them.
The summation of the matter surrounding “faith and patience [‘patient endurance’]” is possibly best stated in the words concluding the fourth major warning in Hebrews, introducing chapter eleven in the book, the great chapter on “faith”:
For you have need of endurance [‘patient endurance’], so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise:
For yet a little while, and He who is coming will come and will not tarry.
Now the just shall live by faith; but if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.
But we are not of those who draw back to perdition [‘destruction,’ ‘ruin’]; but of those who believe to the saving of the soul. [lit., “of faith with respect to a saving of the soul”] (Hebrews 10:36-39).
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