Heb. 6:10. And the labor of love which you have shown toward His name, having ministered and continuing to minister to the saints.
He gives an important testimony about them, pointing not only to their deeds, but also to their deeds done with zeal. For to serve is a sign of zeal. He speaks of the love and mercy which they showed not merely to their brethren, but in the name of God. See what the greatest consolation is: that we do things not for people, but for God, as Christ also says in the Gospel: "you did it to Me" (Matt. 25:40). For whoever cares for the unrighteous for the sake of God's name does it for God. "The saints," that is, the faithful. For every believer is holy, even if he be a layperson. "For the unbelieving husband," he says, "is sanctified by the believing wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the believing husband" (1 Cor. 7:14). Thus, faith here produces sanctification. Therefore, let us be attentive not only to monastics as to saints, but also to laypeople: the former, of course, are holy both in faith and in life, but laypeople too are holy in faith, and many also in life. See how he comforts them. For having said "having served," he did not stop, but added "and serving," that is, even now you are doing the same thing.
Heb. 6:11. But we desire that each one of you show the same diligence for the full assurance of hope until the end,
As if in response to someone's question: "Why did you say this, Paul, if you did not wish to punish us?" — he says that he said this desiring that you would conduct yourselves well in the future also; not condemning you for the past, but being concerned about the future. And he did not say "I want," which would indicate a teacher's authority, but "I desire," which is characteristic of fatherly love. For I do not desire this merely in words, but my soul burns for you. Understand the expression "I desire" in this way. And not simply for you collectively, but for each one individually: so he cared for all, both small and great, and knew them all. That they might show "full assurance of hope," that is, that they might display complete and perfect hope and not be troubled. See how he does not strike directly and does not say: you have despaired and have not yet come to your senses, but speaks as if to say: I want you to always be diligent, and to be in the future what you are now.
Heb. 6:12. that you may not become sluggish,
And this is for their consolation: for he refers this to the future time. And although above he said: "because you have become dull of hearing" (Heb. 5:11): for up to this point he was indicating the dullness of hearing; but now, he says, I am taking care beforehand that this dullness not touch your soul. For just as inactivity and immobility harm the body, so also the lack of exercise in good deeds makes the soul too negligent.
Heb. 6:12. But imitated those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
Above he reminded them of the virtues they formerly possessed, setting before them an example from their own deeds. Now he leads them up to the patriarch Abraham. Lest they think that, as unworthy of any word, they have been forgotten and abandoned by God, he points out that living a life amid trials is the lot of especially illustrious men, and that God dealt in this way with great men. For if He had immediately given what He promised, their faith could not have been revealed; but now He delays the fulfillment so that through patience their faith might be made manifest. For faith in the One who promised becomes evident when someone, not receiving what was promised for a long time, nevertheless believes that he will receive it and does not despair. Therefore I express these reproaches to you in order to restore you and so that you might "imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises." And who these men are, he explains further. But notice how he placed faith first, then patience, because patience proceeds from faith. For whoever does not believe that the One who promised will assuredly give, that person will not be patient either.
Heb. 6:13. God, making a promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, swore by Himself,
Heb. 6:14. saying: Surely blessing I will bless you and multiplying I will multiply you. (Cf. Gen. 22:16–17)
Since there were many who inherited the promises by faith, he has for now passed over all the rest, leaving them for later, and recalls only Abraham, both because of the importance of his person, and especially because he both was deemed worthy of and received the promise. And by this he also shows that one must not give in to faintheartedness, but hope in God, Who customarily does not fulfill a promise quickly, but after a long time. And when did God "swear by Himself"? Either in the very words in which He says: "I have sworn by Myself." Or perhaps someone might say that in the word "truly" is contained God's oath by Himself; for "truly" means "in truth." This is nothing other than an affirmation of truth; but who can truth be other than God? So too the Lord in the Gospel, saying: "Truly, truly, I say to you" (e.g., John 6 and others), swears with this very same oath; He swears by Himself, just as the Father does, since He has no one higher by whom to swear. However, some have thought that the Son Himself was the one then conversing with Abraham; for Scripture says: "the Angel said to Abraham" (Gen. 18). But in no way, they say, could the Father be an Angel, but the Son is the Angel of great counsel.
Heb. 6:15. And so Abraham, having patiently endured, obtained the promise.
In what way does he say at the end of the epistle that they "saw them only from afar" and "rejoiced" at the fulfillment of the promises (Heb. 11:13), yet now says that Abraham "received what was promised"? He is not speaking of the same thing here and there; rather, here he speaks of earthly promises, which Abraham received after a long time, while there he speaks of heavenly ones, which he had not yet received. Nevertheless, both—what he received and what he had not yet received—serve as consolation for the fainthearted: the one because we too shall receive if we show patience, the other because if the one who attained perfection so many years before has not yet received, then we are exceedingly foolish to be indignant that we have not yet received. Notice how he said "having patiently endured, he received what was promised," in order to show the great power of patience, and that the promise alone did not accomplish everything, but patience as well. Here he also instills fear in them, making clear by way of the opposite that faintheartedness hinders the fulfillment of the promise. And this is what happened in the wilderness with the ancient people, who grew fainthearted and utterly failed to receive the promise. So then, someone may ask: why did the saints, having endured long, not receive, as it says at the end of the epistle? They will certainly receive. But the murmurers among the people neither received nor will receive.
Heb. 6:16. For men swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is for them an end of all dispute.
That is, an oath resolves the dispute in every contradiction. For much is said and objected in argument from both sides, but the oath, being the final word and confirming, resolves everything that is doubtful.
Heb. 6:17. Therefore (ἐν ᾧ) God also, wishing to show more abundantly to the heirs of the promise the immutability of His will, interposed an oath,
That is, precisely because an oath gives people full assurance, God also swears. Or, "therefore," instead of: in that He swore, he says, God by Himself, He abundantly proved to us that He will in every way and immutably fulfill what He promised. For although God ought to have been believed even without an oath, nevertheless He condescends for our sake and looks not to His own dignity, but, in order to convince us, permits unworthy things to be said about Himself. For we who are faithful, blessed in his seed, which is Christ, are heirs of the promise. See how even then he says that the Son is the mediator between God and men. For by Himself, as the Word, God and Father swore.
Heb. 6:18. So that in two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie,
What kind and what kind? Both by the fact that He simply spoke and promised, and by the fact that He joined an oath to the promise. Since among people that which is confirmed with an oath is considered more trustworthy, God also joined one. "In which," instead of "from them" — from these two things the promise is most trustworthy, and "it is impossible for God to lie." Therefore, just as He swore for our sake, even though it is unworthy of Him to swear, so also understand that He "learned from the things which He suffered" (Heb. 5:8). For people also consider more trustworthy that which is known from experience.
Heb. 6:18. We who have fled for refuge might have strong consolation, to lay hold upon the hope set before us,
That is, great consolation and encouragement. This is said not so much in relation to Abraham as in relation to us who have fled to Him, that is, who have placed our hope in Him. In what then do we have encouragement? In holding fast (κρατήσοα) to "the hope set before us": that is, that we, on the basis of what was given to Abraham, would be convinced also regarding the promises concerning us, and would not doubt regarding the future and heavenly blessings for which we hope; on the contrary, that we would firmly and securely hold fast to this hope and not lose it. For the promise to Abraham is a promise to us as well, and preeminently to us who have believed in Christ, as was said above.
Heb. 6:19. Hope, which is for the soul like an anchor (ἄγκυραν), safe and firm.
We have this hope as an anchor. For just as an anchor gives stability to ships during a storm, so too hope makes firm and patient those who waver under the influence of temptations. He did not simply say "anchor," but "sure and steadfast." For there is an anchor that does not preserve the stability of a ship, either when it is damaged or when it is too light. Quite rightly he recalled not a foundation, but an anchor: because a foundation applies to people who are very firm and wise, whereas an anchor applies to those undergoing a storm, which is what they were, being buffeted by temptations.
Heb. 6:19. And enters into the innermost place beyond the veil,
Above he said: hope, for what we hope for will come to pass. Now, assuring more perfectly, he says that we already possess this in hope. For hope, having entered within heaven, has brought it about that we are already at the promised blessings, even though we are still on earth, even though we have not yet received them. Such power does hope have, that it makes the earthly into the heavenly. But just as in the Old Testament the veil separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the tabernacle, so too heaven is for us a veil separating the earthly from the most divine and supraheavenly.