Let’s take our Bibles together and turn to the Book of Hebrews. Today we are continuing our verse-by-verse series through Hebrews entitled, “Christ Supreme in All Things.” And I want to start with this. Several years ago, we had a VBS program at my church, and we learned a song that perfectly sums up what the author of Hebrews writes about here. The song went like this, “Your walk talks, and your talk talks, but your walk talks louder than your talk talks.” This is essentially what Jesus communicates when he says, “You will recognize them by their fruits” (Matt 7:16). You know some of the most important theological truths I’ve learned over the years, I’ve learned singing VBS songs. And that’s one of them: “Your walk talks, and your talk talks, but your walk talks louder than your talk talks.”

Now what the author of Hebrews is saying here in Hebrews 6:9-12 is intriguing, because he just got done giving the church the most terrifying warning in Scripture. And now, his tone totally changes. He moves from bad cop to good cop. He puts away the stick and takes out the carrot. And he encourages the church because some of them, clearly, are not “fake Christians” just going through the motions. Some of them are faithful, committed Christians, and it shows noticeably by their actions. They are displaying what we might call the accoutrements of salvation or the accompaniments of salvation. Their walk talks, and their walk is telling the author of Hebrews that they are genuine, born again believers in Christ Jesus. At least some of them are anyway. 

And I think this passage is really important because the chilling warning of Hebrews 6:4-6 may lead some sensitive, and yet sincere, Christians to question their salvation. The author wants to give them assurance in this passage, and also give them the practical signs of a genuine believer that feeds assurance. And he does that by explaining those items that naturally and increasingly accompany the lives of genuine believers. I’m calling these today the “Accompaniments of Salvation.” 

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So go ahead and write these down. I want to give you today from the text three things that genuine Christian conversion is accompanied by. Here’s the first. 

Christian conversion [is] accompanied by … 

1) An active love for the saints (6:9-10)

The author of Hebrews writes in verse 9,

9 Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things—things that belong to salvation. 

Notice the change in tone in verse 9. Notice the change in wording. The word “beloved.” The word “better.” The words “belong to salvation.” It’s like a different author is writing this, than what we saw previously. 

Previously the author called them babies suckling milk (5:12-14). Previously the author called them “dull of hearing” (5:11). Previously he warned that there are some in the church that aren’t even saved at all and are in danger of an irreversible apostasy (6:4-6). He accused some of them of “crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt” (6:6). Yikes! 

But now, he’s saying, “I feel sure of better things with you… at least some of you.” What’s wrong with this guy? Is this like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde syndrome? One minute he’s tearing into them, and then the next minute he’s mild-mannered and encouraging them? 

Well, no! This is instead what you might call “being a pastor.” This is what you might call “teaching God’s Word.” Paul said himself that “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Tim 3:16). Paul charged Timothy to preach the word and be ready to “reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching” (2 Tim 4:1-2). 

Sometimes preachers have to reprove. Sometimes preachers have to exhort. And in Hebrews 6:4-8, the author was reproving and rebuking. Now in Hebrews 6:9-12, he’s exhorting. And preachers have to do both. Teachers of God’s Word have to do both. They have to rebuke, and they have to reassure. They have to challenge, and they have to cheer. They have to forewarn, and they also have to show fatherly affection.

And one of the reasons that a leader has to do this is because of verses 7-8. The author gave us a vivid agricultural analogy in those verses. 

7 For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. 8 But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned. 

So you have good soil, and you have bad soil. Some within the church are verse 8. Some (most?) within the church are verse 7. They are mixed together, just like the wheat and the weeds in Jesus’s parable (Matt 13:24:30). 

And here’s the encouraging thing about verse 9. In verse 9, the author says most of his audience is productive soil. The author says most of them are the soil of verse 7. He’s confident of that. 

Look again at verse 9. 

9 Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things— 

We “feel sure.” We are confident. This is the Greek word πείθω which means to “persuade” or “convince.” But it’s passive here, so the idea is that he is persuaded or convinced. 

in your case, beloved, we [are convinced] of better things—things that belong to salvation. 

In other words, “We are sure (we are convinced) that you are saved. And that’s because you have those things that belong to salvation.” What belongs to salvation? What are the accompaniments of salvation? Well here’s one. How about love? 

Look at verse 10.

10 For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do. 

So there’s love for God’s name in verse 10. That’s evidence of salvation. And there is also work. There’s also the serving of the saints. That’s evidence of salvation too. And let’s be precise about this: we are not saved by works. That’s crystal clear from Scripture. But our works are part of the package of evidence that points to a transformed life. 

Kent Hughes says it this way, “The Bible is clear that no one can be saved by works, but it is also clear that saving faith works.” And part of our works includes obedience to God’s Word. But we have to be careful with that too. “We are not set free by our obedience; we are set free to and for obedience.” Martin Luther said memorably: “We are saved by faith alone, but the faith that saves is never alone.” Faith inevitably produces fruit. Saving faith is evidenced by works. 

The Apostle Paul said it this way, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Eph 2:8-10). The author of Hebrews confirms this, and he says that one of the accoutrements of salvation is a kind of work that involves love for God and service for the saints. In other words, true believers love and serve God, and they love and serve the saints—not in order to be saved, but because they are saved.

10 For God [will not] overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do. 

By the way, that word for “saints” there is ἅγιος. It’s an adjective that means “holy,” but often it’s used substantivally like this (with a definite article) as a reference to the “holy ones” or “the saints.” Who are the saints? They are the believers! They are the ones who have been justified; they have been “rendered holy” by their faith in Christ.

So here’s what we have with these genuine believers, these “saints,” that gives the author of Hebrews confidence that they indeed belong to salvation. They’ve got love for the brothers. They, more precisely, have “love shown for [God’s] name” by serving the saints. 

What did Jesus say in John 13? “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35). True love for God and for the brothers is evidence of salvation and also gives assurance of salvation.

The Apostle John says this too in 1 John. “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God” (1 John 4:7). What else does John say about that? He actually says it a lot stronger than that. He says, “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen” (1 John 4:20). “I love Jesus, Pastor Tony. I just don’t like Jesus’s followers.” Well, not according to 1 John you don’t. “I like Christ, Pastor Tony, I just don’t like Christians.” No, you can’t do that. You can’t love the groom and hate his bride. The groom doesn’t appreciate that. 

But that’s not the case with this church that the author of Hebrews is writing to. They have loved one another, and their love has been shown in service to one another. And the author uses the verb διακονέω twice at the end of verse 10 to indicate their service to one another. He uses a past tense form of that verb and also a present tense. He says essentially, “You have served one another. And you continue to serve one another.” That’s evidence of salvation. That’s evidence of a changed life. An active love for the saints accompanies salvation! 

There’s a famous, Aesop’s fable about two travelers that encounter a bear in the forest. And, after seeing the bear, one of the travelers shimmied up a tree and deserted his friend. The other traveler, left in the lurch, fell on the ground and pretended to be dead. And as he was lying there, this fearsome creature came over to him and whispered something in his ear. After that, the bear ambled away into the forest. After seeing this, the guy up the tree climbed down and asked, “What’d that bear say to you?” And the guy replied, “He said I need to find some better friends.” 

In contrast to this, what did Jesus say about true love shown for friends? “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). Jesus modeled that kind of love for us. And he told his disciples, “As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34). And 1 John says, “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (1 John 4:11).

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So the first accompaniment of salvation is active love for the saints. Write this down as #2. A second accompaniment is …

2) An eager hope for eternity (6:11)

The author of Hebrews writes in verse 11, 

11 And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, 

“We desire”… I should comment here on the “we” since that comes up a lot. This author occasionally uses “we” in this book either to refer to himself with what you might call “the royal we.” Or he does it in reference to himself and whoever else is with him at the time of this writing. Maybe an amanuensis who is recording this letter for him?

And what is the desire of this author? Well, his desire is that each person in the church might have assurance. His desire is that each of them show an earnestness to have assurance. His desire is that the church will press on and persevere in faith, hope, and love, because in that perseverance they will find assurance. And assurance is a beautiful thing. 

Now there are three key words in this verse that I want to look at one at a time. And just like the author of Hebrews desires these three things for his readers, I desire these three things for us at VBVF. 

Let’s start with the first one: “earnestness.” This is the Greek word σπουδή. It’s a word that means “earnest commitment in discharge of an obligation.”  It can be translated “eagerness, earnestness, diligence, willingness, or zeal.” And it’s a combination of both urgency and persistency. The author of Hebrews wants his readers to manifest a persistent pursuit of assurance. The implication is this—You have assurance of salvation! Keep earnestly seeking assurance of salvation!

The second word here is “assurance” or “full assurance” which is one word in Greek—πληροφορία. This word indicates a state of “full confidence” and even “certainty.” The author of Hebrews wants his readers to have this certainty. And he wants them to pursue it with earnestness. 

And what is the object of this certainty? What’s the substance of that assurance? It’s “hope.” This is the Greek word ἐλπίς. It’s a hope that holds on to the end. It’s what you might call eschatological hope. It’s the hope that Jesus will return to finish the work of salvation that he started in us. It’s a persevering hope. John Calvin said once that, “True faith always goes hand in hand with hope.” Philip Hughes adds, “The invitation to faith is not an invitation to inactivity but [perseverance] … for Christ is not only the source but also the goal of our salvation, the end as well as the beginning.” 

By the way Biblical “hope” is different from the way that we use “hope” in modern English. We use the word “hope” to describe something that we desire, but we don’t automatically believe will happen. We say, “I hope my kid doesn’t need braces someday.” We say, “I hope the Dallas Cowboys win the Super Bowl this year.” We say, “I hope the stock market is a bull market not a bear market in 2023.” That’s not the kind of hope that the Bible speaks about. Our hope in Christ Jesus, his return and his reign over the world, it’s a surefire thing. It’s a certainty, not just a possibility. It’s a sure as the nose on your face. It’s a sure thing, because it’s been promised by God. And God never reneges on his promises. 

Look, if God had promised that the Dallas Cowboys would win the Super Bowl this year, that would be a surefire thing. But God hasn’t promised that, so I wouldn’t count on that. But God has promised that the Lord Jesus will return to judge the quick and the dead and set up an eternal kingdom. Our hope in that is a surefire hope, and we can have full assurance in it. 

And how does our confidence in that hope grow? How does our confidence grow… not only our confidence that Jesus will return, but that when he does, we will belong to him and he will not judge us for eternity… how do we grow that? That confidence that we belong to him? 

Well let me tell you how you don’t grow that. You don’t grow that by indulging your flesh. You don’t grow that by alienating your brothers and sisters in Christ and living a life of isolation from the church. You don’t grow that by suckling milk instead of eating solid food. 

Instead, you grow your confidence by loving and serving your brothers and sisters in Christ. You grow your confidence by hungering and thirsting for righteousness. You grow your confidence by seeing the promises of God in his Word, and believing those promises, and longingly anticipating the fulfillment of those promises. 

And also you grow your confidence by producing fruit as a faithful follower of Christ Jesus. Al Mohler says this: “One of the most important catalysts of spiritual confidence is spiritual fruitfulness. Our faithful activity as Christians fuels our assurance.” I don’t know about you, but I’m not the same man I was five, ten, and fifteen years ago. God has changed my heart. He’s taken me to places I never thought I would go. 

And yet, look at the end of verse 11.

11 And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end

“[U]ntil the end [τέλος].” What does that mean? Until the end of our lives or until Christ returns? Yes. We hope in something beyond this world. We hope in eternity. An eager hope for eternity accompanies salvation. 

Listen, when I was younger, I was hopelessly idealistic about our world. I thought our world was great. And I thought where it wasn’t great, I could change it. And I didn’t want Jesus to return too soon, because I still wanted to make my mark on this world. Now, I know better the depth of sin and devastation that is part of this world. And now I know the depth of sin and devastation that is part of my own heart. And so, I join the refrain of Christians who have been saying for 2,000 years, “Maranatha, Come Lord Jesus. Come rescue us from ourselves.” Come fulfill the promises that you have made to us in your Word. 

Yes, Christian conversion is accompanied by an active love for the saints. It’s also accompanied by an eager hope for eternity. That’ll grow as you age in Christ. Your eyes for eternity will focus as you grow up in Christ. 

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And finally, write this down as #3. Christian conversion is accompanied by “an active love for the saints” and “an eager hope for eternity.” It’s also accompanied by…

3) An enduring faith in God’s promises (6:12)

Notice the trifecta of faith, hope, and love in this passage. Everyone see that? Do you think that’s an accident? I don’t. 

Let’s go back to the beginning of verse 11, and then we’ll get to verse 12. 

11 And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, 12 so that 

There’s a causal connection between verse 11 and verse 12. This is what Greek grammar experts call a purpose clause. We desire for you to show earnestness… so that… here’s the purpose. Two things.

12 so that [1] you may not be sluggish, but [2] imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. 

Let’s take those two things apart. The first statement regarding sluggishness ties together with what the author said in 5:11. It’s the Greek νωθρός, which in 5:11 was translated “dull.” But here it is translated “sluggish.” That word νωθρός (dull, sluggish) is the opposite of “earnestness” (Greek: σπουδή) in 6:11. 

So the author is saying, “don’t be sluggish in your showing of love to the brothers. Be earnest. Don’t be dull in your hearing of God’s Word. Be eager. Be zealous. That’ll strengthen your assurance of salvation. That’ll press the hope of Christ’s return into your soul. Don’t be sluggish in your battle with sin. That’ll shake you up in your faith. Be zealous and formidable in your pursuit of Christlikeness. That’ll grow your confidence in Christ Jesus.”

So don’t be sluggish. But also, be imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. Imitate godly examples. Imitate those who followed Christ with faithfulness and steadfastness. This word for “patience” in verse 12 (Greek: μακροθυμία) could also be translated “longsuffering” or “forbearance.” That’s a key idea for the church that the author of Hebrews is writing to. They are being persecuted. They are suffering. And he is telling them essentially to suffer well. He’s saying, “Imitate those who through faith and [longsuffering] inherit the promises.”

Let me ask you, church, who are those people that you are imitating right now? Who are those people in your life that have shown through twenty, thirty, or forty years of life a steadfast faith in the Lord Jesus Christ? I’ll just tell you, I praise God when people get saved. I praise God when someone comes to Christ later in life. But when I think about people I want to imitate. I don’t want to imitate the flash-in-the-pan Christian who is on fire for Jesus for about twenty minutes. I typically don’t quote the twenty-something pastor who’s been preaching for a few years and has a few good ideas. I quote the Tommy Nelsons and the John MacArthurs of the world. I quote the John Pipers and the Tony Evans and the Alistair Beggs of this world. 

And I quote a lot of dead people too. Because those people have “through faith and patience inherit[ed] the promises” all the way to the end of their lives. Their faith wasn’t just a flash-in-the-pan curiosity. And it wasn’t just a temporary amusement. There was a lasting pattern of faithfulness and steadfastness and resoluteness in their lives. 

Speaking of which, who did the author of Hebrews have in mind when he writes about being “imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises”? In chapter 11 of this book, he’s going to go through sixteen different men and women who were excellent exemplars of faith (11:1-40). People refer to that chapter as the “Hall of Faith.” There are sixteen men and women in that chapter who are worthy of our imitation. 

But who specifically does the author of Hebrews have in mind when he writes about being “imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises”? He’s writing to Jewish Christians, right? Who’s the great hero of faith in the OT, the father of the Jewish people? It’s Abraham. It’s Father Abraham. Abraham is that great person from the OT who believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness (Gen 15:6). And so, the author of Hebrews is going to expound on the faith of this great leader of the OT and how we should imitate his faith in 6:13-20. And that’s where we’ll pick up next time.  

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But before we finish up, let me close with this. And let me change gears in this final application. There’s a lot in Hebrews 6 about salvation. And you might say that the author wants true believers to have eternal security and he wants false believers to have eternal insecurity. Or let me say it this way. He wants unbelievers to get saved, and he wants true believers to have assurance of salvation. 

So let me ask a big question concerning that. Can we, as believers, have assurance of salvation? Can we have that? 

The reason I ask is because I think for some people, they think that it’s prideful to say that we have assurance. Some might say, “That’s awfully presumptuous, Pastor Tony, for people to think they are saved!” That’s probably what our Muslim friends would say if they heard me espouse confidence in my salvation. They would say, “That’s prideful! That’s presumptuous!” Is it, though? I don’t think so. In fact, to do otherwise, I think, is a form of false humility. 

Here’s why I say that. Let’s say for example that God came to you and said, “Christian, I just put $100,000 in your checking account. Go spend it on me. Go use it.” And let’s say God showed up a few weeks later, and asked you, “Did you spent it yet?” And sheepishly you said, “No, Lord! I was afraid that if I wrote a check on your money, the check might bounce.” Now is that humility? How do you think God would respond to that action? God would probably say, “If you want to be humble about your own ability to make and spend money, go ahead. But when I give you money, don’t you pretend to be humble about it. When I say that money is there, it’s there.” 

I think something similar is at work in regard to God’s promise of salvation. The Bible says clearly that Jesus died for our sins. And our faith in that finished work saves us. And what Hebrews 6 tells us is that genuine faith is accompanied by other things: 1) love for other believers, 2) hope for eternity, 3) an enduring faith in God’s promises. Those things accompany our faith. But that’s not the foundation of our faith. The foundation of our faith is God’s Word and the testimony of Jesus’s death on the cross for our sins. We either believe that or we don’t. And it’s not humble or honorable to say, “Well maybe I’m saved, maybe I’m not saved. I guess I’ll find out in eternity.” No! Don’t be humble on God’s account. When God says it, it’s done. We can even boast in it according to Scripture! 

Can we have assurance of salvation? Yes, we can. We believe God. We take him at his Word. And we don’t deviate from that truth. 

11 And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, 12 so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.