Christ Our Anchor

December 4th, 2025
by Lance Waldie

Hebrews 6:16-20 For men swear by one greater than themselves, and with them an oath given as confirmation is an end of every dispute. 17 In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath, 18 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us. 19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, 20 where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

When God spoke to Abraham in Genesis 22:15, he not only promised him land, seed, and a blessing, He also swore on oath to confirm His promise. This is contrary to human oaths that swear to God, for God is greater than them. God, however, actually swore by Himself!
Now having established that God’s promises are sure, the author of Hebrews revealed how God’s purpose is unchangeable to those to whom He made the promise. The promise was not merely for Abraham but to “the heirs of promise” (v. 17)—a plurality of people. Of course Abraham and his descendants were the first to receive God’s promises (cf. Heb. 11:9), but the reason Abraham was a fitting example for the Jews in the first century was because all Christians are included as “Abraham’s seed” (Gal. 3:16), for Abraham is the father of all who believe (3:29). Therefore, the Christian’s assurance of salvation is guaranteed by God’s promise and His oath, “two unchangeable things” (v. 18). God is absolutely incapable of lying (v. 18).

The author of Hebrews is actually writing to encourage his audience. Those who did not truly follow Christ would not have taken it that way, but encouragement was the goal. For God’s oath was given to all who believe, dating back to Abraham who “believed God” and was counted righteous for his faith (Gen. 15:6). In Abraham, “all the nations of the earth will be blessed” (Gen. 22:18). Who are they? Verse 18 says that it is those “who have taken refuge.” This phrase would have reminded Jews of the OT “cities of refuge” (Num. 35:9ff.; Josh. 20), the six cities God had appointed into which a man could flee if he had accidentally killed someone. The elders of the city would then investigate the case, and if the man was deemed innocent for the crime, he was permitted to live in the city of refuge until the death of the high priest who held the office till death. Only then could the man return home, and at no time could revenge be exacted on him by the family he offended if in fact his crime had been deemed manslaughter. So it is in Christ! He is the “city of refuge” who gives “strong encouragement” to those who “take hold of the hope” set before them. Having already established that Jesus is the Great High Priest, He will never die, so there is eternal salvation in the refuge that Jesus Christ provides.

This teaching about Christ is about hope, for Christ is the believer’s hope (Col. 1:5, 1 Tim. 1:1). This hope is an “anchor” to the soul—a spiritual anchor that is “sure and steadfast” being tied to heaven. Christ—our hope, our anchor—went as a “forerunner” into heaven so that believers might follow His lead. This was contrary to the Jewish high priest who entered into the Holy of holies where no one could follow. But all can follow Jesus simply by believing.

Food For Thought
Want genuine assurance that you are saved? Then press on to maturity while it is still called today. If you begin to drift from Christ (Heb. 2:1-4), then you will eventually start to question Christ (Heb. 3:7ff.). Then you’ll grow dull toward Christ, rejecting the solid food of the Word (Heb. 5:11-6:20). So ask yourself, “Who or what am I anchored to?” If it is your wealth or anything other than Christ, then you are already drifting. Examine yourself today (2 Cor. 13:5).