Single lesson
Hebrews 6: A Call to Maturity
Hebrews 6:1–12; Hebrews 6:13–20
Hebrews 6 urges believers to keep going in faith, not stay at the starting point. It also gives strong comfort by pointing to God’s promise, God’s oath, and the sure hope believers have in Jesus.
Before you teach
In Hebrews 6:1–12, the writer calls readers to press on from foundational teachings toward maturity, warns seriously about falling away, and encourages faithful love and perseverance. In Hebrews 6:13–20, the writer explains hope by pointing to God’s promise to Abraham, God’s unchangeable oath, and Jesus as the forerunner who entered for us.
Students will identify that Hebrews 6 calls believers to grow with diligence and to hold firmly to hope because God’s promise is sure in Jesus.
Welcome: From starting point to growing on
5 minAsk children to think of something where beginners learn the basics first, then keep growing. Read Hebrews 6:1–3 aloud. Explain that the writer speaks about a foundation, which is a beginning point, and then says, ‘let’s press on to perfection’, meaning to move on toward maturity instead of always restarting at the beginning.
Hebrews 6:1, Hebrews 6:2, Hebrews 6:3
Read and explain: A serious warning and a hopeful encouragement
8 minRead Hebrews 6:4–12 in small parts. Explain carefully that these verses give a serious warning about falling away, then use a picture of land producing either a good crop or thorns. Notice that the writer then says, ‘we are persuaded of better things for you’ and points to loving service, diligence, hope, faith and perseverance.
Hebrews 6:4, Hebrews 6:5, Hebrews 6:6, Hebrews 6:7, Hebrews 6:8, Hebrews 6:9, Hebrews 6:10, Hebrews 6:11, Hebrews 6:12
Discuss: Why hope is strong
6 minRead Hebrews 6:13–18. Show that the writer uses Abraham as an example of patient endurance. Then explain that God made a promise and added an oath. The passage says God wanted to show the heirs of the promise the immutability of his counsel, and it says it is impossible for God to lie. That gives strong encouragement.
Hebrews 6:13, Hebrews 6:14, Hebrews 6:15, Hebrews 6:16, Hebrews 6:17, Hebrews 6:18
Make and respond: Anchor hope reminder card
7 minRead Hebrews 6:19–20. Help children make a small card with an anchor on one side and a short phrase from the passage on the other, such as ‘hope... sure and steadfast’. Explain that this picture comes from the text itself. Jesus is also called the forerunner who entered for us, and the passage says he is a high priest forever.
Hebrews 6:19, Hebrews 6:20
Closing: Choose one faithful action
4 minReview the whole passage. Invite each child to name one way to show diligence this week, such as continuing to pray, help, or listen carefully to God’s word. Connect this response to the passage’s words about love shown in serving, not being sluggish, and imitating those who inherit the promises through faith and perseverance.
Hebrews 6:10, Hebrews 6:11, Hebrews 6:12, Hebrews 6:18, Hebrews 6:19
Questions to explore
What are some of the beginning teachings listed before the writer says, ‘let’s press on’ ?
Look back at the foundation list and notice that the writer names repentance, faith toward God, baptisms, laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment before calling readers onward.
Hebrews 6:1, Hebrews 6:2
After the warning, what ‘better things’ does the writer point to in the readers’ lives?
Look for the encouraging turn in the passage and notice the mention of work, labour of love, serving the saints, diligence, hope, faith and perseverance.
Hebrews 6:9, Hebrews 6:10, Hebrews 6:11, Hebrews 6:12
Why does the passage say hope is ‘sure and steadfast’?
Follow the reasoning from God’s promise and oath, to the statement that it is impossible for God to lie, and then to the picture of hope as an anchor and Jesus entering for us.
Hebrews 6:17, Hebrews 6:18, Hebrews 6:19, Hebrews 6:20
Make, think or respond
Anchor Hope Reminder Card
What you’ll need
- card or paper
- pencils or pens
- coloured pencils or markers
- scissors
Try it together
- Draw and cut out a simple card shape from paper or card.
- On one side, draw an anchor and write ‘Hope’.
- On the other side, copy a short phrase from Hebrews 6:19 such as ‘sure and steadfast’.
- Invite each child to add one word from the passage that they want to remember, such as ‘diligence’, ‘perseverance’ or ‘promise’.
- Take turns showing the card and explaining how it connects to the passage.
The card uses the passage’s own picture of hope as an anchor and helps children remember to keep going with diligence and perseverance because God’s promise is sure in Jesus.
Adapt for your group
- For younger children, pre-cut card shapes and keep the discussion focused on two big ideas: ‘keep growing’ and ‘hope is sure’.
- For older or more confident children, ask them to trace the flow of the passage from warning to encouragement to hope, using the exact words of Hebrews 6:9, Hebrews 6:12 and Hebrews 6:19.
An optional closing prayer
Suggested prayer: ‘God, please help us grow, not be sluggish, and hold firmly to the hope you set before us. Thank you for your sure promise and for Jesus. Amen.’
Read the Bible passage World English Bible Classic
Hebrews 6
1 Therefore leaving the teaching of the first principles of Christ, let’s press on to perfection—not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works, of faith toward God,
2 of the teaching of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
3 This will we do, if God permits.
4 For concerning those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit,
5 and tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come,
6 and then fell away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance; seeing they crucify the Son of God for themselves again, and put him to open shame.
7 For the land which has drunk the rain that comes often on it and produces a crop suitable for them for whose sake it is also tilled, receives blessing from God;
8 but if it bears thorns and thistles, it is rejected and near being cursed, whose end is to be burned.
9 But, beloved, we are persuaded of better things for you, and things that accompany salvation, even though we speak like this.
10 For God is not unrighteous, so as to forget your work and the labor of love which you showed toward his name, in that you served the saints, and still do serve them.
11 We desire that each one of you may show the same diligence to the fullness of hope even to the end,
12 that you won’t be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and perseverance inherited the promises.
13 For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he could swear by no one greater, he swore by himself,
14 saying, “Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.”
15 Thus, having patiently endured, he obtained the promise.
16 For men indeed swear by a greater one, and in every dispute of theirs the oath is final for confirmation.
17 In this way God, being determined to show more abundantly to the heirs of the promise the immutability of his counsel, interposed with an oath,
18 that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we may have a strong encouragement, who have fled for refuge 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 entering into that which is within the veil,
20 where as a forerunner Jesus entered for us, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
World English Bible Classic. Public domain.