“Now we desire each of you to demonstrate the same diligence for the full assurance of your hope until the end, so that you won’t become lazy but will be imitators of those who inherit the promises through faith and perseverance.”
– Hebrews 6:11–12
Now, these verses come in Hebrews 6:11–12 in addition to some other parts of Hebrews that are oftentimes confusing, debate-inducing about the perseverance of Christians, and once you are saved, does that mean you are always saved? And without going into that whole discussion, I believe the Bible is clear that those who are in Christ now, will be in Christ forever, that when someone has been saved by grace, through faith in Christ, that salvation is secure forever.
May we call out to God knowing He will supply grace for us to patiently persevere whatever comes our way in this life.
Hebrews 6:11–12 Calls Us to Profess Faith in Christ
There are obviously pictures we have in the Bible, I think about 1 John, of people who profess faith in Christ but it becomes clear later that they never actually put their faith in Christ. And so the author of Hebrews is addressing perseverance in the Christian life.
And I think the big takeaway when I read these verses, that I would encourage you with and wanna lead us to pray according to is that the Christian life is not described in the Bible as this kinda coasting down a hill with the wind in your hair, and is just kinda easy and you just kinda coast in to heaven without challenge, and perseverance, and trials in your faith. No.
Like the Bible describes faith as a battle, as needing perseverance, diligence, with hope all the way to the end, like faith is a fight. There is an adversary who doesn’t want us to trust in God, doesn’t want us to walk with God, doesn’t want us to experience the fullness of God’s blessings in our lives as we obey his word.
This Verse Reminds Us to Demonstrate Diligence with Hope
And so it is a battle, it’s a grind in many ways, and that’s what Hebrews 6:11–12 is talking about here. He’s calling its readers to demonstrate diligence with hope all the way to the end. Like don’t become lazy, but persevere with faith.
And so I wanna encourage you not to let your guard down. Yes, to know that in Christ your salvation is secure, at the same time to know that faith is a fight on a daily basis. And God promises grace for the fight, grace for the battle. And so we work with diligence by the grace he gives us to persevere with hope in the promise by which he has saved us.
Hebrews 6:11–12 Leads Us to Pray for Perseverance
So we pray, God, help us. God help us not to be lazy in faith. Help us to work with diligence. By the grace you give, oh God, help us not to think that we’ve been saved by grace in the past, now we just have to work in the present. No, God, help us to see we work by grace, but help us by your grace to do that work, help us to fight the daily battle to run from temptation, to hold on to hope amidst all the challenges to our faith that come in this world.
We pray for perseverance, God I pray for that in my own life. Help me to be diligent and patient, that I might hold on with hope until the end, through faith and perseverance, just as man and women of faith who have gone before me have done. God, I pray for this in my life, I pray for this and those around me.
God, I pray for this and people who’re listening right now. I pray for those who are really experimenting struggles in their faith right now. For those for whom struggles are coming right around the corner. I pray for perseverance. I pray for diligence. And I pray that you’re hope in them what indeed endure to the end. Please, grant grace to fight the battle of faith. To persevere with trust in you, love for you, and hope in you until the end. God, I pray for this in my life and others who are listening to this right now. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
