When halftime comes in a ballgame, and the team is not performing as expected, the coach has to address what has gone wrong and get the players back on the right track. In much the same way, the author of Hebrews pauses in chapter 6 to get the Christians he addresses back on track. Guest minister Robert Peek uses Hebrews 6:9-12 to show how the letter writer addresses the problems occurring in that church and to illustrate how the same message applies to us.

The author of the letter to the Hebrews go back to doing what they were doing when they first became Christians, to go back to doing what worked for them then, to practice those things that increased their faith and bore fruit. Then he admonishes them to go back to showing the love they had for their brothers and sisters and for each other before they began to suffer persecution. Finally, he reminds them to remember the assurance, the confidence, the certainty that we are right with God and that our salvation is secure. 

All these actions are what coincide with having salvation; they help us finish the course and win the race. Let’s allow these words of encouragement to get us back in the game with renewed faith in action.