God’s Unchangeable Promise

13 When God made His promise to Abraham, since He had no one greater to swear by, He swore by Himself, 14 saying, “I will surely bless you and multiply your descendants.”[fn] 15 And so Abraham, after waiting patiently, obtained the promise.

16 Men swear by someone greater than themselves, and their oath serves as a confirmation to end all argument. 17 So when God wanted to make the unchanging nature of His purpose very clear to the heirs of the promise, He guaranteed it with an oath. 18 Thus by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be strongly encouraged.

19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, 20 where Jesus our forerunner has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.