Albert Barnes Commentary Hebrews 6:18

"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 lay hold of the hope set before us:" — Hebrews 6:18 (ASV)

That by two immutable things. What the "two immutable things" referred to here are has been a matter of question among commentators. Most expositors, such as Doddridge, Whitby, Rosenmuller, Koppe, and Calvin, suppose that the reference is to the promise and the oath of God. Each of these would be a firm ground for the assurance of salvation, and in each of them, it would be impossible for God to lie. Professor Stuart supposes that the reference is to two oaths—the oath made to Abraham, and the one by which the Messiah was made High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek (Psalms 110:4; Hebrews 5:6, 10).

Professor Stuart supposes that in this way the salvation of believers would be amply secured: by the promise that Abraham should have a Son, the Messiah, in whom all the families of the earth would be blessed, and by the oath that his Son should be High Priest forever. But to this interpretation, it may be objected that the apostle seems to refer to two things distinct from each other in their nature, and not to two acts of the same kind. Two kinds of security are referred to, whereas the security provided according to this interpretation would be the same—that arising from an oath. However numerous the oaths might be, it would still be security of the same kind; and if one of them were broken, no certainty could be derived from the other.

On the supposition, however, that the apostle refers to the promise and the oath, there would be two kinds of assurance, of different kinds. On the supposition that the promise was disregarded—if such a supposition may be made—there would still be the security of the oath, and thus the assurance of salvation was twofold.

It seems to me, therefore, that the apostle refers to the promise and the oath of God as constituting the two grounds of security for the salvation of His people. Those things were both unchangeable; and when His word and oath are once given, what He promises is secure.

In which it was impossible for God to lie. That is, it would be contrary to His nature; it is not for a moment to be supposed. Compare to Titus 1:2: God—that cannot lie. The impossibility is a moral one, and the use of the word here explains the sense in which the words impossible, cannot, etc., are often used in the Scriptures. The meaning here is that such was the love of God for truth, such His holiness of character, that He could not speak falsely.

We might have a strong consolation. This is the strongest consolation the mind can conceive. The consolation of a Christian is not in his own strength; his hope of heaven is not in any reliance on his own powers. His comfort is that God has promised eternal life to His people, and that He cannot prove false to His word (Titus 1:2).

Who have fled for refuge. This refers to the fact that someone charged with murder fled to the city of refuge, or took hold of an altar for security. So we, guilty and deserving of death, have fled to the hopes of the gospel in the Redeemer.

To lay hold upon. This means to seize and hold fast—as someone does with an altar when pursued by the avenger of blood.

The hope set before us. This refers to the hope of eternal life offered in the gospel. This hope is set before us as our refuge, and to this we flee when we feel that we are in danger of death. On the nature of hope, see the comments on Ephesians 2:12.