What does Hebrews 6:16 mean?

The concept of an "oath" is grounded in our acknowledgement of human sin. The need to give others extra assurance that we are not lying, in and of itself, is a response to human dishonesty. The fact that we almost always ground an oath in something higher than the person making the oath in the first place also recognizes the limited, fallible morality of mankind. The reassurance that such an oath produces is both a human convention, and a human need.

This is the reason God chooses to use the concept of an "oath" in certain situations. As an unchanging, perfect, absolutely good being, God cannot lie or change. Everything God says is absolutely true, and He has the power to do anything He says He will do. But, for the sake of human reassurance, there are times when God swears an oath (Hebrews 6:17). Of course, since there is nothing higher than God, He swears on Himself. Trusting in who God is, and what He has done, is critical to our confidence as we grow in faith.

Abraham, according to this passage, is the key example of this kind of patient faith. He saw God fulfill promises, even as there were some promises which God did not completely fulfill until after Abraham's death. The persecuted Jewish Christians reading this letter for the first time, however, had seen the fulfillment of those oaths in history. Even more than Abraham, they had reasons to be confident in the legitimacy of the promises of God.

The ultimate source of our assurance, however, has come in the form of Jesus Christ. With Him as our "anchor," Christians ought to be convinced enough to grow in truth and love, despite our hardships.