22. Sprinkled with the blood of Christ, our hearts have been made free from a guilty conscience, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. So come near to God with a sincere heart, full of confidence because of our faith in Christ.
23. We must hold on to the hope we have, never hesitating to tell people about it. We can trust God to do what he promised.
24. We should think about each other to see how we can encourage each other to show love and do good works.
25. We must not quit meeting together, as some are doing. No, we need to keep on encouraging each other. This becomes more and more important as you see the Day getting closer.
26. If we decide to continue sinning after we have learned the truth, then there is no other sacrifice that will take away sins.
27. If we continue sinning, all that is left for us is a fearful time of waiting for the judgment and the angry fire that will destroy those who live against God.
28. Whoever refused to obey the Law of Moses was found guilty from the testimony given by two or three witnesses. Such people were not forgiven. They were killed.
29. So think how much more punishment people deserve who show their hate for the Son of God—people who show they have no respect for the blood sacrifice that began the new agreement and once made them holy or who insult the Spirit of God’s grace.
30. We know that God said, “I will punish people for the wrongs they do; I will repay them.” And he also said, “The Lord will judge his people.”
31. It is a terrible thing to face punishment from the living God.
32. Remember the days when you first learned the truth. You had a hard struggle with much suffering, but you continued strong.
33. Sometimes people said hateful things to you and mistreated you in public. And sometimes you helped others who were being treated that same way.
34. Yes, you helped them in prison and shared in their suffering. And you were still happy when everything you owned was taken away from you. You continued to be happy, because you knew that you had something much better—something that would continue forever.
35. So don’t lose the courage that you had in the past. Your courage will be rewarded richly.
36. You must be patient. After you have done what God wants, you will get what he promised you.
37. He says, “Very soon now, the one who is coming will come and will not be late.