1Therefore leaving the teaching of the first principles of Christ, let’s press on to perfection—not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works, of faith toward God, 2of the teaching of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. 3This will we do, if God permits. 4For concerning those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5and tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6and then fell away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance; seeing they crucify the Son of God for themselves again, and put him to open shame. 7For the land which has drunk the rain that comes often on it and produces a crop suitable for them for whose sake it is also tilled, receives blessing from God; 8but if it bears thorns and thistles, it is rejected and near being cursed, whose end is to be burned.
9But, beloved, we are persuaded of better things for you, and things that accompany salvation, even though we speak like this. 10For God is not unrighteous, so as to forget your work and the labor of love which you showed toward his name, in that you served the saints, and still do serve them. 11We desire that each one of you may show the same diligence to the fullness of hope even to the end, 12that you won’t be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and perseverance inherited the promises.
13For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he could swear by no one greater, he swore by himself, 14saying, “Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.” 15Thus, having patiently endured, he obtained the promise. 16For men indeed swear by a greater one, and in every dispute of theirs the oath is final for confirmation. 17In this way God, being determined to show more abundantly to the heirs of the promise the immutability of his counsel, interposed with an oath, 18that 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 take hold of the hope set before us. 19This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and entering into that which is within the veil, 20where as a forerunner Jesus entered for us, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
At the time of Jesus, baptism referred to a variety of ritual washings with water (Heb 6:2), all of which were important cleansing rituals within Judaism. For example, a high priest was installed in office by ritual bathing before being anointed and clothed with symbolic garments (Exod 29:4; Lev 8:6). Gentile proselytes to Judaism underwent a ceremonial bath (Heb 9:10). The Essenes immersed their bodies in daily rites of ceremonial cleansing. Those coming into the temple to worship underwent a ritual bath, as evidenced by the large number of mikveh (ritual bathing pools) found near the southern steps of the temple. When John came baptizing people once for their repentance of sins (Mark 1:4-5), he was thought to be usurping the prerogative of the Christ or Elijah or the prophet (John 1:25). Those who were baptized by John were identified with a remnant of Israel who had given credible testimony of their willingness to receive Messiah on His terms of repentance (Matt 3:1-10). The Pharisees promoted the elders' tradition of washing cups, pitchers and pots; and not eating without first washing their hands in a special way, both activities being referred to by the Greek word “baptizo” (Mark 7:3-8; Luke 11:38). Jesus' baptism was "to fulfill all righteousness” (Matt 3:15) in the sense of meeting the legal requirement of a priest as He entered upon His public ministry. It also identified Jesus with John's followers and message. In Matthew 4:17, the message he began to preach was the same as that of John, in Matthew 3:2. Jesus' disciples were baptizing those who were willing to follow Jesus (John 4:1-2). Later, Christian baptism identified a believer with Christ in his death, burial and resurrection (Rom 6:3-4), and is the first step of discipleship (Matt 28:19; see also Acts 2:37-42; 8:34-39; 9:18-19; 10:47-48; 16:15, 33).