6:5

who have tasted the fine word of God: “The fine word of God” seems to refer to God’s promise to reward some humans with life in heaven. (2Co 5:5; Eph 1:18) Spirit-anointed Christians had “tasted” the promise when the holy spirit revealed to them that the hope of heavenly life was open to them. Thereafter, they looked forward to the full realization of the good things that God had promised them.

powers of the coming system of things: Or “powers of the coming age.” The expression “coming system of things” refers to the future time when anointed Christians will rule with Christ in “his heavenly Kingdom.” (2Ti 4:18; see study note on Eph 2:7 and Glossary, “System(s) of things.”) Paul was writing to those who had been anointed with God’s holy spirit as “the token of what is to come.” (2Co 1:22 and study note) Many of them had witnessed Jehovah’s “signs and wonders.” (Heb 2:4 and study note) God used such miracles to demonstrate, among other things, what his Son would do as Ruler over “the inhabited earth to come.” (Heb 2:5 and study note) In a sense, these anointed Christians had already tasted, or experienced, what God’s power will accomplish in “the coming system of things.”​—Compare study note on Eph 1:3.