Hebrews 2:1-4: If We Neglect So Great Salvation

2022-07-09

Hebrews 2:1

Consider the preeminence of Christ we have seen in the preceding verses. Angels are powerful, terrifying creatures, but the Son is their exceedingly more powerful Creator.

Because of the preeminence of the Lord Jesus, we must “give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard.” There are two parts of this clause we give attention to. First, it is what have we heard.

We heard the Gospel. Many times, Christians cannot define the term “gospel” correctly. The term itself means “good tidings”:

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek (Isaiah 61:1)
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor (Luke 4:18)

More specifically, what is meant by “good tidings”? Consider 1 Corinthians 15:1-8, a creed used in the ancient church. The Gospel, or good tidings, is the vicarious death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Jesus died for our sins. We had a sin debt. Sin is more than moral pollution. Sin can be in thought, word, action, and being. We sin because we are sin. We “miss the mark.” We are in a state of being alienated from God as His enemies. We are helpless to do anything about it. The fires of hell await us when we die.

God doesn’t get pleasure in this, but wickedness cannot stand in His presence. “Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity” (Habakkuk 1:13)

For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye. (Ezekiel 18:32)
Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel? (Ezekiel 33:11)

But we cannot turn from our evil way; evil is ingrained within us.

Therefore, Jesus died for our sins. The wrath of God was placed on Him rather than us. “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree...” (1 Peter 2:24). “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6).

Jesus was buried. This assures us that Jesus truly was dead. “But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water” (John 19:34). “Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can” (Matthew 27:65). “And he made his grave with the wicked...” (Isaiah 53:9).

Jesus rose again the third day. We die because of our sin. Jesus had no sin, but He bore our sins. The grave could not hold Him. “Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification” (Romans 4:25). “Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it” (Acts 2:24). “He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption” (Acts 2:31).

It is also good news, because He imparted this resurrection life to us. “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed” (1 Peter 2:24). “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection” (Romans 6:4-5). We couldn’t turn from our evil way before, but in Christ, we can and have. In position, we have, and in experience, we can... or rather Christ has accomplished/is accomplishing this in us.

Jesus was seen by hundreds. As burial proved His death, witnesses proved His resurrection. “Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master” (John 20:15-16). “The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon. And they told what things were done in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking of bread. And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you” (Luke 24:34-36).

By trusting in this completed work in Christ, we have eternal life. It is contingent upon our rebirth, for what does the Scripture say? “By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:2). So, is it possible to believe in vain? Believing in vain is a recognition of the facts without the inward change. This is verbal assent without regeneration. This is being a part of spiritual things without rebirth.

Rebirth is from the preaching of the Word of God. However, it appears that we can fight it in our innermost being. We just dealt with the hearing of the Gospel. Now we must deal with giving “the more earnest heed to the things.” We must give more earnest heeding to the Gospel.

Notice I say we. Though the book of Hebrews was written to a Jewish community that had said they believed in Christ, but had shown signs of unbelief, the warning is valid for anyone. We saw the same admonition to the Corinthians. We saw this a few weeks ago in our Sunday sermon. The phrase “take heed” appears frequently throughout the New Testament:

All these phrases here are used to show that there is a danger that you must watch for.

However, there is an extra word here to emphasize its severity: “the more earnest heed.” There is an especially more dangerous trap out there: assent to the spiritual without rebirth. We can be presumptuous about being saved, or, if we’re saved, we can distractedly live for the cares of this world.

Hebrews 2:2

The angels had worshipped and testified that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Consider all the times angels were present during the life of Jesus; consider this service and testimony of the angels to the Son:

Moreover, consider how every sin, whether thought, word, action, or our very person, everything gets “a just recompence of reward.” “And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works” (Revelation 20:13). Not all sins are the same; there are various degrees of sins. We know this because the punishments for various sins in the Old Testament are not equal. We do not understand how that will work in the end, since the lake of fire is the end for all ungodliness, but the punishments will be according to what people have done. “And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more” (Luke 12:47-48).

But we know that in Christ is a pardon from everything. Every sin was paid for. There is no limited atonement. “Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time” (1 Timothy 2:6). “...who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe” (1 Timothy 4:10). Everything is covered: “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24).

Hebrews 2:3

Knowing that our sin has been placed completely in Christ, “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation”? To “neglect” is also translated “made light of” in Matthew 22:5. It is free; how can we not embrace it with everything we have? How can we not accept such a wonderful gift of eternal life? How could we make light of this? But people do.

This salvation preached is not someone’s ideas printed on a page. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself came and preached them nearly 2,000 years ago. One way He did this was by showing His fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies. “For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring” (Isaiah 44:3). “He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)” (John 7:38-39).

He also showed how He gave eternal life: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:16-17).

That same salvation was confirmed in those that heard Him (i.e., apostles). Consider 1 John 1:1-4. John (son of Zebedee) saw the Lord, heard His teaching for about three years, and placed his hands in the holes of His hands. He shared that message of eternal life with others, including those who received this first epistle.

Peter did the same, “This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance: That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour” (2 Peter 3:1-2).

Hebrews 2:4

It was not only Jesus and the apostles that witnessed by the Word; the Gospel was also affirmed in great power in action. “But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him” (John 10:38). “Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached” (Luke 7:22).

Also, apostles and other believers have done great signs authenticating the Gospel: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father” (John 14:12). “There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one” (Acts 5:16). We can see how many great works showed the power of the Gospel.

Because of all these amazing things, the Gospel was affirmed. The people of those days could easily speak with witnesses of the risen Lord. Many of them saw miracles accompanied by preaching. Because we as human beings are fickle, it lies in us to make light of that precious Gospel preached to us.

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