Hebrews 2:1-4
1 We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. 2 For since the message spoken through angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, 3 how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. 4 God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. (Hebrews 2:1-4)
In these verses the author of the Letter to the Hebrews urges his readers to be watchful over keeping their faith. This is the first of several similar exhortations we find throughout the whole book. The arguments he sets before them to motivate them to obey his charge are two. On the one hand, there is the authority of the message they have heard. And on the other, there is the inevitability of the punishment God would bring upon those who would neglect that message. In fact, this is the very way the author of the letter deals with the problem throughout his entire work. He is writing to Jews who had become Christians, but who now, under pressure coming from every side — religious, political, and worldly — are on the verge of going back into the bosom of Judaism. The author tries to persuade them to remain Christians by stressing the supremacy of Christ and the New Covenant over Judaism and the Old Covenant, and at the same time he sets before them a series of exhortations to warn them of the danger of turning back and falling away from the grace of God.
I believe that if we grasp the meaning and force of these arguments of his, it will help God’s Word to accomplish its purpose in us as well, just as it did in those first recipients to whom it was originally addressed. Why should we watch over our spiritual condition? Because of the greatness of our salvation and the terror of the punishment for neglecting it.
OUR TENDENCY TO FALL AWAY
Is this message still relevant today? Yes. And it is so, first of all, because of the tendency we have as Christians to grow cold, to fall away from the faith, or to come down with various spiritual illnesses. This human tendency has remained the same ever since New Testament times. In his Letter to the Galatians 1:6 and 5:7, for example, the apostle Paul marvels at the speed with which they had crossed over to a different gospel and drifted away from the truth.
6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. (Galatians 1:6-7)
The reason for this defection is that they had lost the picture of Jesus that the apostle had painted before them (3:1).
1 You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. (Galatians 3:1)
From the whole of the New Testament, and from our own experience, we know that Christianity is no easy matter. Many people come to believe in Jesus and start well. But because they afterward withdraw their gaze from Jesus, they gradually fall away. As the case of the Galatians also shows, it is easy for us to lose our vision.
That is why we must gather as often as we possibly can and remind ourselves of the gospel, remind ourselves of Jesus, remind ourselves of the covenant we are in with God and of the promise of faithfulness we made at our water baptism. And perhaps along with this we ought also to remind ourselves how terrible it is for someone to neglect God’s gracious invitation and be condemned to eternal destruction. We truly need more of the fear of the Lord. It is the beginning of wisdom. In a similar exhortation in Hebrews 3:12-14, where once again we hear the command to be watchful, it says:
12 See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. 14 We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end. (Hebrews 3:12-14)
THE SUPREMACY OF THE ONE WHO BRINGS THE GOSPEL
The reason we must “pay the most careful attention to what we have heard” — that is, to the gospel and the teaching of Christ — is, first of all, its authority. It is not some human philosophy or invention. No one arrived at it by his own wisdom and abilities. It is not something without any significance. Its source and author is God. It is the fullest and final revelation of God. This salvation is “so great” because it was “first announced by the Lord”! In other words, the initiative for God to reveal himself to us is not human, but divine. Verse 1 begins with the word “therefore.” It is a key word that shows that what follows is connected to what has already been laid out in chapter one. And in it the author of the Letter to the Hebrews speaks of the greatness of the Son of God and of his superiority over the angels. Even though God has revealed himself partially through nature (Romans 1:19-20) and through the prophets, the full revelation of the Father is in the Son (Hebrews 1:1-2):
1 In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, (Hebrews 1:1-2)
This revelation is not to the “ancestors,” but to us; it is not “in the past,” but “in these last days”; it is not through intermediaries, but directly. It has supremacy inasmuch as it was brought to us not by some servant, prophet, or even angel, but by the very Son of God, who is God (Hebrews 1:2-3).
whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. 3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. (Hebrews 1:2-3)
How great is this bearer of the good news of God’s salvation?
With respect to the universe, he is its creator, heir, and sustainer. He is the one through whom God made the worlds (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16). The one without whom everything in this world would fall apart, since he holds all things together by his powerful word (Colossians 1:17; Mark 4:39). The one who is by right the “heir of all things” (Psalm 2:7-8). In other words, he is the Creator, the Owner, and the Lord of the universe.
With respect to God, the Son is the “radiance” (Greek “apaugasma”) of God’s glory (Colossians 2:9), and “the exact representation of his being” (Colossians 1:15). As the church fathers later formulated it in the Nicene Creed, he is “God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God…” (Here I would like to open a parenthesis and say that when we give formulations about God, we are not trying to explain him, simply because we cannot, but rather to define what we believe.)
With respect to humanity, Jesus is high priest and king. He is the one who, by offering up himself in sacrifice, accomplished the purification of our sins. His blood cleanses from every sin those who repent of their sins and place their trust in him (1 John 1:7). He is the king who, after fulfilling his mission, “sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven” (Psalm 110:1).
Notice the progression in these verses. The Son is the “heir of all things,” creator, “the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being”; he holds everything in this world together. He is our Savior and King, who sits on God’s throne.
Of the fullness and perfection of the revelation that God gives us in Christ we read in the Gospel according to John 1:1, 14, 18. There Jesus is called “the Word” or “the Logos.”
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth… 18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known. (John 1:1, 14, 18)
No one but the Son, or the Word, which is the other name of Christ, can “make God known.” Jesus alone could say: “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). That is why this Word is not temporary, but eternal and unchanging. Further on, in Hebrews 13:8, the author of the book says:
8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8)
Could there be a higher bearer of God’s message to humanity? Someone with greater authority and power? Someone more qualified? Could anyone else redeem us from the slavery of sin? Is there anyone higher than Jesus? No! Jesus is the highest. He is the supreme messenger of God. There is no one greater than him except the Father. Therefore the gospel that he brings us is also the most supreme.
THE ACCREDITATION OF CHRIST’S GOSPEL
Because the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the most supreme message, it also has the highest certification, testimony, and accreditation (Hebrews 2:3b-4).
This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. 4 God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. (Hebrews 2:3-4)
Christ’s gospel was confirmed by the apostles, who were witnesses and eyewitnesses of his mission and resurrection. In 1 John 1:1-4 the apostle affirms this:
1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We write this to make our joy complete. (1 John 1:1-4)
Besides the apostles, the gospel was also attested by God the Father himself with signs and wonders and with the manifestations of the Holy Spirit. Could there be any more authoritative testimony than this?
It is interesting that in these verses the author of the letter places an equals sign between “what we have heard,” that is, the gospel, and salvation. This is natural, since we are saved precisely by receiving and believing the gospel. In Romans 1:16 the apostle Paul exclaims:
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. (Romans 1:16)
In 1 Corinthians 1:18 Paul adds:
18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1 Corinthians 1:18)
THE DANGER OF NEGLECTING THE GOSPEL
Against the backdrop of the greatness of Christ’s person and the dignity of his ministry, we see that the salvation he brings is truly great. And because he gives us such “a great salvation,” the consequences of taking it lightly and neglecting it are far greater than those connected with disobedience to the Law, which was handed to people through the mediation of angels. The greater privileges of the new revelation carry with them greater responsibilities as well. As Jesus said in Luke 12:48:
48 But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. (Luke 12:48)
THE FIRMNESS OF THE LAW
Our text says that even those who were participants in the Old Covenant had obligations for which they had to answer (Hebrews 2:2).
the message spoken through angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment (Hebrews 2:2)
When God made a covenant with Israel, that covenant included blessings for keeping its clauses and punishment for breaking them. At the beginning of Deuteronomy chapter 28, for example, all the blessings are listed that would come upon the Israelites if they kept God’s words. The second part of the chapter, however, is filled with curses — and they are three times more numerous than the blessings. From the history of Israel we can see that all of this — both the blessings and the curses — came to pass.
For every violation of the law there was a just recompense. For example, in Numbers 15:32-36 we read of the following case.
32 While the Israelites were in the wilderness, a man was found gathering wood on the Sabbath day. 33 Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron and the whole assembly, 34 and they kept him in custody, because it was not clear what should be done to him. 35 Then the Lord said to Moses, “The man must die. The whole assembly must stone him outside the camp.” 36 So the assembly took him outside the camp and stoned him to death, as the Lord commanded Moses. (Numbers 15:32-36)
A man received a death sentence and was stoned because he was gathering wood on the Sabbath day. To us perhaps this seems too barbaric, too harsh and cruel. But he had broken the explicitly stated command of God that the Sabbath day be kept holy and used for rest and fellowship with the Lord.
Every neglect or rejection of what God had said, no matter how insignificant the matter might seem, was regarded as a direct challenge to almighty God. And it was punished. Truly, “every violation and disobedience received its just punishment.” And this was not merely in words, but in practice.
THE WEIGHT OF NEW COVENANT RETRIBUTION
If this was so under the conditions of the Old Covenant, then what will it be under the conditions of the New Covenant?
2 For since the message spoken through angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, 3 how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? (Hebrews 2:2-3)
The fact that those who broke the Law were punished seriously shows the seriousness of the Law. But the New Covenant is even more serious. It carries new responsibilities with it as well. Therefore the punishment for transgressing it is also stricter.
From Hebrews 6:4-8 we learn that there is a point of falling away beyond which there is no renewal and no turning back. This falling away is a kind of mortal sin, because it leads to spiritual death.
4 It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age 6 and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace. 7 Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. 8 But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned. (Hebrews 6:4-8)
According to Hebrews 10:26-30, a person can come to a state of apostasy in which his sins can no longer be forgiven!
26 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. 28 Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.” 31 It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (Hebrews 10:26-31)
So the danger of losing one’s salvation is entirely real. Otherwise all such warnings would be meaningless.
BY WHAT WOULD WE PROVOKE GOD’S WRATH?
First of all, by neglecting our salvation.
how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? (Hebrews 2:3)
There is a danger that we may cease to value our salvation enough. Notice that the author does not say “if we reject,” but “if we ignore.” Why? Perhaps because neglecting salvation can very quickly lead to rejecting it. The Greek word translated as “ignore” in this text is “ameleo,” and it means “to neglect” or for someone to be careless about something. This word is used by Jesus in the parable of those invited to the wedding. When they heard the invitation to the wedding, some of those invited “paid no attention” to it and went off, “one to his field, another to his business” (Matthew 22:5). This, however, became the reason they did not enter the kingdom of God.
Inattention, carelessness, negligence, indifference, and disregard toward the Word are the greatest causes of defection. Let us not dare to neglect the Word that God has spoken through his Son!
The second thing by which we can provoke God’s wrath is the losing of our salvation. In verse 1 it says:
1 We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. (Hebrews 2:1)
The word “drift away” in this verse in Greek is “parareo.” This word contains within it several truly striking metaphors. It means for “something to slip away from us” — like a ring that slips off the finger and falls somewhere where afterward we can no longer find it. It can also mean a bucket that has a small crack through which the contents of the bucket gradually and unnoticeably, but irretrievably, leak out. It also presents the following picture. In calm weather a boat may sit beside the pier for hours without being tied fast. But if even the lightest breeze blows, if it is not tied well, the boat begins to drift away, and, drawn by the underwater currents, it may be lost. The word “parareo” also paints for us the picture of a ship that, because of the headwind, the fog, and the waves, veers off its course and misses the harbor toward which it had set out. Such a ship may never reach its goal, and instead may suffer shipwreck.
What does this tell us? Let us not allow the dead swell of apathy and indifference and the underwater currents of negligence and complacency to drown us in the sea of defection!
The words “so that we do not drift away” do not refer to the gospel, but to the salvation it brings us. For most Christians the danger is not that they will suddenly begin to live a sinful life, but that, without noticing it, they will drift back into the world. Notice that the Christians of the church in Ephesus in Revelation did not “lose” their first love — they “forsook” it (Revelation 2:4). The drifting is not abrupt. It is gradual — little by little.
4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. (Revelation 2:4)
There is an interesting experiment with a frog. If it is dropped into a pot of boiling water, it jumps out at once. But if it is placed in the pot while the water is cold, and then it is put on the fire, the frog does not know at which moment to jump out and is boiled alive.
If we allow ourselves not to be radical toward sin, it will destroy us, because sin is so deceitful. Paul Harvey tells how an Eskimo kills a wolf. He dips his knife in animal blood and takes it out to let it freeze. Then he dips it in the blood again and again lets it freeze. In this way he adds many layers until at last the blade of the knife is completely hidden in the frozen blood. Then he fixes the knife in the ground with the blade pointing upward and hides himself. The wolf’s keen sense of smell draws it to the knife, and it licks the blood. This whets its appetite, and it begins to lick faster and faster, more and more feverishly. It does not notice when the blade of the knife becomes exposed. It does not even realize that at a certain moment the blood it is licking is already its own blood. And so it dies from loss of blood.
If we do not react radically to temptation, it can sweep us away! If we do not keep our souls firmly anchored in the bosom of the church, the currents of Satan can carry us off. But what are they?
First of all, there is the current of time. As it passes, we grow weary and gradually lose part of the fire of our devotion. Little by little our love seems to cool. It is as though, with time, we begin to look more backward, to our past attainments in the Spirit, past miracles and experiences, and we cease to look and press forward, toward the goal of our heavenly calling. Here we may also mention the current of the world, the flesh, habit, worldly cares, busyness, and so on. All these things can slowly draw us away from the Lord and his great salvation, if we are not careful.
OUR OBLIGATION TO PAY ATTENTION
Salvation is great. The punishment is terrible. The currents are treacherous. Therefore, if we do not want to lose our salvation and want to escape eternal death, we must pay attention, and, as our text says, “pay the most careful attention” — we must keep our spiritual eyes wide open. To pay attention means not only to look and to listen, but also to act according to what we have seen and heard.
1 We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. (Hebrews 2:1)
To pay attention means to be focused — to turn our whole mind and all our thoughts toward the object we are following with our gaze. Danger can appear at any moment. The loss of our salvation can happen “sometime” — that is, at an undetermined moment. To pay attention means to live. To drift away means to die. Therefore let us take God’s exhortation seriously and, as it is said in Philippians 2:12, “work out our salvation with fear and trembling.”