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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
Today, we begin our study of Hebrews 2 where the writer of Hebrews attempts to help its readers to understand that the Old Testament or covenant was fulfilled and completed by the Lord Jesus Christ. As we have mentioned before, Hebrews is an epistle that was addressed to a group of Jewish Christians who were struggling with their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
In v.1 of today's passage we read, "We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away."
The "therefore" in this verse indicates this verse is predicated upon what was said in Hebrews 1 which informs us the Lord Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the Old Testament Law. He has done something sinful mankind could never do: earn the abiding favor of God.
Here in Hebrews 2:1, God gives us the first of five warnings about backsliding. In this first warning, God urges us to give the most aggressive attention to what we have heard about the Lord Jesus, so that we do to drift away from Him. The Lord Jesus Christ is the only One who is perfect enough to absorb the punishment of God for our rebellion.
No one backslides as a result of one giant leap away from God. No, we backslide through a series of small, dinky steps away from God. In order to grow spiritually, we, as believers in Christ, must pay very close attention to our personal relationship with God through His Son the Lord Jesus. In order to do this, our hearts must be involved. When we hear and do not give a heart response to the teaching that we have heard, we are in danger of drifting away. Neglecting our personal interaction with the Lord Jesus on a daily basis can and will lead to drifting away.
As we learned in Hebrews 1, the Lord Jesus is the One who purged our sins and who is seated at the right hand of God. The Lord Jesus is the One whom the angels worship. He is the One whose angels are His servants. He is the One who is God. He, therefore, must be the object of our worship. He is the One who must define us on a daily basis.
In v.2-3 of today's text we read, "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."
Here, God argues from the lesser to the greater, and He uses the two testaments to make His point. The first testament was the revelation of the law, which came by angels, and any breach of that law, the Old Testament law, or any disobedience to it, was followed by a strict, severe, and just punishment. Every single time, in the Old Testament, an angel spoke, if a person did not respond to it in obedience, they were punished by God. Nobody got away with breaking the old covenant brought by angels.
The second revelation came through the Lord Jesus Christ who fulfilled the first revelation. And, if we do not receive the Lord Jesus and depend upon Him for our salvation, we stand condemned by our sin which has not been dealt with if we have not trusted in the Lord Jesus.
This is why the Lord Jesus said in John 3:17-18, "17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son."
The word "disobedience" in v.2 of today's text means imperfect hearing, like a deaf man. This is the deliberate shutting of the ears to the commands, warnings, and invitations of God. This is the sin of neglect. This is standing there doing nothing when you should do something. There is one thing that gets us into heaven and there is one thing that keeps us out of heaven, and they are two sides of one coin. They are believing in the Lord Jesus and not believing in the Lord Jesus.
In v.4 of today's text we read, "God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will."
When the Lord Jesus preached the gospel, He also performed signs, wonders and miracles to make it more believable. He confirmed his own ministry by His own miracles. There is no excuse for any of us to NOT believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. As a result, the believer in Christ is infallibly secure in the work the Lord Jesus accomplished on the cross. Given that we are prepared for an eternity in heaven with God, let's live daily so close to the Lord Jesus that His imprint is made obvious to all we relate to on a given day. Let's walk so closely to Him that they regularly ask us for an explanation for the difference He is making in our lives.
