If we neglect the gospel we may drift away, and how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? Rather, we must pay more careful attention to the gospel of Christ and find life in Him!
Paying Attention To The Gospel
Hebrews 2:1-4
As we have discussed in previous studies of Hebrews, the superiority of Christ is really the theme of this book. That’s why the author uses the word “better” 13 times . In chapters one and two we are shown that Christ is better than the angels.
In Hebrews 1:4 we read that Christ “has become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they.” In the first three verses we are giving an introduction to why Christ is superior to everyone.
- He is God’s Son
- He is God’s last word to man
- He has been appointed the heir of all things
- He made the world
- He is the radiance of God’s glory
- He is the exact representation of God’s nature
- He upholds all things by the word of God’s power
- He made purification of sins
- He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high
Then in verses 5-14 the author quotes many Old Testament passages to prove the points he makes in verses 1-3.
- Jesus is the Son – 1:5; Ps.2:7
- Jesus is the Heir – 1:6
- Jesus made the world – 1:10; Ps. 102:25
- Jesus upholds all things – 1:12
- Jesus made purification of sins – 1:14 (salvation)
- Jesus sat down at the right hand of God – 1:13
In chapter one the author focuses on the deity of Christ. In chapter two the author focuses on the humanity of Christ. As the author passes from the deity and royalty of Christ in chapter one to His humanity in chapter two, the Holy Spirit moves him to make some practical application in 2:1-4. The author does this frequently in this book. He will teach some deep theology, and then pause momentarily and make a practical application, like many preachers will do as they deliver a sermon. The writer will pick up his discussion of Christ and the angels in 2:5, but for now his heart is deeply stirred for the salvation of his readers, so he pauses and takes the time to exhort them to pay attention to the gospel that they might be saved.
The author’s theme in 2:1-4 is the Gospel:
- “what we have heard”
- “so great a salvation”
- “at the first spoken through the Lord”
- “it was confirmed by those who heard (the apostles)”
This passage consists of three parts:
- The Duty Regarding the Gospel: 2:1a.
- The Danger in Neglecting the Gospel: 2:1b-2:3a.
- The Demonstration of the Trustworthiness of the Gospel: 2:3b-4.
1. The Duty Regarding the Gospel
For This Reason: For what reason? Why should we pay attention to the gospel? Obviously it is based on what the author has already told us.
- Because Jesus is God’s Son
- Because Jesus is the Heir of all things
- Because Jesus made the world
- Because Jesus is the radiance of God’s glory
- Because Jesus is the exact representation of God’s nature
- Because Jesus upholds all things by the word of God’s power
- Because Jesus made purification of sins
- Because Jesus sat down at the right hand of God
- Because Jesus is much better than the angels
Because of the glory of Christ, pay attention to the gospel!
1:2 – “in these last days God has spoken to us in His Son.” Jesus is God’s last and greatest word to man. Thus, we must pay much closer attention to this Word He has spoken!
We Must Pay Much Closer Attention: This is the first duty recorded in the book. Closer attention than to what or to who? Verse 2 provides the answer: “For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty, how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?” God gave the Old Testament Israelites the word which was spoken through angels. That refers to the Law. The Old Testament Israelites did not pay close enough attention to the Law, because they ended up rebelling against it and committing gross idolatry. We Christians must pay much closer attention to the gospel than the Israelites paid to the Law.
Must: this is not a suggestion or option; it is a command!
Pay Attention: A kindergarten teacher tells her kids this constantly. “Children, pay attention!” Children are so easily distracted. It’s difficult to keep their attention for five minutes! Well according to 5:11 – 6:1 these Hebrews were spiritual infants. They needed to grow up. The way to do that is to pay attention to the gospel. The KJV renders 2:1 as “give the more earnest heed.” To give the more earnest heed is the opposite of neglecting, or being careless about something.
Application: What do you pay attention to? What are your favorite Youtube channels, favorite TV shows, favorite podcasts, authors, bands? We take pains, pay money, and set aside time to listen to these people! How much more should we pay attention to the gospel of Christ! We must do this. Not just if we are in a crisis, or at church, but every day. This is a word for all Christians in every period of life.
How do we do this? The Navigators hand illustration: hear, read, study, memorize, meditate.
Listen to Jesus. This is not a hard command unless don’t want to do it. The first command is not to work for Jesus, but to listen to Jesus. Chapter one makes this a light burden and an easy yoke. Why wouldn’t we want to listen to someone as glorious as Jesus?!
So great a salvation: why would anyone scorn Jesus’ importance and neglect so great a salvation? Only if they regarded something else as more important to listen to. Most people do neglect the greatness of salvation! How many people do you know who give serious sustained attention to salvation, love it, think of it, commend it to others, set hope on it? What we are really saying is don’t neglect being loved by God, forgiven, accepted strengthened, guided, sacrifice of Christ, free gift of righteousness, removal of wrath, reconciled smile of God, indwelling Holy Spirit, fellowship with Christ, free access to the throne of grace, and the inexhaustible treasure of God’s promises! Commit yourself to meditate on the Word day and night!
2. The Danger in Neglecting the Gospel
Drift Away: Think of small children playing in a rowboat on the Niagara River. The rowboat is tied to the dock. The children are safe as long as the boat is secured to the dock. But if the rope comes untied and begins to drift they are in danger. Drifting may take place so slowly that it is almost imperceptible. The children don’t realize it until they are being carried swiftly down stream and it is too late to get safely to shore. The gospel is our dock. We must pay attention to it so that don’t drift to destruction down Niagara Falls.
It takes no energy to drift. All it takes to drift is to do nothing. What are the currents that cause us to drift from the gospel? Entertainment, worldliness, our flesh, daily concerns (Lu.8:14). Identify right now that thing that causes you to drift from the gospel. We can’t overcome it until we know what it is. Write it down.
Word Spoken Through Angels: What is this? It is speaking of the Mosaic law. We are told in Scripture that God gave His law through angels.
Acts 7:38,53 “This (Moses) is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness together with the angel who was speaking to him on Mount Sinai, and who was with our fathers; and he received living oracles to pass on to you… you who received the law as ordained by angels, and yet did not keep it.”
Gal.3:19 “Why the Law then? It was added because of transgressions, having been ordained through angels by the agency of a mediator, until the seed would come to whom the promise had been made.”
Unalterable: This word means “certain, firm, sure, or steadfast.” Once given, the Law wasn’t going away. It can’t be changed. It governed the life of an Israelite and brought God’s just punishment if it was disobeyed. Whether a person liked the Law or not, didn’t matter. They could not alter it.
Every transgression & disobedience: There was a just penalty for every Israelite who broke the Law of Moses. The Law contained many capital crimes (adultery, homosexuality, breaking the Sabbath, sorcery, murder, kidnapping, idolatry, blasphemy, incest, bestiality, cursing or striking parents). What is the point? Jesus is far greater than angels. If the Law which came through angels was unalterable, the gospel which comes through Christ is even more unalterable. If the Law brought judgment and punishment to those who disobey it, much more so will the gospel do the same. The gospel is unalterable. You may not like the fact that the only way of salvation is through Christ, that you can’t be saved through your own righteousness, that must repent and believe in Him. But it doesn’t matter. It is unalterable! God is not going to change the terms of salvation for you. The gospel not just an invitation to accept, it is a command to be obeyed!
2Thess.1:8, “dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus”
Heb.10:28-29, “Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?”
Escape: Escape what?
Mt.23:33 “How shall you escape the sentence of hell?”
Rom.2:3 “Do you suppose you will escape the judgment of God?”
Notice that the escape has to do with salvation. “how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?” In other words, if we paid attention to salvation instead of neglecting it, we would escape. Well, what do we escape from when we receive salvation? We escape God’s wrath, judgment, and eternal hell.
Neglect: Notice the word is not “reject.” It is “neglect.” The opposite of neglecting salvation is paying much closer attention to Word. Why is it such an evil thing to neglect gospel? Why should a person be punished for just neglecting it? The answer is because by neglecting it he is saying that it is not great. It is commonplace, ordinary. He is despising it, belittling it. Saying it is not worthy of his pains, his attention, his obedience.
So great a salvation: The author doesn’t say “a great salvation” or “the great salvation.” It is “so great a salvation.” It is unspeakably great. Why is it so great? Think of the many evils our salvation saves us from: power of sin in this life, and the everlasting wrath of God in the life to come.
Think also of the many blessings our salvation bestows upon us – full, free, everlasting remission of all sins; the enjoyment of the favor of the infinitely powerful and wise and good Jehovah; the transformation of our lives; the gift of a new heart and new spirit; the gift of righteousness, adoption, reconciliation, the sealing of Holy Spirit; a peaceful conscience; a good hope; perfect purity and happiness in life to come; and the everlasting enjoyment of God.
3. The Demonstration of the Trustworthiness of the Gospel
How can we know if the gospel can be trusted? Can we rely on it? To confirm us in the truthfulness of the gospel, the author pulls out three primary witnesses.
- God: “through angels”. Implies God Father was 1st Same wording as 2:2. Exactly what would expect. 1:1-2. God spoke first through prophets, but in these last days, has spoken in His Son.
It was at the first spoken through the Lord: During Jesus’ earthly ministry He preached and taught the gospel of the kingdom over and over.
Mt. 4:23, “Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people.”
Mt. 9:35, “Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.”
Can Jesus be trusted? Has He ever taught a lie? Has He ever made a promise He did not fulfill?
It was confirmed to us by those who heard: Who were they? The apostles. They heard Jesus’ preaching directly from him. They were eyewitnesses. They lived with Him, traveled with Him, and watched Him minister day after day. Can the word of the apostles be trusted? They were so sure of the gospel of Christ that they were willing to seal their testimony to Christ with their own blood by dying as martyrs. No man willingly dies for a lie, when he can easily save himself by recanting. The New Testament is the confirmation of the gospel by the apostles of Christ. The apostles are the indispensable link between Christ and believers. The firmness of our faith rests on these witnesses. They are the foundation of the church.
God also testifying with them: How did God testify of the truthfulness of the gospel?
Both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will. God testified to the truthfulness of the gospel by granting signs, wonders, miracles, and gifts to those who preached it. We read about these signs, wonders, miracles and gifts in the book of Acts. We read of miracles of healing, casting out of demons, and raising of the dead in both Peter and Paul’s ministries.
Mk.16:20 “And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the word by the signs that followed.”
Application:
We have no excuse! God has done everything necessary to assure us of the truth. We have the teaching of Jesus, the word and letters of the apostles, and the miracles of God. All testify that the gospel is God’s very word to man. So, if we neglect the gospel, we have no one to blame but ourselves, and we bring everlasting destruction upon ourselves. My friends, if you end up in hell you will have no one to blame but yourself. God gave you the word of salvation, and you neglected it, and in many cases rejected it.
Pay Attention to the Word! Commit yourself to be in the Word regularly. 1 Peter 2:2 says, “like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the word so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation.”
The opposite of paying attention to the gospel is to neglect it. Are you neglecting the gospel? We neglect the gospel by making other things more important in our lives. Do you pass up time in prayer because you want to stay in bed longer or watch TV, or go to the ball game, or go out to eat. Does your Bible sit on your table day after day after day and never get opened until you take it to church on Sunday? That’s neglecting the word of salvation.
What happens when we neglect the gospel? We drift away from it. Are you drifting? Are worries, and riches and pleasures of this life causing you to drift from the gospel? Are you like the kids in the lifeboat that has come loose from the dock and is drifting down Niagara River toward the deadly falls?
Remember, that Hebrews was written to Jewish Christians who were being tempted to leave Christianity. They were suffering persecution and the seizure of their property. It was not easy to be a Christian. We are at the opposite spectrum. Instead of being tempted to leave the gospel to avoid pain, we are tempted to leave the gospel to maximize pleasure. One of the most destructive things Satan is using here in the U.S. is entertainment. Entertainment is the new god. Just look around at everybody. Few people interact with others any more. They are all staring at their phones. Why? In order to amuse themselves, either with games, or social media, or movies or music. Is entertainment causing you to drift from the gospel?
The best way I know of preventing your heart from drifting from the gospel is to start every day with communion with God through the Word and prayer. If that is not your daily habit, I urge you to make it a habit. Start it tomorrow morning. Use the Bible Reading Plan that the church is going through if you don’t have a plan of your own. Begin to share what you are reading on WhatsApp. If it doesn’t make sense, ask a question. If you gain an understanding, share that. But brothers and sisters, don’t neglect the word of salvation! Let’s pray.
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