The letter to the Hebrews contains wonderful promises of God’s rich blessings to those who respond to Him in faith. But it also contains strong warnings to those who reject His message given through angels and especially through His Son. As the writer expressed it in the previous chapter, Heb 1:1 “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.” In that chapter the writer had gone on to describe the supremacy of Jesus because He is the creator and sustainer of the universe and the One who fulfilled God’s plan of redemption through the sacrifice of Himself on the cross.
The First Warning
This then is the first warning, Heb 2:1 “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. 2 For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, 3 how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, 4 while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.” [ESV.] The readers of the letter were to “pay much closer attention to the message.”
The Important Message They Were Not To Ignore
These are powerful words stressing the importance of the message. Thus, “pay much closer attention to the message.”
“Much closer” is [perissōs; περισσῶς] meaning exceedingly, beyond measure, abundantly, vehemently.
“Attention” is from [prosechō; προσέχω] which means literally to hold the mind. In other words, they were to fix their minds on the message Christ brought in His ministry of words and deeds.
“Drift” is an interesting word [pararreō; παραρρέω] which means to flow beside, to carelessly let slip away, to fail to grasp. This meant that they had to focus on the message, act on it and not let it drift away from their attention.
The warning is intensified as the writer adds, “For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, 3 how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?” Heb 2:2-3. God means what He says. He showed that in the history of Israel. When He warned the nation through angelic messengers and they ignored or rejected His message, there were consequences. If God brought judgment on those who rejected His message through angels then how could they possibly escape if they neglected the message of salvation given through His much greater messenger, His Son, Jesus?
The Salvation Jesus Came To Bring. 2:3-4
The writer described this salvation as “such a great salvation.” He or she then added why it was such a great salvation in verses 3 and 4.,“It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, 4 while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.” We look at these words more closely.
i]. “It was declared at first by the Lord”
Throughout the whole history of Israel, God had been speaking to His people through angels and through human messengers. He was preparing His people for the salvation that would be accomplished through Christ. This was God Himself taking the initiative in His grace and letting His people know His will, how He wanted them to belong to Him and how to behave as His people.
ii]. “and it was attested to us by those who heard”
“Attested” is from [bebaioō; βεβαιόω] meaning to confirm, establish or make sure. The writer is saying that he or she, together with those who had heard the message could vouch for the truth and reliability of the message they received. So the readers or hearers of this letter should accept what God had spoken especially through His Son and act upon that message.
iii]. “while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.” Verse 4.
God Himself also bore witness to the message. “Witness” is from [martureō; μαρτυρέω] to be a witness, to bear witness, i.e. to affirm that one has seen or heard or experienced something. God bore witness to the message brought by Christ by confirming it in ways that only He could do. These included the following.
- “Signs” is from [sēmeion; σημεῖον] meaning something that pointed beyond itself to a truth. The signs pointed to the truth about Jesus.
- “Wonders” is from [teras; τέρας] meaning a prodigy, portent, a miracle. These were special revelations from God to confirm His message.
- “Various miracles” is from [poikilos; ποικίλος = various, diverse, manifold] and
- “Miracles” [dunamis; δύναμις] meaning power or strength. The power of God at work! We see how Jesus described the origin of His words and His works as being from the Father working through Him, ““Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works.” John 14:10.
- “Gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to His will.” These are not just human abilities but manifestations of the presence of God. It is the Holy Spirit Himself who distributes the gifts, not humans. “Gifts” here is not the same as in 1 Corinthians 12 [charismata] but is from [merismos; μερισμός] meaning a separation or distribution. The Lexham English Bible accurately translates this phrase as “and distributions of the Holy Spirit according to His will.“
Summing up
After outlining the pre-eminence of Jesus in chapter 1, the writer spelt out what that involved for humans. God had spoken through His Son and had accomplished “such a great salvation” through His sacrifice on the cross. There was an urgency for the readers to act on the message
They had received the message of salvation and had to act on it and not let it drift away through neglect. [“Neglect” in Hebrews 2:3 is ameleō; ἀμελέω = not to care for, to disregard.] To make light and disregard such an important message would bring the Lord’s just penalty.
In just these 4 verses we see the amazing grace of God in revealing His purposes in Jesus and how the people needed to respond to Jesus by faith to receive the promise of salvation. That is our choice today. Shall we act on the message of salvation in Christ or will we neglect it by letting ourselves drift by it and suffer the penalty for our neglect?
Blog No.514 posted on Friday 12 January 2024.
About Jim Holbeck
Once an Industrial Chemist working for the Queensland Government but later an Anglican minister in Brisbane, Armidale and Sydney. Last position for eighteen years before retirement in 2006 was as the Leader of the Healing Ministry at St Andrew's Cathedral Sydney.
holbeck 
514. THE DANGER OF NEGLECTING THE SALVATION GOD OFFERS US. [Hebrews 2:1-4.]
The letter to the Hebrews contains wonderful promises of God’s rich blessings to those who respond to Him in faith. But it also contains strong warnings to those who reject His message given through angels and especially through His Son. As the writer expressed it in the previous chapter, Heb 1:1 “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.” In that chapter the writer had gone on to describe the supremacy of Jesus because He is the creator and sustainer of the universe and the One who fulfilled God’s plan of redemption through the sacrifice of Himself on the cross.
The First Warning
This then is the first warning, Heb 2:1 “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. 2 For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, 3 how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, 4 while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.” [ESV.] The readers of the letter were to “pay much closer attention to the message.”
The Important Message They Were Not To Ignore
These are powerful words stressing the importance of the message. Thus, “pay much closer attention to the message.”
“Much closer” is [perissōs; περισσῶς] meaning exceedingly, beyond measure, abundantly, vehemently.
“Attention” is from [prosechō; προσέχω] which means literally to hold the mind. In other words, they were to fix their minds on the message Christ brought in His ministry of words and deeds.
“Drift” is an interesting word [pararreō; παραρρέω] which means to flow beside, to carelessly let slip away, to fail to grasp. This meant that they had to focus on the message, act on it and not let it drift away from their attention.
The warning is intensified as the writer adds, “For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, 3 how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?” Heb 2:2-3. God means what He says. He showed that in the history of Israel. When He warned the nation through angelic messengers and they ignored or rejected His message, there were consequences. If God brought judgment on those who rejected His message through angels then how could they possibly escape if they neglected the message of salvation given through His much greater messenger, His Son, Jesus?
The Salvation Jesus Came To Bring. 2:3-4
The writer described this salvation as “such a great salvation.” He or she then added why it was such a great salvation in verses 3 and 4.,“It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, 4 while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.” We look at these words more closely.
i]. “It was declared at first by the Lord”
Throughout the whole history of Israel, God had been speaking to His people through angels and through human messengers. He was preparing His people for the salvation that would be accomplished through Christ. This was God Himself taking the initiative in His grace and letting His people know His will, how He wanted them to belong to Him and how to behave as His people.
ii]. “and it was attested to us by those who heard”
“Attested” is from [bebaioō; βεβαιόω] meaning to confirm, establish or make sure. The writer is saying that he or she, together with those who had heard the message could vouch for the truth and reliability of the message they received. So the readers or hearers of this letter should accept what God had spoken especially through His Son and act upon that message.
iii]. “while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.” Verse 4.
God Himself also bore witness to the message. “Witness” is from [martureō; μαρτυρέω] to be a witness, to bear witness, i.e. to affirm that one has seen or heard or experienced something. God bore witness to the message brought by Christ by confirming it in ways that only He could do. These included the following.
Summing up
After outlining the pre-eminence of Jesus in chapter 1, the writer spelt out what that involved for humans. God had spoken through His Son and had accomplished “such a great salvation” through His sacrifice on the cross. There was an urgency for the readers to act on the message
They had received the message of salvation and had to act on it and not let it drift away through neglect. [“Neglect” in Hebrews 2:3 is ameleō; ἀμελέω = not to care for, to disregard.] To make light and disregard such an important message would bring the Lord’s just penalty.
In just these 4 verses we see the amazing grace of God in revealing His purposes in Jesus and how the people needed to respond to Jesus by faith to receive the promise of salvation. That is our choice today. Shall we act on the message of salvation in Christ or will we neglect it by letting ourselves drift by it and suffer the penalty for our neglect?
Blog No.514 posted on Friday 12 January 2024.
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About Jim Holbeck
Once an Industrial Chemist working for the Queensland Government but later an Anglican minister in Brisbane, Armidale and Sydney. Last position for eighteen years before retirement in 2006 was as the Leader of the Healing Ministry at St Andrew's Cathedral Sydney.