Day 613: This great salvation - Hebrews 2 vs 1 - 4

1-2 Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we  neglect such a great salvation? 3 It was declared at first by the Lord, 4 and it was  attested to us by those who heard,  while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit  distributed according to his will. Hebrews 2:1-4 (English Standard Version)

Verses 1-2 (which I touched on in my previous post on Hebrews) are the application the writer made after showing how Jesus Christ is superior to all God's angels. He had applied verses from the Old Testament to Christ which said: “Let all God's angels worship Him.” And his point was that it would be foolish to not take the message Jesus brought to the world seriously, and to not cling to the amazing salvation Jesus has provided for our disobedience. He calls it 'a great salvation'.

Who does he say was the first to make this great salvation known to the world (vs 3), and can you think of a well known verse in the New Testament that confirms this truth?

While the promise of salvation from God had been spoken of by prophets in the Old Testament, it was Jesus Himself who made clear just how this salvation would come about. It was Jesus who taught that 'God so loved the world that He GAVE His only begotten Son.' (John 3:16) Jesus went on to explain that this 'giving' involved Him being lifted up on a cross so that the sins of those who looked to Him in faith would be forgiven, and they would be saved. There is no greater message in all the world than that.

So who were the people who took this message of salvation that Jesus brought, and passed it on to the world? (vs 4)

The writers words appear to imply that he wasn't one of the small group of apostles who first took the gospel of Jesus to the streets of Jerusalem, and then to the gentiles. But it was to them that, just before He ascended to heaven, Jesus said: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20) They, with many other men and women, had witnessed the things Jesus had taught and done. But why should we believe them? Some of them were just fisherman – not great religious teachers. (vs 4)

We’re told that God authenticated their testimony. The Holy Spirit came down on the day called Pentecost with signs that all who were in Jerusalem that day clearly recognized as being unique. One of those signs was that people heard Jesus' message in their own language, even though the apostles didn't speak those languages. And in the years that followed the Holy Spirit did miracles through the apostles and gave special abilities to the early Church so that sick people were healed and demons were sent packing.

The writers choice of words in vs 4 helps us understand why such miracles are not a common experience among Christians today, even though some Christians profess to do them. The miracles of the apostles were God-given signs to show that their message was from Him. They weren't intended to last through the centuries so that Christians wouldn't need to go shopping or see doctors, but could make a few fish last the whole year, or pray a prayer and any illness would disappear. Just as miracles authenticated the message Jesus taught, so the signs done by the Holy Spirit through the apostles showed that Jesus had sent them. Therefore, like the Jewish Christians to whom this letter was written, you and I should also pay much closer attention to the message that Jesus brought, and which He sent His apostles out to teach to the world.