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by Katie Erickson

“We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. For since the message spoken through angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, 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. 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

Even though this passage is at the start of a chapter in our Bibles, remember that this letter was not written with chapter and verse numbers like we have them today. So, the “therefore” at the beginning of this section refers to what was written just before it. Check out this post for more on that.

To summarize the context, just before this, we read a number of quotations from the Old Testament that show us Jesus in those passages. Because of those Scriptural truths of who Jesus is and the fact that everything in the Bible points to Him, we must “pay the most careful attention … so that we do not drift away” (verse 1). The verb translated as “pay attention” can also mean to watch out, be on guard, beware, or devote oneself. An adverb is used before it that gives it the extra emphasis that is translated as “pay the most careful attention.” The author is emphasizing to the reader the importance of remembering Jesus as the center; we must not drift away from that.

The author then continues to discuss this truth of salvation through Jesus Christ. This section begins part 2 of the author’s argument to share why Jesus is superior. The first part was explaining who Jesus is in relation to God and showing evidence from the Scriptures. Now, the author moves to a discussion on the salvation work that Jesus accomplished.

In verse 2, “the message” is the word logos in the Greek. This is significant because Jesus is referred to as the Word (the logos) in John 1. Jesus Himself is the Word, but this message could also refer to a message from God, a revelation, or the gospel message. Here, the author is stressing that if a message given through angels is binding, then how much more important is the message that comes from the Son of God! The law tells us the punishment we will receive for every sin we commit, every time we are disobedient to God. We have been given that message through the law.

Because of that law from God and His standards, we know that we cannot escape the punishment that we deserve on our own power. But, that’s where salvation through Jesus comes in! The writer makes it specific which salvation is being referred to - only salvation through Jesus, not any other offer of salvation that may exist in the world. The author specifies that this salvation was announced by Jesus then confirmed by witnesses (verse 3).

What does that mean that salvation was “announced” by Jesus? We see Jesus announce His upcoming salvation in Luke 19:9-10: “Jesus said to [Zacchaeus], ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.’” We know that anything Jesus says is important, and especially when it’s regarding salvation.

The next point regarding salvation is that it was confirmed by witnesses. Anyone who preaches the gospel of Jesus Christ must agree with those eyewitnesses, many of whom were likely still alive at the time this letter was written. This also indicates that the author of Hebrews was likely not one of those original eyewitnesses. The term “confirmed” is a legal term to guarantee the security of something. There is no doubt about the salvation that Jesus Christ offers to us!

The final point about salvation is that “God also testified to it” (verse 4). It’s not only people who tell us about this salvation but God Himself. God has not only spoken of it, but He testifies to it by “signs, wonders, and various miracles.” Spiritual signs and miracles often accompanied the preaching of the early Church leaders. This was not the most important aspect of the teaching, however; the most important part is the actual message of salvation. But these supernatural signs show that the gospel message itself is also supernatural. It could not be accomplished by any natural means, but only by God Himself. We are not to get caught up in the signs, but focus on the message itself.

Unfortunately, many congregations and teachers today have drifted away from this central truth and message of Jesus as the only way to salvation. We need to always be cautious that we, in our Churches and in our lives, do not let this message “drift away.” This can happen even when someone is not directly opposed to the message, but they simply slip away from it as a foundational truth.

Jesus Christ and Him crucified must always be the core of our teaching and our lives. We must pay the most careful attention that this is always the message that we are teaching and living out!

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