Hebrews 2:1-9 - Do Not Neglect Your Salvation!

Hebrews 2:1-9

1 Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. 2 For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, 3 how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, 4 God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?

The Son Made Lower than Angels (cf. Ps. 8:1–9)

5 For He has not put the world to come, of which we speak, in subjection to angels. 6 But one testified in a certain place, saying:

“What is man that You are mindful of him,
Or the son of man that You take care of him?

7 You have made him a little lower than the angels;
You have crowned him with glory and honor,
And set him over the works of Your hands.

8 You have put all things in subjection under his feet.”

For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him. But now we do not yet see all things put under him. 9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.

Here we are told not to drift away from keeping what we have heard concerning the gospel in the foreground of our thoughts.  This means we need to dwell and meditate on God’s word that we have heard and run after keeping that word in daily life.  Having heard such wonderful news of grace, how can we let it become dead doctrine we merely assent to and not daily guidance to aim the directions of our lives towards in earnest?  Worse yet, if we hear the gospel and do not respond to it with repentance and faith, we must know we will not escape accountability to the Lord in disobedient disbelief and disregard of the truth given with a Father’s love to those He made in His image.  This salvation from the wrath of our Maker on our sin of rebellious disobedience was begun in Eden’s Garden by not believing and following God’s one warning and multiple allowances.  God sent His Son to tell us again and offer deliverance (salvation) from our certain fate of justice and this good news was repeated by the apostles and their disciples afterwards in scripture and throughout history since Jesus walked this earth to speak this grace of forgiveness to those with ears to hear and eyes to see the truth and only solution (Acts 4:12) of the Son to save us.  It is vital to understand that these things were proven by the “signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit” and were done “according to His own will” and not because anyone asked for the proof.  Referring back to the previous chapter of Hebrews, we see the place of angels and of Christ’s identity further fleshed out here.  First of all, the world is not under the rule of angels but under the Son of God who, though come as a lesser form than angels as a man (Philippians 2:7-8, 9-11), suffered and died and rose from death to life to prove His sovereign right to rule us.  By God’s grace this mortal man who appeared lower than angels and yet was simultaneously the Son of God far above them and all creation, this one suffered as we deserve to suffer and died as we deserve to pay for our sin (the wages of sin is death as Romans 6:23 makes clear), this one was crowned with glory and honor to the Father to die for us!  All has been put under His authority (Matthew 28:18) to pay our price and ransom us from death’s captivity in sinful rebellion against hearing and following the word of God given to we who are made in His image of holiness (2 Corinthians 7:1, Ephesians 4:24, 1 Thessalonians 3:13, 4:7) and righteousness.  May we identity with Him who is in us and knows us (2 Timothy 2:19) and live accordingly in willing obedience of thankfulness and attentiveness to all He has told us to live by.  Do not neglect your salvation!