"How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard Him?"
Hebrews 2:3
Part 2
Yesterday: Neglecting the Savior’s Message
“How shall we escape.”
Escape is impossible!
“If we neglect so great salvation.” (a)
Neglecting salvation may not mean what you think.
Today: Embracing the Savior’s Message
“If we neglect so great salvation.” (b)
Believers, we have salvation, and sadly, it can be neglected. This word “neglect” means “to be careless of,” (Thayer). It also carries the idea of making light of something, like the ones invited to the wedding supper, but refused to go (Matthew 22:5). In Hebrews, the writer tells us to not let what we have “slip.”
“Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip” (Hebrews 2:1).
Here, in our passage, “The danger isn’t rejecting salvation…but the danger is neglecting salvation.[1]” We are to be doing something with our new life, growing in Christ. Being in the Word and striving to live by the strength of the Holy Spirit, we are working daily at growing and changing our lives for His glory. To neglect this, a believer’s testimony and life will quickly come to ruin. Someone has said,
“Most of the calamities of life are caused by simple neglect.”[2]
“Which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord.”
The Lord Jesus spoke His Gospel message first to His disciples.
“God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds” (Hebrews 1:1-2).
“And was confirmed unto us by them that heard him.”
Jesus taught the Gospel to that generation, and it was confirmed to the next generation by those who heard Jesus speak. Believers, we believed and were saved not because Jesus or one of His disciples talked to us personally. We believed because some faithful servant confirmed the truth to us from God’s Word, and His Spirit worked in our hearts.
“Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed” (John 20:29).
Jesus described us! This same Gospel that saved sinners in the first century is the same “Good News” that works in sinners’ hearts now. Believer after believer after believer has shared this Good News with sinners, down through the last two millennia! It’s the old, old story that is always new. Amen!
Two questions for believers.
1) Do you let this “so great salvation” keep working in you to change your life more and more into His likeness? Or will you neglect it?
2) How is your Gospel witness going? Are you faithful to share it with the lost around you?
Quote: “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:1-2). Good News! Let’s tell the world!
[1] Enduring Word Commentary, the electronic version in eSword. Italics mine.
[2] Quote borrowed from The King’s Business, flipbook, Downloaded: Monday, October 26, 2020. (April 1921). From: https://online.flippingbook.com/view/140322/45/. Page 45 (printed page 349).