Today the author of Hebrews is going to warn us not to drift away from the gospel message. We've already learned that in his day there was a growing habit of elevating celestial beings to the level of worship, a thing which is the same as idolatry. To bow the knees in worship to an angel is as bad as bowing the knees to a false god. Today we are told not to deviate from or add to the gospel message because doing so can cause us, and others, to miss out on the free gift of salvation. If we believe and teach that we must do things to "add to" our salvation, we are missing the whole point of what Christ did on the cross for us. The point is that He did something for us that we could never do for ourselves. His sacrifice was perfect and there's nothing we can do to add to it. Relying on our own good works or mixing pagan beliefs with Biblical truths can water down the gospel message to the point that it has no effect on its hearers. Even in our own day there are those who believe there are many ways to God, and teaching a watered-down gospel or teaching salvation by works is only going to add to this false belief. It's going to make people believe that following Jesus is an option instead of what it really is: a life or death choice of the soul.
"We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away." (Hebrews 2:1) The study of God's word is essential to our faith. Although we know the gospel message, we are still to study it so that we can recognize and reject any teaching that contradicts it. Although we are familiar with the stories of the Old Testament, we are to study them as well, for Jesus said of them: "These are the very Scriptures that testify of Me." (John 5:39b) Christ is present in the Old Testament. His blood sacrifice was symbolized by all the sacrifices that came before Him. His advent was foretold by the prophets. We know from the Old Testament that Christ would come from the tribe of Judah, of the line of King David, that He would be born in Bethlehem, that He would be called out of Egypt just as Israel was called out of Egypt. These are predictions that Jesus of Nazareth had no control over, yet He fulfilled them. He couldn't cause Himself to be born from the tribe of Judah and from the line of King David, but His genealogy records prove that these things are so. He couldn't make Himself be born in Bethlehem, which would not have happened if Rome had not conquered Judah and if the Roman government had not decided to take a census in order to tax the people. If the magi had not told the wicked Herod that the king who was foretold had just been born in Bethlehem, Jesus and His family would not have had to flee to Egypt for a time. The fact is that Christ came in exactly the way and in exactly the place the prophets predicted, so the study and the understanding of the Scriptures is vital to accepting that He is who He says He is. And the study of the gospel message is vital in order to keep it from being changed and stripped of the power it has to transform lives.
"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?" (Hebrews 2:2-3a) In Chapter 1 we were told that in times past God spoke to us in various ways, but that now He speaks to us through the Son. If the word of God given to man by angels and prophets in the Old Testament was to be believed and obeyed, how much more is the word of the Son to be obeyed? The penalty for violating the Mosaic law was quite harsh in many cases. How much more harsh will the penalty be if we ignore the word given to us directly by God the Son? If we refuse to accept His message, what hope do we have? If we reject His offer of salvation, what sacrifice is there for our sins?
"This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard Him." (Hebrews 2:3b) John the Baptist, an Elijah-type prophet who bridged the gap between the Old Testament and the New Testament, gave his testimony on the identity of Jesus of Nazareth on the day he baptized Him. On that same day, God the Father spoke from heaven, giving His testimony on the identity of Jesus of Nazareth. According to the law of Moses, the testimony of two or three people was all that was needed to establish a thing as truth, so John and the Lord God are two witnesses, which would have been enough. But Jesus Himself testified as to His identity, making Himself the third witness to the truth. The disciples also gave their testimony as to His identity, having witnessed His life, His miracles, His death, and His resurrection. We have all the proof we need. If we reject this proof, we are neglecting the great salvation offered to us. When we stand before God we will be without excuse and without Christ as our Mediator, Defender, and Redeemer.
If the word of God and the testimony of all these other witnesses aren't enough to convince us, the things Jesus did ought to convince us. "God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to His will." (Hebrews 2:4) Jesus performed miracles on a scale never seen before. After He ascended to His Father, the Holy Spirit was poured out on believers so that they too performed miracles on a scale never seen before. Although we don't generally see what are called "the signs of the apostles" in our own day, there's no doubt Jesus is still performing miracles. He is transforming hearts and lives, rescuing believers from the bonds of addiction, putting marriages back together, and bringing prodigal children home. I can testify to knowing a large number of people whose lives have been radically changed by Christ. They once were lost in sin and were living according to the desires of their human nature, but now they live to honor and glorify Christ in everything they do. I can give my own testimony, because when I came to Christ I was pulled out of darkness into His glorious light. I'm not who I used to be, and believe me you wouldn't like who I used to be. I am unrecognizable now, spiritually speaking, and no false gospel would have had the power to transform me into a new creature. If Christ isn't who He says He is, He couldn't have done for me what He's done. I can give no greater testimony than this. This is all the proof I need.
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