Do Not Neglect Such a Great Salvation

“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? It was declared at first by the Lord, 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 2:2-4 ESV)

Now, those verses are packed with information about the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. This chapter shows the superiority of Jesus’ message over the message delivered by angels. In the oral traditions of the Jewish religion, it was taught that angels were actually the go-between Moses and God in delivering the Torah (the first five books of the Old Testament) or what is called The Law of Moses. Remember, this writer is addressing Jews who had accepted the teachings of the Apostles or were considering the teachings of the Apostles. But as we read this letter, it clearly is addressed to Jews who were very familiar with the Old Testament and the oral traditions of the Jews.

Every Jew held the Torah in the highest regard. Therefore, the writer states that “the message declared by angels proved to be reliable,” confirming in their minds that the Law of Moses was indeed reliable and could be trusted. But he did not stop there; he also reminded them that “every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution.” 

Every Jew knew that the penalty for breaking the Law of Moses was death and that God had set up an intricate sacrificial system that would “cover the sins” of the people. They knew these sacrifices needed to be performed day after day in order to be obedient to the Law. Having established the Old Testament Law as reliable, the writer then explains that his readers cannot “neglect such a great salvation” that was proclaimed by Jesus, not angels, and was further declared by the apostles who heard in person Jesus’ words of eternal life.

We will see later in this letter that the writer states, “For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (10:4).

Remember, the Old Covenant system of sacrifices was to “cover,” not remove sin. The message of the New Covenant proclaimed by Jesus and attested to by the Apostles was one of complete salvation. Jesus died once for all sins; the penalty of death for sin was paid completely by Jesus. Peter proclaimed this truth to the Jewish religious rulers when he and John were arrested for preaching at the Temple when he proclaimed, “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

Here, these Jews were reminded not to neglect or ignore the truth proclaimed by Jesus and preached by His apostles. They were being warned not to try to find salvation in the Law of Moses, but to remember the salvation message taught by Jesus and preached by the Apostles. “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6).

This warning to these first-century Jews is the same warning that we need to hear today. We may not be familiar with the Law of Moses, but we are familiar with sin. We know in our hearts that sin separates us from God and that the only hope we have of being reconciled to God is through the gift of eternal life offered by Jesus. We know we cannot be good enough on our own; we know that standing before a Just, Holy God, we would be sent out of His presence for all of eternity.

So, my friend, “How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?” We know we are unable to. We know the only hope we have of being saved and spending our eternity with God is by accepting the gift of grace from God and accepting His Son as our savior. Do not be fooled by any other message, “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

"Living in Grace is not about what I can do, but about what Jesus has already done!"