Chapter Introduction
The writer of Hebrews wasn't going to make a couple of good points, sign the letter, and send it. He's building an irrefutable case for the supremacy of Christ. And that's the kind of case it should be because the stakes are high. These are eternal things we are talking about and have eternal significance and consequences. As we study this, the Holy Spirit makes that same case to us. We should give earnest heed to that call. We need to ensure we understand these things and receive them as serious matters in our lives because that's how they are present in the bible.
Because Chapter Two starts with a “therefore,” we know what we study in this chapter is based on the facts of Chapter One. It's like saying, "Because of what we now know, we can move on, drawing a conclusion, building on that truth that was established." That truth is that Christ is superior.
Hebrews 2:1
Since we know and understand who Jesus is, we are called to “give more earnest heed.” This is a call to give something due attention. These phrases have nautical implications. To give “earnest heed” was to ensure your boat was anchored well and tied up in the right port. To drift away was to miss the port, to be adrift with no direction, going where the wind blows.
The point is that a faith that lacks purposeful and diligent action to maintain it can slip away. One commentary likened it to a ring slipping from our finger. No violent action, declaration, or sudden turning is required by the wearer, but only to forget about it. Then it slips away, is lost, never to be found.
Initially, this is one of those phrases we hear and might think, that's not for me. We tend to look at ourselves and feel we understand all we need to know. My ship is anchored. Maybe some of those Hebrew Christians thought their ship was anchored also until the persecution started. In lessons like this, we often begin to think of others who need to anchor their ship. We can always think of someone else who needs to give more earnest heed to the tenets of our faith. Maybe that's our own insecurity of finding comfort in bad company. Misery loves company. Do we think it's okay to drift away as long as we find many others drifting with us? That is the mindset of many when challenged about things of our faith. They say, "I can't be wrong because so many live the same way I am." We used that same defense as kids talking to our parents, "Everybody is doing this. Why can't I?" Our parents said, "You must think for yourself and be yourself. If everyone else walked off a cliff, would you also walk off?"
This is a call to give earnest heed lest you walk off a spiritual cliff following the world's lost souls. Entire denominations are drifting away, and no one seems to be giving earnest heed! Millions give no thought to what they've anchored their lives to. We plan retirements that we may never live to see. We plan vacations we may never get to take. We plan our lives as if we can control every aspect of it. Yet many fail to give earnest heed to spiritual matters, to think of eternal things that are sure and established. When the storms of this life come, they will reveal what every life is anchored to. We may fool ourselves for a time, some for a lifetime, but no one will fool the Lord when this life ends. What about you? This is speaking to each of you. We are each called to give more earnest heed.
To be anchored strongly in the faith means to hear carefully and understand completely so you may respond by doing. If we listen carefully and are teachable, we grow stronger in our faith. The Holy Spirit will teach us and grow us. Hearing the gospel of grace and coming to salvation by faith is like dipping your toe in an ocean of grace. As we mature and give earnest heed, we continue to wade in deeper and deeper, never looking back.
We did nothing to receive our salvation of grace, and nothing is required to retain it. Yet, if you have received such an amazing gift and truly embrace it, why wouldn't you want to wade in? How can you not wade in? What reason could we give for holding back? Yet, we hold back. The world is diligently pulling you back. The evil winds blow in our lives, attempting to set us adrift once again.
As an unbeliever, the Holy Spirit beckoned to you. The Holy Spirit gave you the faith to believe. That invitation to come to Christ is an invitation to die to yourself. The Bible says you deserve the wrath of God. But that's what Jesus took for you. As He was beaten, spit on, mocked, and a crown of thorns pressed into His head, the wrath of God was coming on Him. As He was nailed to the cross and suffered, He took what you deserved. The wrath of God culminated in the brutal and lonely death of the innocent God-man, Jesus Christ, nailed to a cross.
The invitation given to us is, come die with me. Die to yourself. Your way, you being lord over you, will not work. Being lord of your life will end in getting what you deserve. But denying yourself, dying to yourself, and being born again in Jesus Christ will start a new life in Him.
The unsaved may hear this and say, I don't want a new life. I like my old life. And even after we are saved, in our spiritual immaturity, we say, I'm afraid of a new life in Christ. What if He sends me to Africa as a missionary? I don't want to go to any of those hard places. I want the soft and cushy and faith.
God gives you new desires and a new heart in your new life. If He sends you to Africa, He will give you a heart for those people. He will light a fire in you to move and minister to them. The reality is there is no greater reward than for us to die to ourselves, wade fully into our faith, and embrace and seek all Christ has for us. If we do that, we will soon find that we are doing that for which we were made. We will find we are doing that for which we are called. Even if that means persecution and suffering, we will be walking in obedience and faithfully in Christ. If we do that, our life will be anchored deep in the Lord. There won't be any drifting, regardless of what happens.
The sad thing is that we can deny those things in our lives. We can ignore the call to a deeper relationship. We can allow fear of failure, fear of stepping out, and fear of change to keep us from the passion God has grown in us. We can allow ourselves to drift away simply by not giving earnest heed to our faith and by not giving it proper attention and priority in our lives.
David Guzik tells the story of an ungodly farmer that died. They discovered in his will that he had left his farm to the Devil. In the court, they didn’t quite know what to do. How do you give a farm to the Devil? Finally, the judge decided, “The best way to carry out the wishes of the deceased is to allow the farm to grow weeds, the soil to erode, and the house and barn to rot. The decision was the best way to leave something to the Devil is to do nothing.
Do nothing, and the devil wins. We are called to a high view of Jesus Christ. Because we understand that high view, we are called to take in the message of the cross and allow the gospel to change us from the inside out. Doing nothing results in a victory for the devil. When Christian men and women do nothing, they drift away. They go wherever the currents and tides of the world take them. Satan wins. Another Christian lives life without the power of the cross.
Hebrews 2:2-4
This verse is an answer to the anticipated response of the Hebrew Christians. They heard all these things and responded by saying, "Yeah, but........!" The writer shows the superiority of Christ and says we need to give heed to those things and not just drift away. And the response he anticipated from the Hebrews was, Yea, but....we had the law. The angels brought it to Moses. It must be good. It must be sufficient. It must be superior. They were leaning on tradition and religion and not paying attention.
Rabbis taught that neglecting the law would cause one to lose one's place in the world to come. They felt like they had to embrace the law, testified by the many angels seen in the Old Testament. They were torn, feeling they had to choose between Jesus and the law when, in fact, Jesus was the fulfillment of the law. Salvation is by grace; the law is then obeyed in reverence to God.
The "word spoken through the angels" refers to the law. The law was serious. It called for a payment for every transgression and disobedience. It came from God to men to show the high standard of holiness from the Living God. If these believers truly understood the law and believed it as the angels gave it, how much more seriously should they take the word from the Son of God, who is higher than the angels? The law had a great purpose. The holy ones gave it. But this salvation that comes from Christ is a greater promise; it comes from a higher One, and it can't be neglected. How do you escape that fact? How will you escape the judgment of the law if you reject the grace offered by the fulfillment of the law? What will your defense be?
Was there hesitation with Hebrew Christians? Did they think there was another way? We hear of the superiority of Christ and the call to give heed to those things and not just drift away. Did the Hebrews offer excuses similar to ours?
- We’re too busy with the blessings of this life to take time to thank God. With work, family, hobbies, entertainment, TV, social media, etc., we just don’t have time for anything else.
- The sinner says, “I’ve done too much, been too bad for too long.”
- The youth says, “I’ll get serious about this Jesus stuff when I get older.”
- The older says, “I have my ways. I believe I just never read, prayed, or attended church.”
- The wise say, “Today is the day of salvation. Right now, regardless of spiritual state or stage in life.”
Jesus said, "Come die with me." And when you die, He promised to give you new life. You can't halfway die. It's all or nothing.
Even in the church, we find those religious folks who never died to self. Folks can attend church every time the doors open, but it won't make any difference if they never heed the call. Trusting in attendance is nothing. Fellowshipping with Christians won't save you. Someone once said coming to church won't make you a Christian any more than hanging out in a donut shop will make you a cop. There is one way. You die to yourself and anchor your soul to Jesus Christ. You can't die halfway.
The writer of Hebrews said that the word first began by the Lord. Those who saw Christ heard these words, and they confirmed what He taught and who He was. Then, it was confirmed to others as they taught the next generation, which included the writer of Hebrews. He heard it from those who heard it from Jesus.
This “great salvation” was confirmed through two or more witnesses and then confirmed again by many signs, wonders, and miracles. Gifts of the Holy Spirit were given according to the will of God. The proof was piled on proof, confirmation on confirmation. How could they drift away? How could they let go of that truth? Did the fact that they were being persecuted change what had been confirmed over the ages? This amounts to doubting in the dark what you know to be true in the light. The gospel saved you in the light and a spiritually glorious moment. That salvation is no less glorious when standing in the dark with a threat upon your life!
What is the motivation or power behind this drifting away? For us, in our time, we have the complete New Testament before us. We have the writings of amazing men of God throughout the centuries explaining what all this means. We have incredible technology to help us. We can think badly of the Hebrews for drifting away, but how much more responsibility do we have to hear this and respond? How can we drift away? Are we not without excuse?
This call to embrace so great a salvation is addressed to believers. The writer includes himself when he says, "How shall we escape?" in verse three. This is about the neglect of believers. It's not about the rejection of unbelievers. It's about the saints of God drifting away due to neglect.
What starts as neglect of God's word, prayer, worship, or fellowship with God's people quickly turns into drifting away. This is a call to all believers to truly understand what an amazing thing has been done for you and respond accordingly.
Hebrews 2:5-9
The world to come is the coming millennial kingdom.
“And the LORD shall be King over all the earth.
In that day it shall be—
‘ The LORD is one,’
And His name one.” (Zechariah 14:9)
While the angels were initially given some administration duties, they won't rule anything in the millennial kingdom. All things will be subject to the Son.
Adam was the first image bearer, created to bear God’s image in the creation, to subdue it, flourish, and thrive. When Adam rebelled and fell to sin, the last Adam, Jesus, came and redeemed what Adam lost. Jesus was the express image of God, the perfect image bearer.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. (2 Corinthians 5:17-19)
FSB sums up this passage like this:
Psalm 8 contains descriptions of humanity that probably represent interpretations of Gen 1:26–28, where God creates His image-bearers and entrusts them with stewardship of creation. The author applies this to Christ (Rom 5:12–21; 1 Cor 15:45–54; Col 1:15–18). Just as God gave Adam the task of bearing His presence within the created order, He gave Christ—the image of God (2 Cor 4:4)—the task of inaugurating new creation through His resurrection (1 Cor 15:45–54). Christ now rules over all things (Psa 8:6).
Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S.,
Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016).
Faithlife Study Bible (Heb 2:6).
Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
God came to earth as a man, born of poor, scared, young woman. He was God but entered time as a little baby. He seemed to be powerless to affect any change on the world. What is man that God is even mindful of us? Why does he care about us? We are even lower than the angels. Yet, He gave mankind dominion over all this creation. God put all things in subjection under the feet of man. But there was a problem. Men failed at it. Mankind fell to sin and failed in this. Mankind's fall to sin was a rebellion against the Lord's plan and embracing their own way.
How can the Bible say He gave mankind dominion over all this creation when man rebelled? How can all things be subject to man? Because Jesus Christ is a man. Jesus is fully God and fully man. He is the last Adam, the image bearer of God—the express image. This is important because He had to be a man to take our place and pay our sin debt.
Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. 19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous. (Romans 5:18-19)
Jesus came as a man, flesh and blood. He was made a little lower than the angels. He suffered and died for all men. Then, he was crowned with glory and honor because He bore the sin of the world, felt the wrath of God, died as a man, and overcame that death in resurrection.
Hebrews 2:10-13
The writer declares it fitting or logical in its conclusion. Jesus would bring many to glory – a shadow of which is seen in the Exodus. Jesus was made a little lower for the work He would accomplish for His brethren, speaking of mankind.
The word “captain” should be thought of as someone leading the way, like a pioneer, leader, prince, or author of salvation. There is unity between Jesus, the one who sanctifies, and mankind, those he sanctified. Sanctification is the removal of sin. He calls them brethren.
That quote is from Psalm 22:22, the righteous, suffering servant. Jesus declared Yahweh to His brothers and sisters. In the assembly of God, Jesus would praise the Father in unity.
The writer then quotes Isaiah 8:17 and 18, respectively. The quotes display the Lord’s devotion to God the Father in unity with mere men. All these quotes speak of Jesus’ desire for a relationship with us. This is God the Son, seeking out mere men to save them from the sin they committed against Him.
Hebrews 2:14-15
There is a God in Heaven who is a man. He knows what it is like to walk in his body. He knows our every sorrow and affliction. He knows our temptations and fears. Jesus shared in our humanity. He came that through His death, He might destroy him who had the power over death. The devil is the one who is a liar and deceiver whose goal is to kill, steal, and destroy. Jesus made a way for everyone to escape the fear of death.
Mankind’s greatest fear is the fear of death. We spend billions trying to stay young, safe, and healthy. But, we’re all dying – some slowly, others in a moment. Christians may find they fear the process of dying, but they know there is nothing to fear of death itself.
Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death. (John 8:51)
Hebrews 2:16
The writer continues to support the quote in verse thirteen. This term 'give aid' means to 'rescue' or 'take hold of.' Jesus didn't come to rescue angels. The Messiah came to take hold of Abraham’s seed. These Hebrews believed they already had a future due to being descendants of Abraham. The writer shows that Christ came first to secure their future, to rescue them, to snatch them from the grasp of spiritual death. By extension, that same offer would go to the Gentiles.
Hebrews 2:17-18
Jesus became like us to save us. He became a man so that He could be our high priest. He became a man so that he might bring salvation to mankind. In the role of our High Priest, He made propitiation for the sins of the people. Propitiation means to satisfy or conciliate. Jesus satisfied the just requirements of the law. He stepped in and took our punishment so we didn't have to. He did what we couldn't do for ourselves. He did what no angel could do for you. Without Jesus, we are without hope, destined to death and eternal separation from God. We need to have the right understanding of Jesus so that we know our salvation is sure and our hope is secure. We need to give earnest heed to this. We each need to make sure we have our lives anchored firmly in Jesus Christ.
Imagine sailing your ship across a great ocean. There are many ports. Many look inviting, secure, and safe. Each port offers many things to entice you, each one beckoning to you, trying to get you to tie your ship to their dock. Imagine choosing a dock, sailing your ship in, and tying to it. You are willing to bet the ship this is the right one. It will offer all you need. Then the storm clouds come, the waves and winds. Now you're not so sure. You begin to wonder, are you secure? Did you give earnest heed when you needed to? Will your ship break free and drift away?
Give earnest heed to these things, lest you drift away. Remember what the judge decided: the best way to leave something to the Devil is to do nothing.
©2011 Doug Ford, updated and revised 2019, 2024
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