Hebrews 2:3

How shall we escape, if we neglect so great a salvation? which having at the first been spoken through the Lord, was confirmed unto us by them that heard?

Escape? None is possible where disobedience of the word of God is involved. Penalties of the most awful consequence await the soul which through unbelief, neglect, or disobedience fails to heed God's message through his Son. "The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men" (Romans 1:18). The inevitability of sin's receiving its just punishment is founded in the holiness and perfection of God, coupled with the utter abhorrence of evil, the latter attribute of God being little noted by many in this day; but everything revealed in the Bible concerning God shows that sin will be punished. God has already executed judgments upon the wicked, and these emphasize the extent of the divine will in that direction. There have already been imposed upon wicked men overwhelming judgments of sorrow and wretchedness because they obeyed not, not merely upon individuals alone, but upon nations, races, cities, extensive populations, and indeed upon the entire race of Adam! Witness the expulsion from Eden, the overthrow of the antediluvians, and the summary destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Think of the casting out of the angels themselves when they sinned, their removal being recorded in the same verse that detailed their crime; and it is written that they are reserved in chains of darkness until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. Let every man ask himself, "How shall I escape where so many have failed?"

In the cross of Christ you read a manifestation of the wrath of God against iniquity, which must reduce to hopelessness every considerate person still living in sin, or must reduce to silence at the last day every sinner that will cling to delusive hope.[3]

Neglect. It is not necessary to take up arms against God in order to be lost. Not merely the active pursuit of evil but the neglect of positive good can destroy the soul; and it is doubtless from the latter fault that the great majority of unredeemed people shall fail to win the crown.

So great a salvation is an appropriate designation for the redemption in Christ; and the true greatness of it is apparent because of: (1) the greatness of the Saviour who achieved it; (2) the greatness of the disaster from which it rescues the sinner; (3) the greatness of the eternal reward in heaven provided by it; (4) the greatness of the Saviour's love that underlies it; (5) the greatness of the adversary who opposes it; (6) the greatness of that multitude who shall receive it; and (7) the greatness of those certainties upon which it is grounded.

The contrast in this verse is between the sinners of the Old Testament and the New Testament, leading to the conclusion that if they suffered punishment for disobeying the word that came through angels, how much more certain is it that the wrath and judgment of God shall be executed upon them that neglect or disobey the word delivered by God's Son himself.

Which having at the first been spoken through the Lord must be one of the most significant utterances in the whole sum of divine revelation. It defines Christianity as the message brought by Christ. Not even the function of the Holy Spirit in the apostles contravened this, for it was declared by Christ of the work of the Spirit that he should "not speak from himself" (John 16:13) but aid their "remembrance" (John 14:26) of the things Christ had spoken. The true faith was Christ-delivered; and Christ is the only source of the words of life (John 6:68). The bearing of this exceedingly significant truth upon the religious problems of these times is seen in the fact that such a vast body of man-originated doctrines, human innovations, and traditional ceremonies have been received, all of which have no connection whatever with Christ. People who accept such things should look to people for their reward, since it is so certain that Christ is not the author of those things. The practical effect of this verse before us is to limit Christianity to the teachings of the New Testament and those parts of the Old Testament approved in the New Testament. Christ made his sayings the basis of everything (Matthew 7:24-27). The great commission made the charter and constitution of faith to be, in the words of Jesus, "Whatsoever I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:18-20). If Christ did not teach it, therefore, it is not part of the Christian religion. And since only the New Testament contains authentic teachings of Christ, it is altogether proper to refer to Christ's system as New Testament Christianity.

Was confirmed unto us by them that heard. These words are said to remove the apostle Paul from consideration as the author of Hebrews. Cargill, for example, wrote that "Hebrews 2:3 indicates that Paul was not the author of the book, because the writer says that he received the gospel secondhand, from those who heard the Lord himself."[4] Common as this view is, it carries no weight at all with this writer. See under "Authorship" in the introduction. Suffice it to say here that the text says nothing that requires one to view it as anything except a delicate and gracious identification of the author with his readers for the sake of making a more personal and persuasive appeal for their obedience; and for a commentator to interpret the word "secondhand" out of the pronoun "us" is to make that pronoun about the most pregnant ever heard of. The writer of Hebrews used this very same approach in Hebrews 6:1-5, and in that instance, there is no question but that he did it for the purpose of achieving a better rapport with his readers and to make a stronger appeal. Since it is certainly the case there, why should it be considered as anything else here?

The confirming of the word of Christ, mentioned here, was, in a sense at least, unnecessary; because nothing can add to the truth and dependability of God's word. Such confirmation, then, must be viewed as a heavenly concession to the decent opinions of mankind, and as respect to the scriptural admonition to establish everything in the mouth of two or three witnesses. The confirming witnesses of Christ's revelation were: (1) the miraculous deeds that accompanied it; (2) the witness of the apostles; and (3) the various gifts of the Holy Spirit next mentioned.