Beware: All is Lost if the Gospel is Lost

 

Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. ² For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, ³ how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, ⁴ God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?

Hebrews 2:1-4

The Primary Theme

The epistle to the Hebrews is shrouded in a measure of mystery. Questions begin even with, who wrote the book?[1] What was the occasion for its being written? When was the book written? We will have to wait for answers to the questions that God has not yet revealed. The theme of the book, however, is anything but mysterious: “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son.”[2] From the opening verse, the absolute supremacy of Christ Jesus as prophet, priest, and king over all things is the beginning, middle, and the end of the whole matter.[3]

The supremacy of Christ is emphasized in His being and His work. In His being, Christ is supreme over all else because of His perfections. Seven perfections of the Son (1:2-3) promote His completeness and the “sevenfold glory of the Mediator.”[4] 1) The Son has been appointed heir of all things; 2) the Son made the world; 3) the Son is the brightness of God’s glory; 4) the Son is the express image of God’s person; 5) the Son upholds all things by the Word of His power; 6) the Son purged our sins; and 7) the Son sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

From His being, the supremacy of the Son extends over all His creatures, the work of His hands. The Son is supreme over the prophets (1:1-2), the angels (1:4-14), Moses (3:3), Joshua (4:8-9), the Old Testament priesthood (7:20-25), the Tabernacle (9:11), and the sacrificial system (9:12). There is nothing in heaven or earth that is over Christ, for He is both Lord and God, the receiver of all worship. His throne alone is “forever and ever” (1:8).

Next to this central theme of the Son’s superiority is the second theme that is like the first – namely, the perfect work of salvation accomplished by the Son. He has “by Himself purged our sins” (1:3). “He is able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them” (7:25). “But now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself…so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many” (9:26, 28). “But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God” (10:12). The perfect salvation was accomplished by the perfect Christ for the perfection of the many sons whom He brings to glory (2:10).

The Primary Concern

With the primary themes established, Hebrews 2:1-4 comes from the writer, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, with a concern for his readers that is present throughout the book – “Do not drift away!”. They have heard the gospel of Christ. They have heard something of His being and work. Now they must pay more abundant attention to what they heard. Failure to take heed will lead to drifting away from Christ and the great salvation which He has provided through His blood.

Five times in Hebrews, the writer deals with the danger of falling away from Christ and His salvation.[5] Five times He warns the reader against coming up short. The application of Hebrews is so strong that Richard Phillips refers to the book of Hebrews as a sermon on the theme, “Do not fall away.”[6] The abundant warning against coming up short of eternal life is a direct contrast to the abundant gift which would be lost by doing so—namely salvation through Jesus Christ. You have heard the gospel. You must pay more abundant attention to it, lest you drift away.  

The Urgency of the Matter

Having laid the foundation for the gospel of God in chapter one, several key words are used to draw our earnest attention to the matter at hand and address questions raised by the opening argument. What type of attention must we render to God and the gospel of His Son? The phrase,περισσοτέρως προσέχεινis, is rendered “the more earnest heed” in the NKJV and “must pay much closer attention” in the ESV.[7] The use of the word περισσοτέρως (more earnest) denotes an exceptionally strong attention. Lexicons translate the word, “far more, far greater,”[8] “more abundantly,”[9] and “more superabundantly.”[10] While it is somewhat awkward for English speakers to add “more” to a superlative (i.e. more fastest), the goal of the text is to grab our attention by the weightiness of the matter.[11] Like the double red flags at the beach warning potential swimmers of deadly currents, the sense of the text is that our life depends on the manner of attention we render to the message. The whole beach is filled with red flags! Take that kind of heed!

The following word προσέχειν means “to give close attention to something.”[12] The closeness of the attention is not merely, or even primarily, referring to proximity to the object of attention, but rather to the application of oneself to the object.[13] The Scripture says of Lydia, “The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul” (Acts 16:14). John Owen described Lydia as attending “with readiness, humility, and resolution to obey the Word.”[14] The Westminster Shorter Catechism highlights the same type of resolute attention to the Word when in answer 90 it says, “That the Word may become effectual to salvation, we must attend thereunto with diligence, preparation, and prayer; receive it with faith and love, lay it up it up in our hearts, and practice it in our lives.”[15] Attention must be given with great diligence, for our life depends upon it.

What happens if we do not pay more superabundant attention?  The final word of 2:1 gives the warning, παραρυῶμεν (lest we drift away). This is the only time the verb is used in the Bible. It is a nautical word meaning “slip away,” “be washed away,” or “drift away.”[16] Whether it is a boat drifting at sea, washed clean by water, or unknowingly departing off course, the aorist active subjunctive form of the verb gives the sense of a present possibility of departure from where one should be. “The metaphor in mind here seems to be that of allowing the current to carry one away from a fixed point through carelessness and unconcern…of failing to maintain a secure anchorage which will keep one from drifting from the gospel”[17] Secure your anchor firmly to Christ, the sure foundation, lest you be carried away by the current to your own peril.  

To what should we give more abundant attention? From what would we drift away? Τηλικοῦτος σωτηρίας(“so great a salvation”). The emphasis of the word τηλικοῦτος (“so great”) is in the degree of importance.[18] Speaking of the salvation of God, Paul uses the word to describe God who “delivered us from so great a death” (2 Cor. 2:10). We are not giving attention to something weak but extremely powerful, namely, σωτηρίας (“salvation”). Here the salvation in mind is that of “Messianic Salvation,” which is to say the free, full, and finished work of God in Christ.[19]  

What is the certainty of the great salvation? The final verse brings out yet another compound verb only appearing on this occasion in Scripture:συνεπιμαρτυροῦντος. The meaning of the present active genitive masculine singular participle is “to bear witness at the same time.” It is a key component of the fourfold witness to the great salvation in Hebrews 2:3-4.[20] The salvation is so great a salvation because the Lord Jesus began to preach it (Mark 1:15), the eyewitnesses confirmed it (1 John 1:1-3), and God and the Father and the God the Spirit bore witness to it (Luke 3:22; Romans 8:11). What is more important to listen to and give attention to than this?

The Key Argument

The Greek text consists of two sentences. The first sentence is the first verse, and it carries out two functions. First, it connects the doctrine of chapter one and makes application to the same through the words Διὰ τοῦτο, translated, “Therefore.”  The use of the word “therefore” points to the logical connection between doctrine and practice.[21] Second, it introduces a new argument, “we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard.”

The second sentence provides three premises interspersed in the final three verses to support the argument. Give more earnest heed to what you have heard because: 1) the salvation is abundant; 2) the warnings are abundant; and 3) the revelation is abundant.

The focus of the argument is on τοῖς ἀκουσθε (“the things we have heard”), namely, the Word of God spoken by the Son of God in these last days (1:1-2). The verb ἀκουσθε is an aorist passive participle dative plural neuter, demonstrating that hearers do not hear of their own goodness or desire. Rather, God made them to hear through the agency of His sent messengers, the prophets in times past and the Son in these last days.[22] That which God made them to hear, they must give abundant attention, and much more abundant attention than anyone hearing in the past because the messenger is no mere man, but God incarnate (1:2-4).

“Lest you drift away” (μή ποτε παραρυῶμεν) is the consequence for not heeding what we have heard. The use of μή before the subjunctive verb (2^nd aorist active) is used to express warning and caution, as in Luke 21:8 and Hebrews 4:1.[23] The indefinite conjunction extends the warning through time, “‘lest ever or at any time’…for this danger is not one of the present moment only.”[24] The consequence of the phrase is that we must constantly be giving more abundant heed as sin and unbelief can creep in at any time this side of glory (3:7-19).

The primary premise of the text is that we must pay more abundant attention because of “so great a salvation.” The demonstrative τηλικαύτης is used just four times in the New Testament. Paul uses it in 2 Corinthians 1:10 to emphasize the great deliverance God has given by delivering us from so great a death. James uses the same word to show how large a ship is controlled by so small a rudder (James 3:4). John uses the word to emphasize the severity of the great earthquake that took place with the seventh angel (Revelation 16:18). In three of the four instances our minds cannot fully comprehend the greatness of the matter being described because we have not fully experienced it.  The greatness of the salvation encompasses all there is in salvation. What mind can behold this? So great a salvation has been revealed; let us take heed.

The second premise is the abundant revelation to the Son and His salvation. Reaching back to 1:8, 10, where the writer famously applied the titles “God” and “Yahweh” to the Son, so the Son is again titled “Lord,” who at the first began to speak of the great salvation.[25] Further, the message preached by Christ was ἐβεβαιώθη (“confirmed”) by many witnesses. The use of the aorist passive indicative emphasizes the writer as the recipient of the witnessed message rather than one who was himself a witness to the preaching of salvation. John testified to his own personal witness (1 John 1:1-4). If the writer of Hebrews was an eyewitness, he did not include himself seemingly because he is also warning himself from drifting away. The use of the second person plural ἡμᾶς (“we”) in 2:1 teaches that the writer of a book of the Bible does not view himself above the message. He himself must attend unto the great salvation with more abundant attention. How much more ought we?

The Son preached the great salvation. Eyewitnesses confirmed the message. Finally, God also bears witness at the same time (συνεπιμαρτυροῦντος τοῦ θεοῦ). The witness of the triune God to the great salvation should not be lost on us. The Son spoke the word at the first. The Spirit testified to the Son with gifts. The Father also bore witness with signs, wonders, and miracles.[26] The triune God gives concurrent testimony in the text to the great salvation.[27]

The third premise is the abundant warning against drifting away. The essential need for more abundant attention to the Word, the Son, and His salvation is confirmed by the gravity of the warnings. The warnings of the angels proved steadfast (βέβαιος). It is the same word used to refer to God’s promise in Romans 4:16 and the anchor of our soul in Hebrews 6:19. The view here goes back to the Old Testament when the angels spoke to men. The angel told Lot’s wife not to look back (Genesis 19). The disobedient received a just reward. The angel told Israel not to make covenants with the Canaanites (Judges 2). The disobedience again resulted in the promised punishment. With more glory, honor, and authority than angels, the great salvation comes with a warning from Jesus: “He who does not believe is condemned already” (John 3:18). The same witnesses and preachers of the great salvation also bear witness against those who will not take heed to the great salvation.

As certain as the great salvation is great for all who believe, so also is the judgment certain on those who drift away. “Therefore, we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard.”

Sailing and Drifting

Two key components to the text are salvation by the Savior and drifting away while sailing. While very different concepts on their own they were both known to the first readers of the Epistle to the Hebrews.

In ancient Greek writing and mythology, almost anyone can become a savior (σωτήρ). While most often used for the false gods like Zeus, philosophers, rulers, and the Caesars could also be referred to as “savior.” The Septuagint utilizes σωτήρ on several occasions for judges while also emphasizing Yahweh as the ultimate source of salvation (1 Samuel 10:19).[28] In contrast, the New Testament uses σωτήρ exclusively for Christ (16x) and God (8x).[29] It is never used for mere men, earthly rulers, or philosophers. The unwillingness of early Christians to call the Caesars “Lord,” “Savior,” or “God,” cost them tremendously in their vocations, freedoms, and even their lives. Nevertheless, they knew the great salvation they had received by God through Christ, even His blood which was shed on the cross for them and they could declare no other Savior but Christ Jesus our Lord.

In Acts 27:13-44, Paul was a prisoner en route to Rome on board a Roman ship. Sailing was dangerous, so they needed to stay close to Crete. Nevertheless, a “tempestuous head wind arose called Euroclydon” (Acts 27:14). Unable to keep their course, the ship was driven away from Crete and safety. Sometime later they caught sight of the island Clauda and tried to secure the ship. Once again, the ship was in peril, almost sunk, and they had to let her drive again. Finding an uncertain island that turned out to be Malta, the ship was eventually dashed on rocks, and the crew had to swim for land and safety.

Before GPS, SOS, and CPUs, the stars and land were essential to navigation of sea. There were few things more terrifying to a sailor than a storm causing the ship to drift off course and away from land. If both were lost, especially for an extended time like fourteen days, the situation would be nearly hopeless. How much more terrible is it to drift off course from the Gospel of Jesus Christ? The consequences of drifting from land are temporal, but the consequences of drifting from Christ the Savior are eternal, the misery indescribable. Let us give more abundant heed to so great a salvation.

Doctrinal Implications

There are several theological implications from the text that are worthy of additional study. The Trinitarian witness to the gospel is one. The relationship of the sovereignty of God to the responsibility of man in attendance to the gospel is another. While there is much doctrinal content here, there are three doctrines which much be emphasized.

First, the primary means Christ uses in the saving of sinners is the Spirit of God applying the Word of God to the hearer of the Word (Romans 10:17). The writer develops the essential means of the Word further by teaching the the Word is not only the initial means of bringing the sinner to the Savior but also the continual means of preserving the saint until glory. More simply, the Christian race does not end with baptism, church membership, or profession of faith. It begins there and then continues. “Continuance in the Word is a prime pre-requisite of discipleship.”[30] Those that are called of God—namely, the elect of God—will endure to the end through the Word of God.

Second, the greatness of the salvation is in its Author, who is salvation Himself (Luke 2:30; John 4:22).[31] All the blessings of salvation flow out of Christ who is perfect in all His ways, words, and works (1:2-3). Therefore, it must be emphasized that the salvation which was preached by Christ—and, in a real sense, is Christ Himself—is an altogether free, full, and finished salvation. “He calleth the gospel so great a salvation because of the free offer of remission of sins, and eternal life in it.”[32] The danger of preaching on the great salvation is to talk about things surrounding salvation without getting to salvation itself. Salvation is freely offered and freely given. Therefore, it is great. Salvation is fully accomplished in Christ. Therefore. it is great. The penalty of sin has been fully paid, the power of sin has been fully broken, and the pollution of sin has been fully cleansed. The Savior finished the work of salvation by shedding his own blood and dying on the cross for the sins of His children. For all these reasons, the salvation of Christ is so great a salvation.

Third, if we drift away, all is lost. We will surely perish. God holds men accountable for their response to Christ and His great salvation. “We sometimes think that the Old Testament God is different from the God we read about in the New Testament. We think that the old covenant is all about wrath and judgment, and the new covenant is all about love and grace…[T]he point is that if we reject the message of Jesus, we too will be held accountable.”[33] There is great responsibility for the hearers of the Word to the gospel that they hear (John 3:18). If they let it drift away, “they have lost a treasure far better than thousands of gold and silver…all is lost, if the gospel be lost.”[34] In contrast with the inconceivable loss if rejected, the salvation is all the greater!

 

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[1] Frederick F. Bruce, The Epistle to the Hebrews, Eerdmans Classic Bible Commentaries (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1990), 14-20.  Historical analysis of the human writer of Hebrews leads to multiple convictions. It may best be summarized, “God knows the truth of the matter.”

[2] Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations in this paper are from The Holy Bible, New King James Version (NKJV), copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All Rights Reserved.

[3] Phillip E. Hughes, A Commentary on the Epistle to the Hebrews, Eerdmans Classic Biblical Commentaries (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1977), 2, 72. “The comprehensive theme of the Epistle to the Hebrews is that of the absolute supremacy of Christ.

[4] Arthur W. Pink, An Exposition of Hebrews (Retrieved from Copyright © Monergism Books, https://www.monergism.com/exposition-hebrews-ebook), 98-99.

[5] See Hebrews 2:1-4; 3:12-15; 6:1-12; 10:19-25; 12:12-17

[6] Richard D. Phillips, Hebrews, Reformed Expository Commentary (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing Company, 2006), 47.

[7] Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version), Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

[8] Frederich W. Danker, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3^rd edition (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 806. (BDAG)

[9] Joseph H. Thayer, Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, Fourth Ed. (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers Marketing, LLC, 2019), 506.

[10] James Strong, The New Strong’s Expanded Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Rev. Ed. (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson), Greek Dictionary, p. 200.

[11] 2 Corinthians 7:13 is translated, “we rejoiced exceedingly more for the joy of Titus…” The sense of the word is again, “more exceedingly,” but in English the rendering of “more” after the adverb is more common.

[12] BDAG, 880.

[13] Strong, Greek Dictionary, 213.

[14] John Owen, John Owen on Hebrews Chapter 2, A Classic Puritan Commentary (n.a.), 6.

[15] The Confession of Faith and Catechisms (Willow Grove, PA: The Committee on Christian Education of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, 2008), 396-397.

[16] BDAG, 770.

[17] Hughes,  73

[18] Strong, Greek Dictionary, 250; BDAG, 1001 – 1002.

[19] Thayer, 612. See also John 4:22 and Romans 11:11.

[20] BDAG, 969.

[21] Hughes, 72

[22] R.C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of the Epistle to the Hebrews and the Epistle of James (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Publishing House, 1966), 63.

[23] Daniel B. Wallace, The Basics of New Testament Syntax (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, 2000), 208.

[24] Lenski, 64.

[25] In Hebrews 1:8 the writer applies the title “God” אֱלֹהִים to the Son, but he goes further in 1:10 when He quotes from Psalm 102:25-27 and applies the Psalm’s address to Jehovah יְהוָה to the Son. Jesus is both Lord and God as Thomas confessed (John 20:28).

[26] John 5:31-47 brings out a similar four-fold witness reaching back to the Old Testament prophets. It is more difficult to evidence the Spirit’s witness in that passage unless the Spirit is implied in John 5:32.

[27] Owen, 24.

[28] Verlyn D. Verbrugge, New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, Abridged Edition (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2000), 552-553.

[29] God the Savior: Luke 1:47; 1 Tim. 1:1; 1 Tim. 2:3; 1 Tim. 4:10; Titus 1:3; Titus 2:10; Titus 3:4; Jude 1:25.

Christ the Savior: Luke 2:11; John 4:42; Acts 5:31; Acts 13:23; Eph. 5:23; Phil. 3:20; 2 Tim. 2:10; Titus 1:4; Titus 2:13; Titus 3:6; 2 Peter 1:1; 2 Peter 1:11; 2 Peter 2:20; 2 Peter 3:2; 2 Peter 3:18; 1 John 4:14.

[30] Pink, 103

[31] Pink, 106

[32] David Dickson, A Short Exposition of the Epistle of Paul to the Hebrews, Reprinted from the Edition of 1649,(Birmingham, AL: Solid Ground Christian Books, 2005), 12.

[33] Michael J. Kruger, Hebrews For You, God’s Word for You Series (India, The Good Book Company, 2023), 28.

[34] Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible, New Modern Edition, Volume 6 (USA, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 2006), 720.