Jesus: Do Not Neglect His Salvation

The point of the author’s argument is now a little more obvious when he writes, “How will we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?” He has moved from the lesser (angels/old covenant) to the greater (Jesus/new covenant). If the old covenant that came from God and was delivered by mere angels demanded retribution for sin, how much more will God judge those who have spurned the gospel now delivered to us by his own Son! This judgment is explicitly portrayed in Revelation 19 as Christ returns to “trample the winepress of the fierce anger of God, the Almighty” (Rev 19:15). The danger of spiritual drift is not only that we might miss out on a spiritually flourishing life; the true danger of spiritual drift is that we abandon the gospel itself and find ourselves under the judgment of God.

The gospel is good news. The good news is only good, though, when it is accepted in place of the bad news. The bad news is we are truly deserving of hell for our transgression of God’s righteous requirement. The really bad news is we will be even more accountable to God if we reject Christ. The seriousness of the gospel cannot be overstated. The gospel is good news for those who repent of their sin and trust in Christ. It is terrible news for those who do not.

Hebrews 2:3b-4

Hebrews 2:3-4 further shows how Christ’s superiority over angels relates to the danger of spiritual drift. Again, the contrast is clear: failure to heed the reliable message brought by angels brings retribution and death. How much more guilty, then, are those who reject the “great salvation” declared by the incarnate Lord himself? This new stage in redemptive history brings great privileges, but also great responsibilities.

The author indicates that the message of the new covenant inaugurated by Christ (this “great salvation”) is superior to the message delivered by angels in at least four ways. First, it was “spoken of by the Lord.” Once again, the author leans heavily on his previous declaration that God has now spoken to us “by his Son” (Heb 1:2). These words are essential for understanding the logic of the theology of Hebrews.

Second, this message was “confirmed to us by those who heard him.” Though we may not often think of it, the New Testament consistently teaches the profound theological importance of the testimony of the apostles to the person and work of Jesus Christ. After all, Christ set apart the apostles and commissioned them to function as the foundation of the church (Eph 2:20). We do not believe myths and legends about Jesus. The message of the gospel has come down to us from the credible eyewitness testimony of the apostles.

Third, God himself “testified” to the veracity of the gospel “by signs and wonders” and “various miracles.” Many Christians, while rightly affirming the historicity of God’s miraculous works, misunderstand their purpose. The author of Hebrews reminds us that miracles do not exist for their own sake. They do not ultimately point to themselves. Instead, miracles attest and validate God’s major works in redemptive history. In the New Testament, miracles attest and confirm the truth about the identity and work of Christ.

Finally, the “gifts from the Holy Spirit” attest to the truthfulness of the gospel and its superiority over the message delivered by angels. Again, the author of Hebrews helps us strip away our misconceptions about why spiritual gifts exist. Spiritual gifts are not an end to themselves to be used for our personal, private enjoyment. Spiritual gifts edify the church (1 Cor 14:3-5; Eph 4:11-12) and testify that Jesus Christ is Lord. As Paul explains in Ephesians 4:8, Christ has ascended on high, and now, with all authority in heaven, showers gifts on his church. Gifts within the church, therefore, bear witness to Jesus Christ as the resurrected Lord and to the superiority of the new covenant over the old.

Hebrews 2:5-9

The author of Hebrews continues his argument about Christ’s superiority over the angels. This time, however, he requires his readers to do a little bit of biblical theology. That is to say, the author of Hebrews wants us to read Scripture according to its own internal storyline and then see Christ as the fulfillment and climax of that story. Hebrews 2:5 communicates that God never promised angels dominion over the created order. The Genesis narrative communicates that the earth was subjected to Adam and Eve—to humanity: “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness. They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, the whole earth, and the creatures that crawl on the earth’” (Gen 1:26).

The subsequent verses in Hebrews (vv. 6-8) show us how the Bible itself theologically develops the dominion mandate given to Adam. The author quotes from Psalm 8:4-6, in which David provides his own biblical theological commentary on Genesis 1–2. David marvels that though man is made “less than God” (Ps 8:5), man is also made “ruler” over the world (Ps 8:6)—a dominion that is now exercised through the Davidic king. The author of Hebrews interprets this text as ultimately pointing toward the ideal image bearer and Davidic king, Jesus Christ. The theology of these verses mirrors the theology of Paul: Christ is the “last Adam” (1 Cor 15:45-47), the first man of the new creation (1 Cor 15:20). Whereas the first Adam failed to carry out the duties of image-bearing, the last Adam has succeeded.

At the same time, the author of Hebrews recognizes a tension between the reality of the ascended and reigning Christ and the continuing presence of sin in the world. For the last Adam, there is “nothing that is not subject to him,” and yet, “As it is, we do not yet see everything subjected to him” (v. 8). Many theologians refer to this tension as the already-not yet aspect of the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God and the reign of Christ are in some senses already inaugurated, yet we are still waiting for the kingdom’s consummation.

However, this perceived chaos in the world around us should not cause us to doubt the veracity of the gospel message or the work of the last Adam. We may not see all things subjected to him, but “we do see Jesus” who has fulfilled every aspect of the Old Testament and secured his regal throne in glory. The progression of events in verse 9 is profoundly important. “For a short time”—during the incarnation—Jesus appeared to be “lower than the angels.” The eternal Son of God became a man named “Jesus.” This is the first reference to the name “Jesus” in Hebrews. Up to this point, the author refers to him as the “Son.” Now, specifically in the context of the Son’s humiliation and incarnation, the author chooses to remind his audience that the eternal Son became a man: Jesus Christ.

Even more, this last Adam has now been “crowned with glory and honor.” He is not crowned simply because he is the God-man and therefore worthy of all divine prerogatives. Instead, the author mentions that he has been crowned with glory and honor because he has fulfilled his messianic task of suffering and death. The result of his suffering is redemptive. Christ has “[tasted] death for everyone.” The first Adam plunged humanity into sin and death; the last Adam was plunged into death for the sake of humanity. The work of the last Adam undoes the work of the first Adam. As the One who fulfills the task originally given to Adam, Jesus represents the ideal man who bears God’s image rightly and exercises dominion over the cosmos. He has inherited the place of dominion spoken of in Psalm 8. He is superior to all things, including the angels.

As we will see, the following verses more fully explain the work of Christ in our redemption. Again, the contours of the book of Hebrews (indeed the contours of the entire canon) must shape our theology. We must articulate and celebrate the work of Christ on our behalf, but we must do so understanding his work in the context of his identity. As Hebrews 2:9 reminds us, the person and work of Christ are intimately intertwined. He is the eternal Son who comes to glory through suffering. As the glorious God-man, he is superior to all things, including the angels.