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1. The Danger of Neglecting Salvation (Heb 2:1-4) After his lofty opening which exalted Jesus to the highest position, the author now issues the first of many exhortations: “Therefore we must give the more earnest heed … lest we drift away” (Heb 2:1). The book of Hebrews stands as a clear rebuttal to the Calvinistic heresy of “once saved, always saved.” The entire epistle is an effort to drag weak brethren back from the brink of apostasy. Not once does the writer suggest that their salvation was a sham or pretense. In fact, he will expressly affirm their fellowship with God (i.e., Heb 6:4-6). If people were not predisposed to believe in eternal security, it would never occur to them when reading passages such as Heb 2:1-4. The author uses a “lesser to greater” argument: if the Law of Moses (“the word spoken through angels”) carried with it grievous punishments for violation, how much more the Law of Christ (“so great a salvation”) if neglected? The readers are offhandedly reminded of the abundant confirmation which had accompanied the gospel. If they drifted away, they could not blame it on a vague or garbled message from God. 1. List the three-fold process by which the gospel was delivered and established. 2. What was the express purpose of miracles in the first century? 2. Jesus: The Ideal Man (Heb 2:5-9)The author next turns to the subject of Jesus’ incarnation. This was hinted at by the phrase “when He had by Himself purged our sins” (Heb 1:3), for such purging could only be accomplished by vicarious sacrifice. This involved the Creator assuming the likeness of men and temporarily being “made a little lower than the angels” (Heb 2:9). What a demotion! But it was one He was willing to endure for the sake of His creatures who had failed so miserably to rise to the level of rule as He had wished (2:7-8). If man is ever to reach the full potential for which he has been created, it will only be through Jesus Christ who was “crowned with glory and honor” (2:9). 3. What did Jesus taste for everyone? 4. What was originally put in subjection to man? What is not yet under man’s control? 3. Bringing Many Sons to Glory (Heb 2:10-13)Not only was it difficult for the Jewish mind to accept the Creator appearing in fleshly form, it was especially repugnant to think of their Jehovah God suffering. Yet the author of Hebrews boldly affirms that such was a necessary part of God’s plan. “It was fitting for Him … to make the author of their salvation perfect through sufferings” (Heb 2:10). If it is man’s lot to suffer, then the Messiah would likewise suffer in order to completely bridge the gap between heaven and earth: “For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one …” (2:11). “In bringing many sons to glory” God created one fam-ily of sanctified people in which the shadow of death. In that moment when the bio-logical life of Jesus ended, atonement was provided and the devil’s stranglehold over mankind was broken. 8. How did the devil have the power of death? Why then do men still die today? 9. Why should man not now fear death? 10. Who does/does not benefit from the works accomplished by Jesus in the flesh? 5. A Merciful and Faithful High Priest (Heb 2:17-18)