By Rev. Daniel Yaw

Introduction
How sure are you that you are saved?  What kind of assurance do you have that you are forgiven of God and belong to Him?  Can one know that he or she will be in heaven when he or she leaves this world?

They are indeed common questions that we are confronted with.  The point of it is to know for sure whether Christ is all trustworthy. 

The book of Hebrews has been a challenge to read and study.  Hebrews 2:3 states, "how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?"

This passage begins with a warning - a warning not to neglect the salvation which we have received.   We have been saved by the grace of God which is great.

How is my salvation great?  There are three things mentioned here by the writer;

1.  Announced by the Lord himself
“It was declared at first by the Lord”

Jesus himself said, “I came to seek and save the lost.”  That is what Jesus said, and more than that, his coming was with the many prophecies foretold from hundreds and thousands of years.  The evidence of fulfillment points to Jesus as indeed the Lamb of God who came to take the sins of this world.  The point is that our salvation is initiated and worked out by the Lord himself – never about us. 

Man has been trying to reach out to God, trying various means to try to be with God when he dies.  Man came up with different ideas like trying to be good, trying to be sincere, and trying to be religious.  They are all good in themselves but there is no assurance that we will attain what we hope.  The reason is clear – we are never sure of how good we are.

But in Christ, it is great and assuring because it is initiated by God and that leaves no place for doubt or uncertainty.  This is again in the “abounding hope” we have in regards to us being saved.

2. Attested when we heard
“and it was attested to us by those who heard”

Those who were close to the Lord, namely the 11 disciples and the many hundreds who followed Jesus attested to his Messiahship.  They were willing to risk their lives for the cause of spreading the living Christ.  Not one person, but many throughout many centuries.

I am sure you have someone shared the gospel with you.  Why would that person do that?  What benefit does he get when he does that?  As I even thought about it, it makes me think how ridiculous one becomes when he shares – he receives no benefits, instead many times, he would be ridiculed, mocked, and even ostracized because of that.  Yet he will continue to do it.  The reason is clear – it must be something great. 

You and I share the gospel for the sake of the lives of others.  It is exactly what the apostle Paul meant when he said that he is “compelled by the love of Christ.”, and nothing more.

3. Affirmed by signs and wonders
“while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles ….”

Of course in the days of Christ, what accompanied were signs and wonders.  However, these signs still exist but of all the signs, the greatest is the death and the resurrection of Jesus.  Jesus himself said that his death and resurrection would be the greatest miracle and sign.

This is the reason why our salivation is so great, a salvation provided by God, initiated by God, and depended on God himself.

Conclusion
How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?  We have tasted the goodness and the greatness of God’s grace in our lives.  We must pay much closer attention to His word and his love.  Otherwise, our hope in God may diminish when we get drifted away.  God bless you again with this abounding and great hope we have in God.