“Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall
continue in the Son, and in the Father”
(1 John 2:24).

The writer of the letter to the Hebrews admonishes his readers in chapter 2:1-4, “Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward; how shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?”
     First, we are told in chapter 1 how God speaks, “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son” (verses 1-2). In the next verses, we read the praises of the Son of God. Of Him the author writes, among other things, that God made the world through Him (verse 2); that He is the brightness of God’s glory and the express image of His person (verse 3); that He Himself purged our sins (verse 3); that He was made so much better than the angels (verse 4); and many other things. Hebrews 1 reveals to us the greatness of Jesus Christ in a wonderful way. It is praise through and through, a confirmation of Colossians 2:3, where Paul writes that in Jesus Christ “…all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” are hid.
Many people strive after wisdom. They quote philosophers and founders of religions, and are amazed at their wisdom. In particular, the Eastern religions with their practice of meditation and self-revelation are considered to be exemplary and valuable in our society. But people do not see that all these fade in comparison with the divine wisdom that is hidden in Jesus Christ.

Chapter 2 of the letter to the Hebrews is about the speaking of God which takes place in and through His Son, and acting on it, of course. Ultimately, we should not be mere hearers of the Word but also doers (James 1:22). Hearing alone is not enough; Luke 11:28 tells us, “Blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.” If you hear the words, “On your marks, get set, go!” and remain in the starting blocks, you will never win the race, even if you are the first to hear the signal to start!
     This is an important point where many Christians go wrong, unfortunately. They read and hear the Word of God, but they do not act on it. The writer of the letter to the Hebrews, inspired by God, emphasizes how important it is to heed the Gospel that has been entrusted to us, “Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip” (Hebrews 2:1).
     The Bible, the Word of God, is a significant guidebook for our whole lives. The Bible is, for us Christians, like a timetable for a train driver. If the train driver does not keep to the timetable, there will be chaos in all the stations on the network. It is no different with Christians who think they do not have to keep to their timetable, the Holy Scriptures. At some point they will be shipwrecked in their lives, or the train of their lives will be derailed and chaos will break out, slowly but surely.
     I want to ask you, are you a Christian? Do you merely call yourself one, or do you want to live as one? Then you have to hear and act upon the directions of the Bible, the Word of God. Without this Word, we are all in danger of missing the goal, as Hebrews 2:1 says. What is our goal? It is the glorification of God in and through His Son, Jesus Christ. This is what Peter says in 1 Peter 4:11, “…that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ.” In order to realize this goal, we are told to abide in the Word and not to depart from it, neither to the left nor to the right.

Whatever the matter is, it is important to hear and above all to act upon what the Bible, and therewith God Himself, says. It is not important what men say to you. It is completely irrelevant what I say to you. But it is of utmost importance what the Word of God says. We can learn from people, from their lives, their commentaries, sermons and exegeses. All these can be a valuable help, but they are no substitute for the living Word of God. Every sermon, every exegesis, every commentary can and should be a valuable help. They should lead us to the Holy Scriptures, but they may and can never replace the Word of God. That is completely out of the question!
    For this reason the Mormons can never be right, because they esteem the book of Mormon higher than the Word of God. They have false directions—they are on the wrong track. This is also the reason there are so many false doctrines in the Catholic Church, because they heed their church doctrines and traditions more than the living Word of God. And it is also why we have the greatest troubles in the reformed churches, because they are more concerned with themselves than with the Word of God. Every church must ask itself, “What is important to us? The traditions or doctrine of the church, or the Word of God?”
     Even Timothy was urgently admonished to heed the Word, “O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust” (1 Timothy 6:20). This Word is true and reliable, and it points to the unique Redeemer (1 Timothy 1:15).

The Word of God, the glad tidings, are moreover eternally valid and everlasting, “Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away” (Mark 13:31). “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: but the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you” (1 Peter 1:23-25). What a pity that for some Christians the word of man has more weight than the everlasting, eternally valid, true and living Word of God.
     We may like the Word of God because it is beautifully written, lyrical and poetic, exciting and historical. But much more is at stake, for on this Word, the Holy Scriptures, depend life and death, heaven and hell. Grace, without which nobody can be saved, comes from the Word (Romans 10:17).
     The Bible is a vital book, therefore, and it is heartbreaking when such a book gathers dust, fades or is even torn or burned. Considering the importance and significance of this book, we need not wonder that the letter to the Hebrews admonishes us, but also encourages us, to remain in the Word and to hold fast to what the Lord has revealed to us through His Word. Remember this, you can trust this Word 100 percent, with no ifs or buts, because it is the Word of God.
     Are you desperate, burned out, lonely and despondent? Take the Word of God to heart where it says, among other things, “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body” (2 Corinthians 4:8-10). And there are so many promises, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). You have heard these promises many times, perhaps. You may even know some Bible verses off by heart. But do you also believe them and keep them? Do this, for the Word of God is eternally valid. His comfort and His promises, His faithfulness and His love are for you, especially when you don’t know which way to turn.

In verse 2 of Hebrews 2 it says, “For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast….” What does this mean? What word was spoken by angels?
     Let us turn for a moment to Acts chapter 7. There we read Stephen’s speech before the high council. He refers to the history of Israel, “This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear. This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us” (Acts 7:37-38).
      What was given to Moses on Mount Sinai through an angel? The tables of the law, the law (cf. verse 53). Paul said in Galatians 3:19, “It was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.” We saw at the beginning that chapter 1 of the letter to the Hebrews declares that Jesus is higher, more exalted, than any of the angels. Without going any further into the law as such, let me just say, the Word of the Son—that is, the glad tidings and the grace—is much better, of far more value, than the word of the angels—that is, the law. In other words, Jesus is higher than the angels means that grace is better than the law!
     In our text we read that every transgression of the law resulted in punishment, “…and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward.” The law showed the people, “You cannot find salvation in yourselves! That is impossible, for you are all guilty under the law. You will all break down before the law and receive the wages of sin, namely death.” And this is the sense and purpose of the law, namely to show man the necessity of recognizing sin and conversion.
      The law already told people, “You need a substitute who is capable of and willing to atone for your guilt and to pay the wages of sin for you.” Who this substitute, this Redeemer, is is not only the theme of the letter to the Hebrews, but also the whole of the Holy Scriptures. This Substitute, who is not only capable but also willing to atone for the sins of man and work eternal salvation, is none other than the only begotten Son of God, Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 2:1-4 tells man who has heard the way of salvation through the Word of God, “What a fool you are if you neglect this salvation!”
      Heed the Word of God. Hear it and act upon it. Those who do not do this are fools. They are like a drowning man who neglects the life belt beside him and relies instead on his own strength. John 8:31-32 tells us, “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
     I want to ask you again, are you a Christian? Are you continuing in the Word? Are you keeping it, taking it to heart, and living according to this Word? Or are you living for yourself? When we think what results occurred in the Old Testament when they did not listen to the word of angels, the law, what fatal consequences must happen if we neglect the Word of the Son, who is higher than all the angels.
     We have heard the Son, and now we need to obey His Word. The Scriptures themselves tell us to read the Word, to study it, to meditate on it, to act on it and to remain rooted in it (2 John 9, Proverbs 4:13). The Word of God is timetable, your book of instructions, your life.
     You may call yourself a Christian. You may have been baptized. You may attend church, sporadically or regularly, perhaps even the prayer meetings. You may look upon yourself as a good person. But are you also a good Christian? Is there perhaps something in your life that is not in agreement with the directions for your life? Perhaps you are a Christian and think you cannot perish. But it is because you are a Christian that it is so serious! I have no idea what awaits you in eternity, but I know what God expects of you here and now, “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:15-16). And, “…Abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; having your conversation honest among the Gentiles” (1 Peter 2:11-12).
     What does God expect of us? A life lived according to His good pleasure, a life that contributes to the glorifying of the name of the Father and the Son. Are you fulfilling this task? What fools are those who do not take His Word to heart! Let us encourage one another, then, to remain in this Word, to contemplate on it and to take to heart what has been given to us in these Scriptures. They are the living Word of God, the directions for our lives.
Hear the Word of the Lord, believe His Word and keep it. Be rooted in it, and the crown of victory is ensured you!
(MR0110/369)