Hebrews 2:1-18 (NLT)
1 So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it.
2 For the message God delivered through angels has always stood firm, and every violation of the law and every act of disobedience was punished.
3 So what makes us think we can escape if we ignore this great salvation that was first announced by the Lord Jesus himself and then delivered to us by those who heard him speak?
4 And God confirmed the message by giving signs and wonders and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit whenever he chose.
5 And furthermore, it is not angels who will control the future world we are talking about.
6 For in one place the Scriptures say, “What are mere mortals that you should think about them, or a son of man that you should care for him?
7 Yet for a little while you made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor.
8 You gave them authority over all things.” Now when it says “all things,” it means nothing is left out. But we have not yet seen all things put under their authority.
9 What we do see is Jesus, who for a little while was given a position “a little lower than the angels”; and because he suffered death for us, he is now “crowned with glory and honor.” Yes, by God’s grace, Jesus tasted death for everyone.
10 God, for whom and through whom everything was made, chose to bring many children into glory. And it was only right that he should make Jesus, through his suffering, a perfect leader, fit to bring them into their salvation.
11 So now Jesus and the ones he makes holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters.
12 For he said to God, “I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters. I will praise you among your assembled people.”
13 He also said, “I will put my trust in him,” that is, “I and the children God has given me.”
14 Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death.
15 Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.
16 We also know that the Son did not come to help angels; he came to help the descendants of Abraham.
17 Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people.
18 Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested.
The reality of God’s incredible gift of love in Christ, and our established place in Him, finds its transforming impact in the attention given to its revelation. As the truth of what we have received is brought to light in our hearts, faith is awakened to walk in its power and authority. Though we presently experience this inheritance in part, its fullness awaits the complete revelation of our union with Christ in glory.
This revelation is integral to our salvation, which is far more than a single event of forgiveness and new birth. It is the continual awakening of faith to the reality of who we have become in Christ. As this identity is received and embraced, the circumstances of life are encountered from an entirely different position. No longer defined by weakness, condemnation, or defeat, we are enabled to face adversity with confidence in the One who has already overcome.
What an incredible transformation Christ has accomplished! By identifying with humanity, made for a little while lower than the angels, Jesus entered our condition and experienced suffering and death on our behalf. Through His resurrection and exaltation, He has opened the way for many sons to be brought into glory. Those once subject to the dominion of sin and death are now joined to the victorious Christ, heirs of salvation and recipients of angelic ministry.
This salvation, then, is so much more than an escape from condemnation. It is an entrance into the life, inheritance, and victory of Jesus Himself. In Him, we have been raised and seated in heavenly places, sharing in the triumph of the One who has been exalted above every principality and power.
What an amazing truth to receive through hearing! Yet how essential it is that earnest attention be given to its revelation. A truth neglected becomes a truth that remains unapplied. When the realities of salvation are allowed to slip from our attention, the accusations of the enemy and the appearances of adversity can once again dominate our perceptions.
Though our position in Christ remains established by His finished work, our experience of its power is profoundly affected by what we believe and embrace.
It is through continual attention to what God has declared that faith is strengthened, confidence is established, and our lives become increasingly aligned with the authority of Christ.
We are not striving to obtain a position that has been withheld from us. We are awakening to the reality of what has already been provided in Him.
The more earnest heed we give to the revelation of our salvation, the more fully our lives can express the victory, authority, and inheritance that are ours in Christ.