Answer
In Hebrews 2:1–4, the author includes himself in warning all believers not to ignore the salvation that Jesus Christ offers. He states, “So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it” (verse 1, NLT). In the Old Testament, those who disregarded and disobeyed God’s law were punished; similarly, we cannot expect to escape punishment “if we neglect so great a salvation” (verse 3, NKJV).
To neglect so great a salvation is a phrase that recalls Israel’s experience. The author of Hebrews remembers the Israelites’ wilderness wanderings (see Hebrews 3:7—4:11) and how the people ignored God’s great salvation. As a result, they lived in captivity for years. The Greek verb (amelēsantes), translated as “if we neglect” in Hebrews 2:3, is from a root word meaning “to be careless of, disregard, pay no attention to.”
Jesus used the same word in the parable of the wedding feast (Matthew 22:1–14). The guests summoned to the wedding banquet represent people invited to enter the kingdom of heaven. In the parable, these invited guests “paid no attention” and went to tend to their businesses and farms (verse 5). They all ignored or neglected so great a salvation.
Neglecting salvation is not the same as rejecting it. The author of Hebrews is not talking to sinners and inviting them to be saved. He is speaking to Christians, urging them to pay close attention to the great salvation they have received from the Lord. He wants his brothers and sisters in Christ to understand that careless neglect of one’s salvation has dreadful consequences. Some listeners had apparently heard and responded to the gospel’s truth but were now at risk of drifting away. The writer is sending out a wake-up call. God doesn’t just sit back and let His people drift away into rebellion. He issues warnings, and, when necessary, He disciplines His beloved children (see Proverbs 3:11–12; Hebrews 12:5–7; James 1:12).
To neglect so great a salvation is to “become spiritually dull and indifferent” (Hebrews 6:12, NLT). This happens when we get too comfortable and self-satisfied. We grow careless and complacent. The Bible repeatedly warns against such complacency (Proverbs 1:32;1 Corinthians 10:12; 2 Corinthians 13:5; Hebrews 12:25).
Warren Wiersbe writes in The Bible Exposition Commentary, “More spiritual problems are caused by neglect than perhaps by any other failure on our part. We neglect God’s Word, prayer, worship with God’s people (see Heb. 10:25), and other opportunities for spiritual growth, and as a result, we start to drift. The anchor does not move; we do” (vol. 2, Victor Books, 1996, p. 282).
Our hope of salvation is in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He is “an anchor for the soul, firm and secure” (Hebrews 6:18–20). Instead of drifting aimlessly, we must grab hold of our anchor and “strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And . . . run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith” (Hebrews 12:1–2, NLT). Jesus endured the cross, public shame, and hostility from sinful people, but He did not grow weary or give up (see Hebrews 12:1–3). God wants us to stay laser-focused on Jesus Christ and His salvation and to follow His example so we, too, don’t grow weary and give up.
Rather than neglect so great a salvation, we persevere in working out our salvation, “obeying God with deep reverence and fear” (Philippians 2:12, NLT). We actively pursue a lifestyle of obedience to God and His Word (1 Peter 1:14–16). We yield ourselves to the work of the Holy Spirit. Like the apostle Paul, we don’t let ourselves drift but instead recognize this truth: “I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us” (Philippians 3:13–14, NLT).
