Eternal Salvation Is Speaking To You, Pay Attention!

     In this life, among mankind, is there any person for you whose words are as important as the cause and message of eternal salvation communicated through the Gospel of Christ? Likewise, is there any person or entity whose character, words, or works are equal to or greater than that of Christ to any of us? For those of us who struggle in our Christian understanding and walk, or with being deceived from our commitment and conviction concerning the efficiency of the Person and Work of Christ as the Son of God, His words and works are more excellent than the prophets of the OT.

     Christ is the Exact Character (reproduction) of the person of God the Father, being in the second person of God and Divine Agent in the Creation of all things and man’s Redeemer. The person and completed work of Christ is under attack by those who wish to hold on to Judaism’s influence in this text. After refuting the religious errors given concerning the importance of the person and work of the prophets and angels under the old dispensation, being compared to Christ and the new dispensation, of which Christ is greater because His message is complete and final due to His completed work of redemption (Hebrews 1:3).

     The Hebrews author exhorted his audience that because Christ is the exact reproduction of God’s essence in human form which taught the apostles the full and final truth of eternal salvation, there is a greater necessity for them (not obligation), to hold onto or direct their minds’ attention to the teachings concerning Christ that they become familiar with receiving from the apostles. This is an important exhortation that discloses the possible reason why they are drifting away from their faith in the person and work of Christ. This calls for the necessity of “Absolute mindfulness to follow apostolic direction in Christ,” meaning “remain on course” in Hebrews 2:1. Otherwise, they were in danger of gradually being led past apostolic truth that was within their grasp which informed them on how to obtain eternal salvation. In borrowing from the OT, the Hebrew author wants his listeners to pay attention to the declarations concerning Christ, God’s only Son. These declarations from God concerning Jesus reveal Him as transcendent and therefore royal in His character, nature, work and message. There are those today, though, who are familiar with the New Testament under Jesus; they still put heavy emphasis on the work of (progressive prophecy) and angelic influence alongside of or sometimes above the (Son revelation) of Christ, who as the Son revealed full and final truth. In these last days God speaks to us through His Son (Hebrews 1:2), whose work and message is absolute. Christ excels far past everyone in every sense. There is no other that He can be compared. The Mosaic law is a shadow pointing to the reality of Someone and something that is greater than itself. Prophecy constantly bore witness in declaring “the One to come,” and has come (Galatians 3:19). Who is He? As to His eternal status, He is “the Eternal Divine Son of God, the right hand Expiator King, Prophet and Priest seated next to God in heaven, the One divinely declared as the Exalted Divine King of a righteous and impartial government, Who prizes correctness in thinking, feeling, and acting but opposes, contempt, and violation of law. He’s the consecrated Son for Messianic mission through the Holy Spirit’s influence, the Son as Divine Agent in creating the heavens and earth. Jesus is greater than the heavens and the earth in that when they perish, He will remain the same and be given complete victory over His enemies. The Hebrew author exhorts his listeners that out of everyone we would listen to concerning covenant life, relationship, worship and eternal salvation through Christ, we must “turn our mind to listen to apostolic teachings.” There is no Theologian, Educator, Philosopher, Politician, or any one that compares to the resume of Jesus where their person and influence has an absolute impact on the universe and everything in it when they speak. The first apostles speak from the full and final word of the Son of God who became the Son of man among them. Think about it! No prophet, human or Angel, has ever created an earth, sky, ocean, ground, air, fire, water, sun, clouds, animals or people. Jesus exercised divine knowledge and power to make the universe and every living person and thing in it by speaking. Therefore, no human or celestial entity besides Christ has essential character, words, or works that are necessary for eternal salvation and life.

     The Lord who “died, was resurrected and ascended to the Right hand of God in the divine administration, and speaks as owner of covenanted mankind. Brothers and sisters, we must be careful and mindful not to commit our minds’ attention to news, social media, politics, false religion, horoscopes, tarot readings or any entity that doesn’t speak in alignment with the truth and promises in Christ, apostolic teachings, and covenant faith in the One True God. In Hebrews 2:2-3, the author argues the soul danger of breaking or neglecting the message of God in the O.T. Law given to Moses by Angels, and especially, the full and final message of the Lord Jesus. The question is how can we escape eternal punishment if we in practice, disregard and become unwilling to hear, out of carelessness concerning “so great, so vast, so mighty of a salvation,” meaning “eternal deliverance, safety, preservation,” which is through the greater Messenger, His Son Jesus alone?

     Out of all previous messengers and messages given, the Son who is the Resurrected from sacrificial death and Exalted as the Messiah that sits at the right hand of God is the Originator of the work, message and hope of Eternal Salvation, Hebrews 2:3. They erroneously presumed that the Prophets, the angels, and Moses is greater than Jesus in character, works and message. In their arrogance, they would neglect listening to the message of salvation spoken by the Creator of Heaven and Earth (John 1:1-3), who was given all authority in Heaven and Earth (Mt. 28:18-20), who is the universal inheritor (Hebrews 1:2), not recognizing His character and works that signal Him as the Messiah and Author of eternal salvation. Jesus is the One who proclaimed the gospel concerning the kingdom of heaven first (Mt. 4:17). He is the source of this new and superior revelation. The saving message was guaranteed to them and us through Christ and by the apostolic teachers who saw Him, heard Him and touched Him, Hebrews 2:3; 1 John 1:1. This confirmation or guarantee spoken of the apostles in verse 3, was attested by the divine Father through signs and wonders in Hebrews 2:4, to authenticate the men or servants that He has sent to plead His cause through His message. He also displayed through His servants “miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit.” This describes essential or permanent power to perform every kind of miracle and partakes in the distribution of the indwelling Agent of the Holy Spirit in earthly activities proceeding from the righteousness of God by faith according to His divine desire through those who revered Him. In other words, the completed work and revelation through Christ, being proclaimed and taught through apostolic influence, is the essential answer to all earthly activities and problems that we experience in this life. Christ has something essential to say about every matter that we have to deal with in this life in view of eternal salvation. When we face difficulties in everyday life, it is necessary for us to develop a Christological and apostolic view to how we face and approach the problems that arise in our lives. In other words, what do Christ or His apostles say about these specific circumstances? We should not adhere or use the world as our guide to handling problems, as it is passing away. The words of God’s Son Jesus when spoken by Him caused demons to flee (Mark 9:23-27), wind and waves to stop (Mark 4:37-41), restored sight (Mark 10:46-52) and hearing, restored strength to the crippled, cleansed from leprosy, raised the dead to life, the poor (Matthew 11:5), fed a host of hungry people with little food (John 6:2-14), exposed errors in man’s religion, traditions, politics, philosophies (Matthew 23:13-39), wisdom, expertise. Exposed weakness in man’s strength (John 6:41-52;1 Corinthians 1:18-31) and the lack in man’s economy, etc., because Jesus Who is the Second Person of God, is the Person of Eternal Salvation Who speaks. His words have eternal salvation in them to accomplish the will and work of deliverance, sanctification, restoration, purification, reconciliation, healing, and the liberty of adhering to Him in service and fellowship which God desires and is shown through His willing act of validating His servants with His message to His people as well as the godless society in which they are commissioned to reach with His Gospel. In other words, as we adhere to the person and finished work of Christ and to His apostles teaching we receive the power of eternal salvation into our lives due to divine promises and active grace revealing itself in miraculous ways to validate the truth that we have received from Him to live by and apply to our circumstances that He would identify us as His children, people, servants. Because of Who He is as Creator of the Heavens and the Earth, He can also be enough to rescue, protect, draw close, sustain, and encourage us to trust Him as the Person of Eternal Salvation that secures our souls to a promised and better destiny. So since the Apostolic office and authority is established according to the finished work and message of eternal salvation in Christ, their mission work is superior to that of the OT prophets and Angels under the old dispensation. Their mission is to support and maintain the ministry based on the sacrificial accomplishment of Christ on the Cross, His death, resurrection, and ascension to the right hand of His Father’s Throne in Heaven. The apostles’ message and works were under the influence of the Holy Spirit Who was with them and in them to live, demonstrate and proclaim the life and message of Christian covenant faith and eternal salvation. Why is this important for the believers today? Because those of us who are of the Kingdom of God, who are the Church, who are children of God, must address every human matter that stands against the cause of Christ and His message by apostolic theology and direction to destroy the work of sin and wickedness that influences every person or entity in this world that works iniquity in society against the will of God. The command is to “turn our minds’ attention to receive apostolic direction for our lives, which is in harmony with eternal salvation. As we receive the message from Christ through apostolic direction, we operate our lives in the will of God, which is unknown to the world. (Ephesians 1:5-9)

Looking at the condition of the church in contemporary times, it seems that some or maybe many, among the church, are being challenged or even enticed by the Information Age to individually develop one’s own knowledge or belief in secrecy without recognizing accountability to a holy or righteous God. There is a spiritual war being waged to get our ears, our eyes, and ultimately our hearts and souls to stay attentive and tuned in to social media, news media, and internet media as sources of our knowledge of being informed about what’s happening around us. Because of this influence, many believe that they are fully informed as if they are eyewitnesses. When in reality, the reports may include or exclude some information that may change the facts of the matter. The goal of Satan is to get us to trust what we hear and see (meaning what man says and what he or she is doing). This influence of attentiveness is meant to draw our attention away from the sovereignty of Christ’s message to His chosen people in every day life, with all of the matters of today relating to human rights and social justice, peoples trust in man’s political solutions above covenant resolution in Christ. In Hebrews, Jesus is compared to everyone and everything to validate that He is perfect in every category and in every regard for our trust and commitment to His ways above man and angels. He is superior to the Prophets, Angels, Apostles, Moses, Abraham, Aaron, and Melchizedek, a perfect sacrifice, High Priest, Mediator, Testator, Sin bearer, who is the Author and finisher of faith. Jesus is the Person of Salvation and the Author of Deliverance for His followers, His brethren, His sanctified, His house, Amen.