Heb 2:3-4 | TNotes | STEP | 2:3 So what makes us think we can escape? Here the author presses the full force of the danger of turning away from Christ and his salvation. There is no escape from punishment for those who walk away, and the punishment will be of the greatest severity (cp. 6:4-12 ; 10:26-31 ; 12:29 ; Rom 2:5 ; 1 Thes 2:16 ). • Salvation refers to God’s acts on behalf of his people. For example, God saved his people through the exodus from Egypt (Deut 26:5-9 ). In the New Testament, salvation primarily refers to Christ’s work of rescuing people from the penalty of sin and giving them new life by his sacrificial death on the cross (Heb 5:9-10 ). This salvation was first announced by the Lord Jesus himself (e.g., Matt 4:17 ; 9:35 ; Mark 1:15 ; Luke 13:1-5 ). He then delivered (or validated ) the message through those who heard him speak (e.g., Mark 6:12 ; Acts 2:38 ; 3:19-20 ).

2:3 ^a So what makes us think we can escape? Here the author presses the full force of the danger of turning away from Christ and his salvation. There is no escape from punishment for those who walk away, and the punishment will be of the greatest severity (cp. 6:4-12 ^b; 10:26-31 ^c; 12:29 ^d; Rom 2:5 ^e; 1 Thes 2:16 ^f).

• Salvation refers to God’s acts on behalf of his people. For example, God saved his people through the exodus from Egypt (Deut 26:5-9 ^g). In the New Testament, salvation primarily refers to Christ’s work of rescuing people from the penalty of sin and giving them new life by his sacrificial death on the cross (Heb 5:9-10 ^h). This salvation was first announced by the Lord Jesus himself (e.g., Matt 4:17 ⁱ; 9:35 ^j; Mark 1:15 ^k; Luke 13:1-5 ^l). He then delivered (or validated) the message through those who heard him speak (e.g., Mark 6:12 ^m; Acts 2:38 ⁿ; 3:19-20 ^o).
2:4 ^p God confirmed the message (literally God bore witness): God himself confirmed the validity of the message of Christ and his followers by giving signs and wonders and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit (see Acts 2:22 ^q; Rom 15:19 ^r; 2 Cor 12:12 ^s).