不可忽视救恩

因此,我们必须更加留心所听过的事,免得随流漂去。 要知道,那藉着天使所说的话既然是确定的,连一切过犯和悖逆都受到了应得的报应, 那么,如果我们忽视了如此伟大的救恩,又怎么能逃脱报应呢?这救恩起初由主传讲,后来由那些听见的人向我们证实。 神又照着自己的旨意,用神迹、奇事和各种大能,以及圣灵的各种恩赐,与他们一同见证。

耶稣与谦卑

事实上,我们所说的那“将要来的世界”,神并没有使它服从天使, 但是有人在经上[a]某处郑重地见证说:

“人算什么,你竟然顾念他?
人之子算什么,你竟然照顾他?
你使他暂时比天使低微[b]
你赐他荣耀和尊贵为冠冕;[c]
你使万有都服从在他的脚下。”[d]

既然神使万有都服从他,就没有留下一样不服从他;但如今,我们还没有看见万有都服从他。 不过我们看见的是:那暂时比天使低微的耶稣,因着死亡的痛苦被赐予荣耀和尊贵为冠冕,好使他藉着神的恩典,替所有的人尝了死的滋味。

10 万有因他而有、万有藉他而成的那一位,既然要带领许多儿女归于荣耀,就藉着苦难使他们救恩的元首[e]得以成全,这是合宜的, 11 因为那使人分别为圣的,和那些被分别为圣的,都是出于同一位。因这理由,他称他们为弟兄,并不以为耻。 12 他说:

“我要向我的弟兄们宣扬你的名,
我要在会众面前歌颂你。”[f]

13 他又说:“我要依靠他。”[g]还说:“看哪,我和神所赐给我的孩子们都在这里[h]!”[i]

14 所以,孩子们既然同属血肉之体,他也照样同有一样的血肉之体,为要藉着死亡来废除那掌握死亡权势的——就是魔鬼, 15 并且释放那些因怕死而终生被束缚为奴役的人。 16 显然,他并不是要救拔天使,而是救拔亚伯拉罕的后裔。 17 故此,他必须在各方面都像他的弟兄们那样,为要在属神的事上成为怜悯人的、忠心[j]的大祭司,好为子民的罪孽献上平息祭[k] 18 既然他自己在被试探的时候受了苦,他就能帮助那些受试探的人。

Footnotes

  1. 希伯来书 2:6 在经上——辅助词语。
  2. 希伯来书 2:7 暂时比天使低微——或译作“比天使低微一点”。
  3. 希伯来书 2:7 有古抄本附“你也委任他统管你手所造的;”。
  4. 希伯来书 2:8 《诗篇》8:4-6。
  5. 希伯来书 2:10 元首——或译作“创始者”。
  6. 希伯来书 2:12 《诗篇》22:22。
  7. 希伯来书 2:13 《以赛亚书》8:17;12:2。
  8. 希伯来书 2:13 都在这里——辅助词语。
  9. 希伯来书 2:13 《以赛亚书》8:18。
  10. 希伯来书 2:17 忠心——或译作“信实”。
  11. 希伯来书 2:17 平息祭——或译作“挽回祭”。

持守真道

因此,我們必須更加重視所聽的道,以免隨流漂去。 既然藉天使傳下來的話正確無誤,凡干犯、違背的人都受到了應有的報應, 我們若忽略了這麼大的救恩,怎能逃避懲罰呢?這救恩首先由主親口宣講出來,後來由聽見的人向我們證實了。 同時,上帝按自己的旨意,用神蹟、奇事、各樣的異能、聖靈的恩賜和他們一同做見證。

救恩的元帥

上帝並沒有把我們所談論的未來世界交給天使掌管。 相反,有人在聖經中做見證說:

「人算什麼,你竟顧念他?
世人算什麼,你竟眷顧他?
你使他暫時比天使低微一點,
賜他榮耀和尊貴作冠冕,
派他管理你所造的一切,
使萬物降服在他腳下。」

既說叫萬物都降服在人的管理之下,就沒有一樣例外。不過,我們到現在還沒有看到萬物都降服在人的管理之下, 只看見耶穌暫時比天使低微一點,好靠著上帝的恩典為全人類親嚐死亡的滋味。祂因為經歷死亡的痛苦而得到了尊貴和榮耀作冠冕。

10 作為萬物的歸宿和根源的上帝,叫救恩的元帥耶穌經歷苦難而得以純全,以便帶領許多的兒女進入榮耀,這樣的安排是恰當的。 11 因為使人聖潔的耶穌和那些得以聖潔的人都出自同一位父親,所以耶穌不以稱呼他們弟兄姊妹為恥。 12 祂說:

「我要向眾弟兄傳揚你的名,
在會眾中歌頌你。」

13 又說:

「我要倚靠祂。」

還說:

「看啊,我和上帝賜給我的兒女都在這裡。」

14 因為眾兒女都是血肉之軀,所以祂也同樣取了血肉之軀,為要親身經歷死亡,藉此摧毀掌握死亡權勢的魔鬼, 15 釋放那些因怕死而一生做奴隸的人。 16 很明顯,祂要救助的不是天使,而是亞伯拉罕的後裔。 17 所以祂必須在每一方面都與祂的弟兄姊妹相同,以便在事奉上帝的事上成為一位仁慈忠信的大祭司,替眾人獻上贖罪祭。 18 祂經歷過受試煉的痛苦,所以能幫助受試煉的人。

This Great Way of Being Saved

We must give our full attention to what we were told, so we won't drift away. The message spoken by angels proved to be true, and all who disobeyed or rejected it were punished as they deserved. So if we refuse this great way of being saved, how can we hope to escape? The Lord himself was the first to tell about it, and people who heard the message proved to us that it was true. God himself showed that his message was true by working all kinds of powerful miracles and wonders. He also gave his Holy Spirit to anyone he chose to.

The One Who Leads Us To Be Saved

We know that God did not put the future world under the power of angels. (A) Somewhere in the Scriptures someone says to God,

“What makes you care
    about us humans?
Why are you concerned
    for weaklings such as we?
You made us lower
than the angels
    for a while.
Yet you have crowned us
    with glory and honor.[a]
And you have put everything
    under our power!”

God has put everything under our power and has not left anything out of our power. But we still don't see it all under our control. What we do see is Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels. Because of God's gift of undeserved grace, Jesus died for everyone. And now that Jesus has suffered and died, he is crowned with glory and honor!

10 Everything belongs to God, and all things were created by his power. So God did the right thing when he made Jesus perfect by suffering, as Jesus led many of God's children to be saved and to share in his glory. 11 Jesus and the people he makes holy all belong to the same family. This is why he isn't ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters. 12 (B) He even said to God,

“I will tell them your name
    and sing your praises
when they come together
    to worship.”

13 (C) He also said,

“I will trust God.”

Then he said,

“Here I am with the children
    God has given me.”

14 We are people of flesh and blood. This is why Jesus became one of us. He died to destroy the devil, who had power over death. 15 But he also died to rescue all of us who live each day in fear of dying. 16 (D) Jesus clearly did not come to help angels, but he did come to help Abraham's descendants. 17 He had to be one of us, so he could serve God as our merciful and faithful high priest and sacrifice himself for the forgiveness of our sins. 18 And now that Jesus has suffered and was tempted, he can help anyone else who is tempted.

Footnotes

  1. 2.7 and honor: Some manuscripts add “and you have placed us in charge of all you created.”