“So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it. For the message God delivered through angels has always stood firm, and every violation of the law and every act of disobedience was punished. 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? And God confirmed the message by giving signs and wonders and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit whenever he chose.”
Everything God has ever said has held true. Nothing has changed from the Old Testament to now. Many people think of God in the Old Testament as an angry old man who turned nice when Jesus showed up. Far from it! The salvation of Jesus is not a change in the story — it is the story!
God’s law has always demanded punishment. Sin separates us from God. That was never God’s desire for his people. Rather, he has always drawn his people back to himself. For a Jewish audience who was very familiar with their own history, there are countless stories of God calling his people back to himself and saving them after disobedience. Jesus announced a permanent path to salvation and confirmed it through the Holy Spirit when he performed miracles. He proved that he was God himself, Lord over all.
Some Jewish people in Jesus’ day perceived him as a threat. He seemed to challenge God’s law and the religious leaders thought that he was trying to pull them away from the Old Testament law. Instead, he came to make everything right. The law revealed the brokenness of people, and Jesus came as the Savior to say, “Come with me! I can get you out of this mess!” Hold on tight to that truth today. Jesus came to give you a way out.