How Shall We Escape?
How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; (Hebrews 2:3)
The burden that the Apostle had concerning his own countrymen is evident in most of his writings. The Book of Romans deals with his heavy heart with the nation of Israel, as a whole; not only those who had trusted in the gospel of Christ, but heaviness for those who had heard and seen the wonders of Christ, and had turned their backs on the glorious gospel.
I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, (Romans 9:1)
That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. (Romans 9:2)
For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh: (Romans 9:3)
Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; (Romans 9:4)
Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen. (Romans 9:5)
The “we” in Hebrews 2:3 shows the Apostles identification with all of Israel; and in verse 2 of Romans 9 he reveals the heaviness of his heart for all of Israel. There is also a reflection of his care in the Book of Hebrews, and the closeness of his heart for Israel has caused the Church to be inundated with ungodly men taking the advantage of his love for Israel by bringing in damnable heresies as the fallen away doctrine, and the removal of the doctrine of the eternal security of the believer. I will deal with this ungodly heresy later in Chapter 6 in verse 4.
For now, let us move forward under the guidance of the Holy Spirit for the whole Israel of God. At this time in the life of the Apostle, Israel both nationally and spiritually was under attack by Satan. The Devil thought that he could put out the light in Israel now that Christ had ascended up to heaven by planning to persecute the Church, and to bring in doctrines and heresies of all kinds. For the true believers in Christ, it was persecution; the Devil thought that the rest of Israel would look at the believers not being delivered as a negative against the God of their salvation. However, this backfired on the Devil, for the persecution brought more faith from heaven, and many more of Israel escaped the wages of sin which is death, for eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord. Remember, all who live godly will suffer persecution.
At this time, the Apostle had already dealt with the heresies in Galatia, for those of Galatia were allowing themselves, once more, to be subject to the law. But the Apostle rebutted them, even Peter was not removed from his criticism.
But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. (Galatians 2:11)
For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision. (Galatians 2:12)
And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation. (Galatians 2:13)
But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews? (Galatians 2:14)
The law was being mingled with grace, and this was impossible; for the grace of Christ had come through faith, and not the law. Christ had put away the law so that grace may abound unto eternal life in our blessed Savior. In Israel, as a nation, and even among those who had professed Christ, there were those of insincere hearts with no life from above. They had heard the gospel, they had seen the wonders of Christ both in life and death, and the miracle of the Lord’s resurrection, they knew the witness of them who had heard the Lord, and had been witness to diverse miracles of the Holy Spirit, and still they would not believe; it is to them that the Apostle addressed the “we.” It is his fellow Israelites and those who had heard the glorious gospel without faith. He declared, how shall we escape. The Apostle, being an Israelite, was from the tribe of Benjamin. The name ‘Benjamin’ means ‘son of my right hand,’ Benjamin was the last and 12th son of Jacob; He was born out of much travail, and at the death of his mother, Rachel. The name ‘Rachel’ means ‘a ewe’(a male lamb, or a Lamb of sacrifice).
And they journeyed from Bethel; and there was but a little way to come to Ephrath: and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labour. (Genesis 35:16)
And it came to pass, when she was in hard labour, that the midwife said unto her, Fear not; thou shalt have this son also. (Genesis 35:17)
And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Benoni: but his father called him Benjamin. {Benoni: that is, The son of my sorrow} {Benjamin: that is, The son of the right hand} (Genesis 35:18)
And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem. (Genesis 35:19)
The Apostle had not only descended from the seed of Benjamin, but he was also a Pharisee of the Pharisees, and in his younger years was taught the word of God by the most astute teacher, Gamaliel. (Acts 5:34) ¶ I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day. (Acts 22:3)The Apostle was a scholar in Hebrew, Greek, and with all this knowledge, he was still the most zealous persecutor of the early Church of the Lord Jesus Christ until his conversion on the Damascus road. Read the entire chapter of Acts 9, and then go back and read verse 3-6.
And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: (Acts 9:3)
And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? (Acts 9:4)
And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. (Acts 9:5)
And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. (Acts 9:6)
The Apostle reflects back to the time of his conversion as being one born out of due time. (1Corinthians 15:8) And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. The Holy Spirit reveals to us through this Scripture in 1st Corinthians the extent of the knowledge which Paul had of the Scriptures, and the importance of his genealogy being from the tribe of Benjamin. Rachel, at the point of her death named her son ‘Benoni’ the son of my sorrow,’ as he was born out of much travail, and at the cost of the life of his mother. Jacob seeing his son rejoiced in his life, and called his son, ‘Benjamin, ‘son of my right hand.’ Rachel’s death took place in Ephrath, which is Bethlehem, the place of the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul knew this connection, when he said that he was born ‘out of due time.’ In Benjamin’s birth God used the birth of Rachel’s last son as an object lesson for those who are wooed by the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit uses ‘much travail’ and time in their birth. The Apostle was in the pains of birth for a long time, his death to himself (Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.) took a miracle of faith and grace in Jesus Christ. The blinding light on the road to Damascus was the burning bush of his birth.
In regard to Benjamin, he was called Benoni, the son of my sorrow; and in this we have a reference to the ‘fullness of time’ when God sent forth His Son, to be the man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. (Isaiah 53:11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. Christ saw the travail of his soul, and was satisfied. This is a reference to Benjamin, son of my right hand; and He, the Lord of glory is sat down at the right hand of God the Father. For there was much travail of the Holy Spirit of God over the Apostle’s new birth in Jesus Christ. So much so, that the Lord said to the Apostle, And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. (Acts 9:5) Why do ye kick against the pricks, or why do you kick against the truth? This Apostle could identify with all the Hebrews, as he was a Hebrew of the Hebrews, they were his kinsmen, and the burden of his heart was for them. This should be our burden for our kinsmen, that our hearts would be smitten for them, for many have heard the gospel of Christ, but few have known the Lord of glory; mere knowledge of Christ is not salvation. For many of the Jews had a knowledge of Christ, but they had refused that knowledge. Even a smitten heart is not salvation, nor is repentance salvation; for Esau repented and wept with tears.
Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; (Hebrews 12:15)
Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. (Hebrews 12:16)
For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears. (Hebrews 12:75)
Esau was rejected of God for faith was not found in him. Yet Jacob, ‘the supplanter,’ was received of God for Jacob was a child of faith. Although God had to wrestle with Jacob, faith prevailed, and Jacob received a new name — Israel, ‘a prince with God.’ Esau was found without faith, and without faith it’s impossible to please God. (Hebrews 11:6) But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. This is a sobering thought, for many have a knowledge of God, but are not saved. Many come forward to the sound of the call of man, but not to the call of the Holy Spirit of God. They have become names on the Church rolls, but their names are not written in heaven. Faith is the gift of God, it is the blinding light of the Damascus road. When faith is given your eyes are given new life, your heart is open to the Spirit of God, and you are transported to the heavenlies in Christ, ‘for your life is hid in Christ in God.’
For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:3)
When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:4)
The world that you once knew is past, you now move to the voice of Christ through the Spirit of God, you live in a supernatural world of the Holy Ghost, all things have become new, and you are born of the Spirit of God. When a man is born in the natural world he has life; in the supernatural world, when born again, you have life from above, and this life is eternally surrounded by the Spirit of God. The phrase ‘eternal life,’is forever, and will never be rescinded for the child of God, for we are His sons through adoption by faith in Jesus Christ. As one who has lived over 70 years, I have seen many professors of Christ, but few possessors of Christ. To the many, like the Apostle, I am burdened, and the words ‘how shall we escape,’ resounds in my heart for those who have heard the glorious gospel of forgiveness in our Lord Jesus Christ, and have walked away in their hearts to show a form of man’s religion with no presence of the Holy Ghost. In the Apostle’s words, ‘they have a form of godliness, but deny the power thereof,’ (2 Timothy 3:5)
Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. (2 Timothy 3:5) Amen
© Copyright 2015, Michael Haigh
Article may be used, but not for gain. Freely ye have received, freely give.
All Scripture references are from the Authorized King James Bible. (KJV)
Â