God speaking to us



"For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will." (Hebrews 2:2-4 ESV) 

"God is still speaking to us. In the second chapter the author tells us again that God was bearing witness to the message. That is the whole case for the Bible from beginning to end. We do not meet in the church to consider some human idea or theory as to how we can all be healed and relieved and made happier in this world. There is nothing wrong with the study of psychology and so on, but this message starts on a different plane altogether. The Bible does not pretend to be a human book; it claims to be a divine Book. It claims from beginning to end that God is speaking in it, that in it God is giving us a message. It is not about man trying to discover God; in it God is revealing himself to man. It is not about mankind solving his problem; it is God outlining his solution for the problem. ... 

"That is why the Christian church goes on. That is why we ask the world to listen to us. We are telling the world what God thinks, not what men think. Why is the world in such an ominous state? The answer to the problem is found in the Bible. God planned and fashioned this 'great salvation.' He planned it, and the Son volunteered and said, 'Here am I, send me.' He came, and the Holy Spirit has come into our lives as well. It is God's salvation. He is its author. This is one reason why we should glory in it. This is why we should ask everyone to listen. The world has gone mad. The world is unspiritual and full of trouble and tribulation. The need is to listen to God and to stop listening to one another. Listen to what God says. This salvation is great because of its authorship, because of its very composition." 

-- Martyn Lloyd-Jones, A Merciful and Faithful High Priest: Studies in the Book of Hebrews (Crossway, 2019)


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