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#13. The so great Salvation (Heb. 2: 1-4).
pp. 85 - 89
"How shall we escape, if we neglect so GREAT SALVATION?" What is this
salvation, which is so great? None would be found to demur at the designation if it
thereby indicated the salvation of the sinner by the blood of Christ. How great that is,
none can tell: salvation, as used in Hebrews, however, does not carry with it the
evangelical meaning (see pages 20-23). Shall we allow the Hebrew usage to help us?
Granting that the word often means individual salvation as in Rom. 1: 16, there are other
usages which show that the word has a wider meaning.
Psalm 14: 7. "Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! when the Lord
bringeth back the captivity of His people, Jacob shall rejoice and Israel shall be glad."
The national restoration of Israel is here called their salvation.
Psalm 98: 2, 3. "The Lord hath made known His salvation: His righteousness hath
He openly showed in the sight of the heathen."
What is this salvation which has been "made known"?
"He hath remembered His mercy and His truth toward the house of Israel; all the ends
of the earth have seen the salvation of God."
Isaiah 11: 11, 12: 1-6. "And it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall set
His right hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people.....and in that
day thou shalt say, O Lord, I will praise Thee: though Thou wast angry with me, Thine
anger is turned away, and Thou comfortest me, behold God is my salvation."
Isaiah 52: 9, 10. "The Lord hath comforted His people, He hath redeemed Jerusalem,
the Lord hath made bare His holy arm in the eyes of all nations: and all the ends of the
earth shall see the salvation of our God."
The close connection between "salvation" and the restoration of Israel makes
comment unnecessary.
Rev. 19: 1. "Hallelujah; Salvation and glory and honour and power unto the Lord our
God: for true and righteous are His judgments."
Here the overthrow of Babylon ushers in the full redemption of Israel.
Just as we saw in The Hope and the Prize that there was something that was beyond
the initial salvation from sin, so those who are under the new covenant have to learn that
there is some aspect of salvation which is beyond the testimony of the Scriptures just
quoted. The "so great salvation" is something that could be neglected, the salvation of
the Psalms and Isaiah referred to above is unrelated to human faith or faithfulness.
Now we know that Abraham while dwelling in tents in the land of promise looked for
the city which hath foundations, but we do not learn that from the O.T.. There is no hint
there of anything of the kind. This special aspect of salvation had its commencement in