This Great Way of Being Saved

1We must give our full attention to what we were told, so we won't drift away. 2The message spoken by angels proved to be true, and all who disobeyed or rejected it were punished as they deserved. 3So 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. 4God 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

5We know that God did not put the future world under the power of angels. 6 Somewhere in the Scriptures someone says to God,

“What makes you care

about us humans?

Why are you concerned

for weaklings such as we?

7You made us lower

than the angels

for a while.

Yet you have crowned us

with glory and honor.+

8And 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. 9What 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!

10Everything 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. 11Jesus 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 He even said to God,

“I will tell them your name

and sing your praises

when they come together

to worship.”

13 He also said,

“I will trust God.”

Then he said,

“Here I am with the children

God has given me.”

14We 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. 15But he also died to rescue all of us who live each day in fear of dying. 16 Jesus clearly did not come to help angels, but he did come to help Abraham's descendants. 17He 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. 18And now that Jesus has suffered and was tempted, he can help anyone else who is tempted.