Don’t refuse what the blood of Jesus is speaking

Hebrews 12:25 See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven. Before we unpack this verse, let’s revisit Heb. 2:1-4 because this is a repeat of his warning in those verses. For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so we don’t drift away from it. For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just penalty, how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation? After it was first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, God also testified with them both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will. You can see that the author was concerned that his readers would refuse what God has spoken in His Son. If they did refuse it, they could expect a much more severe punishment than those who refused what God spoke through Moses. What will they escape if they listen to what the blood of the new covenant speaks? We have an answer to that in 10:26-29. For if we go on sinning deliberately [and the sin is unbelief] after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? The blood of Christ is still speaking. It speaks that God has provided a new covenant in and through the blood of Christ that removes sin, cleanses the conscience, establishes righteousness, and offers eternal life. It warns that there is no other way provided by God. There is no escape from the punishment that the Law requires if one refuses Jesus’ message of eternal life.  This should encourage us all the more to pay attention to the previous verses regarding what we have come to—the great reward of the new covenant. This should inspire us to draw near to the throne of grace for mercy and grace to live in the fullness of Christ. His grace is available to us all the time if we will abide in Him. The fruit of abiding in Him is the peaceful fruit of righteousness, which is another way of describing love. If we walk in love with Jesus, we can be assured that we will escape the judgment of God and dwell in the presence of God forever.