GOD GIVES WITNESS. Hebrews 2:4. Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself initiated the great salvation and was miraculously confirmed by God through the gifts the Holy Spirit bestowed on those who proclaimed the Gospel. These signs testified to the fulfillment of the promises given in the Old Testament scriptures concerning the Messiah [Acts 2:22, 43; 4:30; 5:12; 6:8; 14:3; 15:12; 2 Cor. 12:12]. These signs and wonders verified the message of the Gospel that the apostles preached before the completion of the scriptures.
Signs and wonders performed through Peter and John, Stephen, and Paul were used by God to demonstrate to those hearing the Gospel that it originates from Him. Turning water into wine was the first miracle Jesus did, showing His power as the Creator. The signs and wonders recorded in the Scriptures were “that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing ye might have life through His name.”
These signs and wonders had been witnessed by those who passed on the Gospel to others who would believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, even though they had not seen Him. “Wonders” were accepted as real in the ancient world, where people were not skeptical or suspicious of miracles like they are today. Even though they were extraordinary, they were a normal part of life. The miracles we experience in our lives, we often keep to ourselves because of the increasing darkness in the minds of the people around us.
In biblical times, these extraordinary events or acts were seen as God's intervention in human affairs for a specific purpose. In this letter to the Hebrews, these signs, wonders, and powers were associated with the Gospel and its redemptive ability to awaken people, inform them, and transform them from being lost to being saved, from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God.
God acted on man’s behalf through the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and the spreading of the Gospel message to the entire world. The most significant miracle was the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. That was the main point of the Gospel that the apostles needed to stress. He who died on the cross to pay the price of our sins has been raised for our justification. We can now come to God by faith and be “accepted in the Beloved.”
The new birth of those who believe in Jesus is a miracle that we who are saved have experienced ourselves and have seen in others. The transformation of nature when we become a “new creation in Christ Jesus” is a miracle. “Manifold powers” have changed sinners into saints and have left a positive witness worldwide to the great salvation that comes through “The Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
Those who heard Jesus speak and shared His words saw their messages confirmed by miracles and gifts that were evident to individuals and congregations. However, the Gospel was validated through supernatural acts given by the Holy Spirit where they were needed most. The rest of Hebrews describes the great salvation that rescues us from sin and encourages us to hold firmly to it. "God also bearing them witness" means that God testified to that which was preached and taught to the Hebrew believers by giving signs and wonders, miracles, and "gifts of the Holy Ghost." Those who heard the Lord Jesus speak and passed on what He taught them had their words confirmed by God Himself. Their message built up the church of God, strengthened the Lord's people, and served to bring them to spiritual growth and maturity in their spiritual life. This testifies to the superiority of the ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of Man.