“For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him” (Hebrews 2:2-3).
Setting up a conditional clause for emphasis, the writer quickly moves into his main point about the absolute necessity of not neglecting the opportunity for salvation made available first by the Lord and then by the Apostles.
All disobedience has always been punished appropriately; so, he questions his readers, some of whom are evidently considering leaving the Lord, about how they think they will escape condemnation if they return to worship under the Law of Moses.
This profound message, of course, reverberates throughout the New Testament: we can’t neglect the “great salvation.” The way to the heart of God and, indeed the way to heaven, is through obedience to the gospel and a continuing faithfulness to the teachings in the Word.