January 9’s devotional.
God never left salvation hanging on a single voice or a fleeting moment. He confirmed it. Andre warned us again with urgency when he said, “Pay attention. If you don’t you’re going to suffer the consequences.” Hebrews 2:3–4 shows why this warning carries weight. “This salvation had its beginning when it was spoken of by the Lord, and it was confirmed to us by those who heard him.” The gospel did not fade after Jesus ascended. God ensured that what Christ proclaimed was firmly established, publicly witnessed, and powerfully affirmed.
The first confirmation came through eyewitness testimony. The apostles heard Jesus teach. They watched Him heal. They saw Him crucified. They encountered Him risen. They did not pass on rumours. They testified to facts. Scripture says, “What we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have observed and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— that life was revealed” (1 John 1:1–2). These men staked their lives on that testimony. Many suffered. Many died. People do not endure persecution for what they know to be false.
Andre pressed this reality home when he said, “You’re only willing to die when you believe something is true. You don’t die for a lie.” The early church confirmed the gospel not only with words but with faithfulness under pressure. Their hope in death sounded different. Their courage unsettled observers. Their lives echoed the truth they proclaimed. God used their witness to anchor the message of salvation firmly in history.
God also authenticated salvation through signs and wonders. Hebrews 2:4 says, “At the same time God also testified by signs and wonders, various miracles, and distributions of gifts from the Holy Spirit according to his will.” Jesus’ miracles were not spectacles. They were signs. They revealed His identity. They confirmed that God had come in the flesh. The apostles performed miracles to show that the same Spirit who worked in Christ now worked through them as His appointed witnesses.
Yet the evidence did not end in the first century. Andre reminded us of an ongoing miracle when he spoke of conversion. God still opens blind eyes. He still softens hard hearts. He still grants repentance and faith. Scripture says, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Every transformed life stands as living testimony that salvation is real, powerful, and active.
Father in heaven, thank You for confirming our salvation so clearly. Thank You for faithful witnesses, for mighty works, and for the miracle of new birth. Strengthen our assurance as we remember what You have done. Fill our hearts with gratitude and reverence. Keep us attentive, faithful, and joyful in the salvation You have secured through Christ. Amen.