Danger of Drifting

Danger of Drifting (Hebrews 2:1)

Hebrews 2:1, “Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.”

The warning is strong. We must heed the truths we have heard lest we slip away from them. The truths which we have heard are the truths of salvation, of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Salvation has now been offered to man; man can now become acceptable to God and live eternally with God. Man can now live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world; he can now conquer the trials and temptations, bondages and enslavements, sins and death of this world. Man can now live triumphantly and abundantly in this world and live eternally in perfection in the other world. But we must give more earnest heed to the Gospel of salvation, or else we will slip away from the truths of salvation.

What must be done for an individual to drift away from the Lord? What takes place in a Christian’s life that causes him to go backwards in his walk with God? The answer is nothing. As the tide takes objects further and further out to sea, even so the believer in Christ can become distant from the Lord by doing absolutely nothing. Therefore, it is crucial that we are growing and walking with the Lord in our fellowship with Him.

The writer of Hebrews addressed this when he said in Hebrews 2:1, “Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip”. Swimming against the tide takes discipline, diligence, and intentional effort. Drifting is possible. And worse, it’s happening all around us. Many churches today are drifting instead of continuing. Decades ago, religious movements began urging churches to embrace all religions and to withhold from teaching core doctrines in order to embrace the culture. While it is true that not all culture is wrong, it is true that the world is no friend to the child of God or the local church. I John 2:1-16, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”

Many churches today are so concerned with “relevance” that the lost world can’t see the difference Christ makes in a life! The church is becoming more “relevant”, that is, accepting the world around us until our message starts to sound like every other message the culture enjoys. That is why we must guard against drift. After all, keeping the faith is not guaranteed. That’s why God commands us to purposefully do it. I Corinthians 16:13, “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.” II Thessalonians 2:15, “Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.”

For most of us, the threat is not so much that we should abruptly about-face from the Lord, but that we should drift into sin. While there are few people who deliberately and, in a moment, turn their backs on God; there are many who day by day drift farther and farther away from Him. We are seeing a falling away from truth when we should see a standing up for Christ. II Thessalonians 2:3, “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.” If we are to make a true impact for Christ, not just build a large crowd or membership, but see lives changed with the Gospel, we must be steadfast in the truth. II Timothy 3:12–14, “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them.”

Maybe you are on the drift today. You go to church, and the service is going on around you, but you are not especially engaged. You are focused on your phone—your mind is on social media rather than the Son of Man. You see a pastor in front speaking from the Bible, and while other people seem eager to hear what he has to say, you are on the drift, not expecting anything significant to happen to you.

Drifting is a slow process. What seems like small, incremental moves can eventually lead to significant and dangerous distances. Doing nothing, saying nothing, being nothing, and attempting nothing may not seem like inherently evil acts of sin, but the reality is such apathetic tendencies causes the strongest of swimmers to drift. Guard yourself from spiritual indifference! Persevere against the waves, refuse the melancholy pull of the world. Keep pressing until you reach the heavenly shoreline!

Questions to Consider:
Can you identify with a person who is on the drift?
Has the Word of God become dull to you?

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