Slow Drift

The book of Hebrews was written to a body of believers struggling to walk faithfully with Christ. Throughout the book, the writer of Hebrews (I don’t believe it was Paul) exhorts them to grow to maturity. Over the next few weeks I will examine a few of those commands. I think this is important because these commands are just as necessary and relevant for us as they were for them. The first of these exhortations is found in 2:1:

“For this reason, we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it.”

We must begin by asking, what is the reason for the command? In chapter one the writer began by explaining Christ’s superiority. He shows, first of all, that Christ is superior to the prophets and the angels. His superiority is seen principally by the fact that God revealed Himself in His Son Jesus Christ. Christ was not the messenger of God’s truth; He is God’s truth. To see Him is to see the Father. But the author does not stop there. He goes on to reveal that all things belong to Him. He is the creator and sustainer of all things and He is the redeemer and the ruler of all things. This is the reason for the exhortation in 2:1; Christ Himself is God and has revealed the Father to man, therefore the people of God must pay particular attention to the truth revealed in Him.

He then goes on to say that they must pay much closer attention to what they had heard. He is speaking to professed believers and he is commanding greater faithfulness and diligence. He indicates that they were already in fact paying attention to what they had heard, what they had heard was the word of God revealed in Christ and by Christ, but they needed to give greater heed. I believe that paying greater attention can be applied to us in two ways. First, it can simply mean that we need to study more. This can be in reference to the amount of study we are engaged in (I am obviously referring to our study of God’s word) or it can be in reference to the depth of our study; we may need to get more out of what we are studying.

“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!” Romans 11:33

Second it can mean that we need to work harder at applying the truth we have learned. The study of God’s word is not simply an academic exercise but rather it is covenantal: diligent study and application of the Word of God results in faithfulness.

The danger that awaits those who do not persist in paying closer attention is not immediate, visible, outright apostasy but a slow drift away from the truth. Imagine a fisherman that does not properly anchor his boat and returns the next morning to find his boat floating aimlessly, driven by the current. The writer of Hebrews is not making a judgment regarding the salvation of his readers; this drifting away from the truth could be evidence of an individual that never experienced regeneration or it could be that it is a believer that is simply not living in covenant faithfulness. The reality of the person’s condition is determined at a later time.

I believe much of what is done in the church today indicates that we are drifting. The consumerist, individualistic, therapeutic culture of America is the current that is steering the church because we are not sufficiently anchored to the word of truth revealed in Christ. What must be done? We must pay much closer attention to what we’ve heard and we need to hear much more of the word of Christ.