Hebrews 2:1 “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.”
When I was a kid, I was totally obsessed with body surfing. Bodysurfing is riding an ocean wave without the assistance of a float or something of that sort. It was an obsession I kept well into adulthood. Anytime I was at the beach – which was every chance I could get – I could be found bodysurfing. I would do it for hours on end. To me, it was the king of all beach activities. Obviously, high tide was the best time for this. The rougher the waters were and the bigger the waves were, the better the bodysurfing. But every so often, I would have to stop and trudge back up the beach because I would realize that I had drifted way down the beach. In the course of only 10-15 minutes, I could drift far, far down from where I originally went into the water. This drifting was typically not something I could sense happening, but it happened nonetheless. There was always the danger of drifting if I didn’t pay attention. We must be very aware of the very same danger in the Christian life: the danger of drifting. Drifting can happen very easily, and it can happen very subtlety. For this reason, the writer to the Hebrews begins chapter 2 with a warning for us all: “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.” This passage is the first of five warning passages in the book of Hebrews. Warnings to remind us that the Christian life is just that: it is a way of life. In these warning passages, the writer is speaking about the difference between true faith, which perseveres, and spurious faith, which is short-lived. Following Jesus is not simply a “Sunday morning thing.” It is not simply an hour a week “infusion” to get us through the week. It is a way of life. The writer begins this passage with the word “therefore”. He is building on a thought or train of thought previously stated. Here, the writer is building upon all he has said in chapter 1. In that opening chapter, he has declared the superiority of Jesus. Jesus is better. He is superior to the prophets, to the angels. Superior to Moses, to Aaron, to the sacrificial system. He is the new and living way (Heb. 10:20). Jesus is better. In Jesus, God’s revelation is complete. God has had his final word in his Son. The OT prophets who spoke as God’s mouthpieces spoke as God’s servants, but Jesus has spoken as God’s Son. The writer pointed us to the divine nature and divine power of Jesus. He is the heir of all things. He is the one through whom the world was created. He is the radiance of the glory of God. He is the exact imprint of his nature. He upholds and sustains the universe by the word of his power. He told us that it was this great and glorious Jesus who made purification for our sins. The sinless Son of God, the Great High Priest, offered himself to make atonement for our sins. So the writer builds on these incredible and glorious truths. “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.” Notice the pastor’s heart the writer displays? He uses the pronoun “we”. He includes himself in these warnings and admonitions. He is identifying himself with his readers. He remembers Psalm 103:14. “For (Yahweh) knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.” The writer knows these words apply to him every bit as much as to his readers. He recognizes that he is a sinner like his readers. He recognizes his frailty. He is not speaking from a place of spiritual haughtiness. He is not an ivory tower theologian. He knows he must also pay careful attention so that he doesn’t drift. A number of factors can lead us into the danger of drifting. Suffering and hardships are certainly reasons. Suffering and hardships can easily shake our faith. When our faith is shaken, doubts creep in, and doubts can lead us to drift. Doubts can cause us to question God and his word. And it’s only logical that if we begin to doubt God, we will drift from him. Busyness can be a cause of drifting. We become overly busy as we fall into the ways of this fast-paced hectic world, and as a result, we do not spend the time in the word and in prayer that we should. We’re just “too busy.” Strangely, however, we always seem to find time to do what we really want to do, don’t we? Spiritual apathy is sure to lead to drifting. Missing corporate worship on a regular basis is a guarantee that drifting is on the horizon. We are never standing still in our walk with the Lord. We are moving in one of two directions. We are either moving forward, growing in spiritual maturity, or we are going backward, drifting. There are no other options. When we become apathetic toward God, to his word, to the means of grace he has given so that we grow in spiritual maturity, we will drift. If we are not connected to a community of believers, we will drift. What happens to a charcoal ember if you remove it from the fire? So the writer gives us a stern and sober warning. “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.” Sacred Scripture is abundantly clear that a true Christian, one who has received the message of the Gospel in faith and repentance, cannot lose their salvation. God will not allow them to drift completely away, and that is a tremendous blessing. If God did allow us to drift completely away, we all would. Even though a true believer cannot lose his/her salvation, they can fall into periods of backsliding, and periods of disobedience. In other words, they can drift. This warning in v 1 is a sobering warning. It should cause us to examine ourselves. There is no such thing as “almost saved.” To be “almost saved” is to be completely lost. Therefore, we must “pay much closer attention to what we have heard…” And what have we heard? In the context of the book of Hebrews, we have just heard an amazing portrait of the eminence and glory of Jesus. In short, we have heard the Gospel. Refusal to pay attention to that message has detrimental ramifications. We must “pay much closer attention to what we have heard…” because “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Rom. 10:17). The writer points us to the intersection between doctrine and practice. What we believe and how we live are inseparable. We cannot and will not live a perfect, sin-free life, but there better be evidence of spiritual growth and transformation. A person cannot have a true saving encounter with Jesus and remain unchanged. The Holy Spirit cannot enter a person and leave him the same. We need to wake up and be sure we are clinging to the message of our great salvation. If not, we will drift away. We will never drift into godliness, but if we do not pay attention to what we have heard, we will drift into worldliness