This paragraph is the first of several “exhortations” from author to drawing practical implications of the theology he is presenting. These are not secondary afterthoughts to make the theology look practical, they are the logical outworking of the theology and are probably the real reason he is writing, to exhort his readers to live a proper Christ-like life. (See Hebrews, 13:22, the entire book is intended as a “word of exhortation.”)
This is a logical a fortiori argument. The writer starts with an accepted truth, then moves to a logically related truth which has even more reason to be accepted. His argument is: if our salvation is greater than what Israel experienced under the Law, then so too the judgment will be greater if someone drifts away. He offers warning, then the reason for the warning, then he offers evidence from Scripture and experience.
First, the writer gives a stern warning: Pay careful attention and do no drift away (2:1). “Pay careful attention” is the command given based on the deity of Jesus. This is not a clear break from chapter one, it is based on the logic of chapter 1. If Jesus is truly the Son of God, and God himself, then the message that he brought is worthy of attention. In the New Testament the word translated “pay attention” is used for devoting oneself to a task, such as prayer and scripture reading (1 Tim 4:13) , or even an individual listening to the Gospel and accepting Christ (Lydia, in Acts 16, for example.)
The reason for the careful attention is the possibility of “drifting away.” Since the writer raises this issue in his first exhortation, he may be addressing a real problem his readers were facing. The word for “drifting away” (παραρρέω) is only used here in Hebrews 2:1. It refers to something floating aimlessly on the surface of the water. The word is used for allowing a ring to “slip from one’s finger” (Bruce, Hebrews, 27).
The image is carelessness and lack of attention. This is not a person who suddenly recants their faith in a moment of fury, but rather someone who makes many tiny compromises over a long period of time. Instead of being careful devoted to their faith, this person just floats along with the tide. In fact, in verse 3 this is described as neglect (ἀμελέω). The writer thinks this drifting away is as bad as apostasy, denying the Lord.
After stating the warning, he now proceeds to tell us why it is important that we do not drift.
Second, this “drifting away” is a serious problem. If our salvation is superior, then so is the consequence for ignoring it. (2:2-3a). The first part of this argument is based on the idea that the “Great salvation” that we have is greater than the salvation of the Old Testament. The writer says that the Law was delivered by angels. The Old Testament says nothing about angels being involved in the delivery of the Law, but they are active in other passages doing service for God. It was a Jewish tradition that angels were the ones that delivered the Law to Moses.
The law was binding to the Jews, and there were “curses and blessings” promised based on the obedience of the people. The judgements for disobedience were certain, just as the rewards were. Therefore, if the salvation that we have is a better salvation than in the Old Testament, the judgement for drifting from that salvation will also be greater.
Finally, the writer offers evidence for this warning. Jesus revealed our salvation, and it was testified to by the apostles and signs, and by the Holy Spirit (2:3b-4). There is a pattern of revelation similar to the law, it came through Christ to the apostles (including Paul), and then to the generation reading the letter. The writer includes himself in those who received the revelation from the apostles, rather than from the Lord.
The message of salvation was witnessed by signs and miracles. The miracles themselves do not prove that Jesus is God, since he would be God even if he did not do miracles. The miracles were intended to verify that Jesus and disciples were in fact from God. The Jews expected the Messiah to do miracles, some even ask Jesus to show a miracle to prove he is the Messiah (which he does not do, interestingly enough!)
The final step in his argument is that the salvation is witnessed to by the gifts of the Spirit. The word for gifts here is not the more common charismata, but rather a word that is used to emphasize the distribution of the gifts. Not that the miraculous gifts are not in the mind of the writer, they may or may not be. The main idea here is that the salvation that we share in was first witnessed by Christ, then the apostles, and then through the function of spiritual gifts in the church.
The writer’s warning, then, is the readers need to carefully devote themselves to spiritual growth because the judgment for drifting away and spiritual negligence is great indeed.
But what does “drifting away and spiritual negligence” look like from a contemporary perspective? What sorts of things can be safeguards against this drift? I am sure this will be different in various cultures, so a Christian in a non-western culture will struggle differently than a young, western (American) Christian.
Drifting away in an American Christian culture looks like one walking the other way from Christ. It’s the person getting burned out on the Christian walk, and it is a challenge that many of us face, but as Christians we need to be equipped to fight the fact that we will get burned out and that is what the devil wants us to become. Having a strong foundation in Biblical truth and knowing where you stand in Christ will help glue your feet to the ground when the wind blows. It is reassuring that our salvation is so valuable that it becomes a serious problem when we drift away from it, God wants us to treasure our salvation, and stand firm in his word so we remain close to him. We have to give God the anchor of our boat so he can keep us close to him and we don’t drift away.
I like the points you made with this post. I feel that another main point of drifting from the faith is not growing in the faith constantly. There is always constant movement in this world, so if you are not moving forwards you are moving backwards. Constantly growing will help us continue to understand how important our salvation is. I liked how you said that God wants us to treasure our salvation. Our personal salvation and the salvation of others should be the most important thing in our lives. This is continually maintaining your relationship with God and reaching out to people so they can have this relationship, too. A great way to do this is not only reading the Bible but actively reading the Bible. Reading the Bible knowing that it is the word of God, wanting to seek wisdom and life from it and coming humbly and with reverence.
Reblogged this on Talmidimblogging.
Phil,
Love your exposition on Hebrews 2:1-4! Especially in understanding architecture of the book, e.g.
“logical outworking of the theology and are probably the real reason he is writing, to exhort his readers to live a proper Christ-like life”
I work in Silicon Valley, a culture of secularism. Secularism overrides everything! “Burning Man” should be taken with a grain or two of salt… but it’s definitely a tell.
“Drifting” can easily happen as an unintended consequence of working in the Valley. I work in Venture Capital backed software sales, where men and women, allow their rings to “slip from their finger” as a matter of course. Like gaining 2 inches in your waist line…how did that happen?
It happened gradually. Because blending in, to become elite is a drug. I was in a forecast meeting the other day when my boss, a Sikh, said,
“pray to whatever god you pray to!”
Why? Because, at the end of the day, revenue is the only one true God and the grind is your religion! But feel free to have your personal god as long as you keep him/her in the “lower case.”
In the Valley there are more mildly religious Muslims, Hindus, atheists, who come from MIT, Wharton, Stanford, IIT, and Harvard than there are empty expresso cups! Go Philz! And all seem to agree on one thing, “what it’s all really about is being a good person!” e.g. Sergey and Larry’s original Google motto: “don’t be evil” and the ubiquitous “No A-Hole Rule.” and as a side note, generally placed in employee handbooks by “A-holes!”
But remember why you are really in the Valley to begin with, the Revenue and the Grind!
Sleep is that time you are working on startup problems with your eyes closed. -Dharmesh Shah, Hubspot
So, “paying careful attention” – being hyper vigilant about your faith in Jesus Christ…is your only option to avoid becoming the next drifter.
Rich
PS: Under point two you say, “If was a Jewish tradition that angels were the ones that delivered the Law to Moses.” If it matters, change your f to a t.
Rich McGhee mcgheerich@gmail.com
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Thanks for the detailed comment and correction (which is now corrected!)
Excellent post! I beleive in today’s world, it can be easy to “drift away” with all the outside distractions such as social media, personal image and having a constant “go go go” mentalitytowards life. Drifting away to me means moving your eyes towards the world and away from Christ. Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:24 that no one can serve two masters as either you will hate the one and love the other or you will be devoted to one and despise the other(NIV translation). Drifting away most of the time however is not attention. Last week in a magizine, I read that around 90% of all pastors as well as people in ministry have experience burn out situtions. Spiritual negligance is often the cause of burnouts as you are trusting in yourself and your own works often instead of putting your trust and ministry in God’s hands. Having a strong theological foundation and staying strong in your reading of the scriptures will help you stay connceted with Christ and not “drift away” like Hebrews 2 talks about.
Troy,
I completely agree with your comment that it can be very easy to “drift away” in today’s world. Social media, relationships, ect can be distractions from God and from our spiritual relationship with Him. Coming from a personal view, it is hard for someone (like me) that does not have a lot of spiritual support in my family to not drift away a bit from Christ and if you add on-top of other distractions like social media, personal image, and personal relationships, it is even easier. That is why it is so important to keep at an eye on Christ and His teachings and to keep that spiritual relationship with God and not “drift away.”
Drifting away is ultimately drifting away from Christ and the community of the body of Christ. Like mentioned in the post, it happens through many small steps that lead away from Him. I believe a very important precautionary step is to make sure we remain in community and in fellowship with the church around us. what does that look like? I don’t think it looks like simple chatter after church or geographical closeness. Its real relationships with people that spur one another on to love and good deeds! People who are holding people accountable and growing together. Community needs to be practiced in order to be effective. I believe this is what will keep people from drifting away.
Drifting away in the sense of “floating along with the tide” is perhaps a tricky issue although definitely prevalent. Humans have a tendency of categorizing sin from levels of worst to most okay, and living based on their idea of where each sin lies. “Porn is an obvious no-no, but speaking false things about a person I don’t like isn’t that bad, is it? Maybe it is not so wrong to consider the possibility of other gods existing, it’s not like that means God doesn’t exist”. Categorizing sin can be a dangerous thing, and sins we never expected to be problems can be the ones to lead us astray.
The primary method to help with preventing one from drifting away is the true understanding of repentance. Compared to a more older understanding of “talking about the bad things you did recently”, repentance means to “turn”, or “return”, suggesting more than just a vocalization of sin, but an effort to fight against it. One cannot simply just be aware of their sins, they need to make an effort to always be working on moving away from them and to Christ. Various methods of working towards this are having strong Christian and church connections that one can be honest with and be both supported and challenged, Another is to read the word to get a better understanding of what the Lord recommends to fight against the devil in his word (Ephesians 6:10-18, James 5:16, 2 Timothy 2:22). And finally, it is important to be aware and looking for ways in which we might be drifting, and not afraid to admit when we are indeed drifting away on the waves of life.
I agree with everything that was said! It is very hard in our world today to not be distracted. It says in 2 Timothy 3:2-3 NIV that, “People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.” This is a good example of someone who has drifted away from God. It can range from a multitude of things like social media and hearing what others have to say about a person’s image and how they should come off to others in a public setting. It is a sad realization but it is a unfortunate truth we all have to face. I would view that in a way of drifting away from God. I know I’m not the only one who believes this but God made all of us a certain way for a certain reason. That is what makes us all unique. For that reason alone there should be no reason why we should let other people dictate our lives and how we should go about our lives on a daily basis. This is also why it is vital to not let those things bring us down. We have to be trusting towards God in the fact that like I previously mentioned, created us for a specific reason and also that He has a plan for each of us. In doing so, it should be more than enough to help combat drifting away from God and his love that he has for all of us.
The description of drifting away used in this post is not a position I have thought about much. I find it intriguing that the true meaning includes a slow, gradual drift rather than an intentional walking away. The true meaning being connected to carelessness and small compromises gives this warning a whole new level of urgency. Now it is clear that the intention and care the author gave to this warning was not written with a light heart. The heart of the author was obviously burdened not only for the people but for the heart of God himself. Because God created man to be in union with him, it must break the heart of Got to see his people drift away slowly with the tide.
I feel the same way about the analogy of the drifting away as well Laine. We do get a clear indication of how to not drift away as well, with not forgetting our salvation and what that means in our lives (2:3). I find that it can be quite easy to forget the magnitude and greatness of our salvation, and what that truly has done for us. I know for me personally, I can take for granted the salvation that I was given, and that I can forget how thankful I should be for what Jesus has done for me. Great piece of scripture that definitely applies to an everyday Christian life.
I believe that the term of “drifting away” in this age, has a lot to do with contentment. As a whole, we are very busy. We are constantly working, socializing, and living OUR best lives. We are so obsessed and caught up in the world and material things that our relationship with Christ is so surface level. We do not always search or desire for a deeper relationship with Christ. This leads to constantly going through the motions. We are not focused, or paying attention to what really matters, because we are overcome with so many distractions. These distractions gradually pull us away. We drift. It is important for us, in our busyness, that we give up everything that we hold so dear. We must pay attention.
-McKenzie McCord- 1/31/18
I totally agree with this post. I think a lot of times when people argue losing their salvation, or giving up on their faith, they seem to think it just happens when someone gets super mad at God and tells him they want nothing to do with him. Sure, that could be how it happens, but I agree with the author of Hebrews, and stated here that it seems more like people periodically having things happen that they lose their faith over a period of time. Of course this correlates with if you believe you can lose your salvation, but still the author poses this very idea. I also believe the idea that if drifting away is a problem worth addressing, then it is something we really should be taking seriously. The only way we can know if someone is living out their faith, is by the works they produce. IF we are called to minister, we are supposed to be doing good works for God, as Christ did.
It is interesting when reading Hebrews chapter 2 starts off with a warning about neglecting salvation. According to this blog, negligence is like drifting away “with the tide,” slowing departing from the main source of our salvation Jesus Christ. What tide does our current modern time holds? There has been a lot of mixture of religions, taking some from New Age movement, Wiccan, Buddhism, inserting with Christianity, etc. In Revelation 3:16 says, “because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.” Lately, there has been a lot of lukewarm in our communities, preaching prosperity gospel, sugar coating with tolerance of sin, rather than correction with true doctrine. Most times people rather follow what’s in the New Testament and neglecting the Old Testament. Which, can consider neglect of salvation, because both sides of the Bible reflects one another in completion through Christ Jesus. Several ways to avoid drifting away is staying in constant relationship with Jesus Christ, reading the Bible on daily basis, being part of a body of Christ, and praying every chance possible. To pray for wisdom, understanding, discernment, and perseverance in hope and faith.
I admire the challenge to stay attentive as it gives perspective to my everyday journey as a Christ-follower. It is a passage like this that reminds me to live intentionally and purposefully, giving glory to God in everything I do. However, I did think of a question while I was reading your article. If the original Jewish audience was intended to be swayed in favor of Jesus as the Messiah through this letter, would it have been possible for them to drift back into the salvation of the old covenant? I think it is easy for us to think of drifting away from Christ as becoming atheist or agnostic. But I think since the argument that the author is offering up to the reader is the superiority of the new covenant in Christ, the common pitfall of “drifting away” would just to revert back to their old ways in the previous covenant. I would say considering the severity that the author pairs with acknowledging Christ’s covenant and sticking to it, it would have been slightly common for a Jew who had accepted Christ as the superior avenue of salvation to reverting back to the old covenant. Especially in the case of pressure from the community or family.
This idea of “drifting away” makes me wonder if the author of Hebrews means backsliding in one’s faith or simply losing one’s faith and possibly their salvation. I am a strong believer that once someone has been saved, meaning they have put their faith in Jesus Christ as their personal savior and the Holy Spirit has indwelt them thereby sealing them (Eph 1:13-14), then that person is unable to lose their salvation. I believe that Romans 8:38-39 spells this out very clearly that there is nothing in all of creation that will be able to separate us from Jesus. Just like our salvation is not dependent upon anything we can do, any loss of salvation would also not be dependent on anything we can do. We can’t earn salvation just like we can’t lose salvation. So when the writer of Hebrews speaks of “drifting away” in chapter 2 verse 1, I believe he is speaking of backsliding. I believe backsliding has a few levels to it. There are many people who are committed to loving and serving God and seek to be perfect, but since everyone sins, they backslide once in a while. These people will repent and immediately seek to follow after God again. The second level of backsliding is someone who is more casual in their faith and was never really too committed. These people do not feel too convicted about sin and live a very up and down life, at some points seeming like a spiritually mature christian and at other times being very immature in their faith. Then there is the third level of backsliding that Jobes touches on “people to profess a faith in Christ but later to wander away from the church and away from faith in Christ.” (Jobes 134). This aspect puzzles me the most. As I have seen people serving God and preaching his message and very much seemingly like a strong Christian even working in Churches, then to fall away and no longer be active in church and no longer appear to even have faith in Christ. How can someone make such a transition? Was this person’s faith truly genuine? Was this person ever truly saved? Can someone without salvation be such a strong follower of Christ even preaching salvation from faith in Jesus?
The author of Hebrews states that the judgment is much greater for the new covenant compared to the old covenant because the new covenant is a greater covenant altogether. I think just because the new covenant is greater that does not mean the judgment has not changed (because God is just and His justice does not change). I think that what becomes greater with this new covenant is the grace given under it. The judgment is not harsher. Grace is abounding more. This is not to say that we should keep on sinning because grace abounds (Romans 6:1-2). This is the empowering freedom to live righteously that this new covenant gives. While drifting is not good (and I will get to the main point in a second), this is not a matter of loss of salvation. The author is trying to convey the importance to these Jews that were probably facing persecution from Nero (depending on when you think this was written) that no matter the suffering, staying the course and anchoring yourself in Christ is worth the suffering.
Now, this denial of faith comes from drifting away. And drifting away deals with small incremental movements away from the place you once were. If you are not strongly anchored to where you should be it is easy to “drift” and get lost. These Jews, if not strongly secured to the Gospel of Jesus Christ were continually moving into a position where denying their faith was okay, beneficial, and necessary. In this 21st Century, Christians can do very similar things. Especially in American culture where things aside from Jesus are idolized and glorified. If you or I do not have accountability, then there is an opportunity to drift. If you and I do not have a faithful community, then there is an opportunity to drift. If you are I are not in prayer daily or the Bible daily then there is an opportunity to drift. If there is a lack of Christian influence on your life then there is a likeliness that you might possibly be drifting. This drifting can go unnoticed until you look up and cannot find your way back home. This drifting can put you in a place of isolation. Not that God’s grace cannot about there but this flippancy is not glorifying and it is not how we should be living as the Body of Christ. It becomes a story similar to the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) but in some of these drifting cases the son does not come back.
After studying the book of Hebrews in the past couple weeks for this course, the passage of Hebrews 2:1-4 immediately stood out to me. I believe that it has a message that still resounds today. Hebrews 2:1 instructs believers to not pay “the most careful attention.” This is important and noteworthy because of the emphasis on careful attention. The author of Hebrews is making it very clear that Christians and believers in God must pay as much careful attention as possible to their faith and what they know and have learned about God. The syntax of this verse depicts the importance of showing careful attention to what we have heard about and know about the Lord. Additionally, the second half of the verse claims that we shall not drift away. The verse is claiming that Christians and believers should not drift away from what they have heard; again, what they have heard reverts back to what they have heard and learned about God and/or Jesus Christ. This verse directly applies to Christians today. I feel as if it applies to Christians and believers of all times, ages, eras, and generations. We hear about Jesus Christ, we learn about God, we read the Bible, we pray to God, we do devotions, etc., but then at times, we allow ourselves to drift away from this relationship with God. Whether it be sports, money, our jobs, schoolwork, hanging out with friends, etc., we let Earthly things pull us away from what we have heard and learned about God. This is a natural tendency that Christians must fight. Because this can be considered a natural tendency, the author of Hebrews stresses the importance of paying one’s “most careful attention” (Hebrews 2:1).
The initial blog post claims that the author of Hebrews may be referring to a real problem that the readers were facing during this time in history. According to Jobes (2011), the readers of Hebrews during these Bible times were faced with persecution. This could have been the real problem that the readers were facing, and this harsh persecution could have caused people of faith to drift away from that faith because they believed that would prevent them from facing persecution. Though Christians in America may not be experiencing persecution because of their faith, that is still a real thing in other parts of the world. Therefore, this could be a cause of other people drifting away from their faith. That being said, persecution is not the only thing that would cause one to drift away from their faith. American culture offers social media, popularity, money, jobs, sports, etc., that all can cause one to drift away from their faith and what they have learned and heard about Jesus Christ.
Each of the temptations and struggles that cause people to drift away from their faith fit the description from the blog post that highlights the tiny compromises aspect. The blog post is very specific about the fact that this drifting away from one’s faith comes from carelessness that can be compared to losing a ring off of one’s finger. One does not choose to take the ring off their finger and forget about it. Similarly, one does not typically just choose to abandon their faith, but their carelessness can cause them to drift away. Regardless of where one lives, there are temptations that can distract us and make us careless. These can cause us to lose focus on what is important and drift away from our faith. Another interesting connection is that a major theme of Hebrews is Christology and Christ being fully human (Jobes, 2011, p. 44).
Jobes, K. H. (2011). The Letters to the Church. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
I find it interesting that the author has chosen to place this exhortation in between the introduction and a section on Jesus’ humanity.
I appreciate the blog’s explanation of this type of rhetorical argument. The warning to not drift away is interesting for several reasons.
It seems that the author assumes the group of recipients is primarily made up of believers.
The blog also notes that it is not a recanting of faith, but a slow drifting way.
Drifting away is considered worse than apostasy. If they believe that their salvation is that important, letting the faith slowly fade away must be equally great.
If both of the above are true, is the author implying one can lose his or her salvation? Is “drifting away” closer to a slowly dying faith? Or is it warning against neglecting spiritual disciplines for long periods of time but never actually losing faith?
Earlier it was determined the book was most likely written to encourage the Jew Christians during a period of persecution in Rome. If they were being persecuted, wouldn’t those “sitting on the fence”, so to speak, already chosen their side?
Is this something like the Ananias and Sapphira story in Acts, testing and weeding out pretenders? Or is it a warning to not neglect-and possibly lose-salvation? Or is it referring to something else altogether?
Drifting away is something that god never wants from us and I feel that it happens overtime as you get distance from what God really want from us. I feel that if it more people out here giving the word of God and show that it is ok to know that he will guide us through tough times and also showing living testimony showing people that God haves our back no matter what.
In today’s society in a western fast paced America, it can be very easy to find oneself inevitably drifting away and practicing spiritual negligence because of the multitude of distractions. Whether it be things that are essential to modern day American culture such as focusing on a lifetime career to worrying about money issues or even more simple distractions that take our attention rather easily such as apps like Tik Tok or Instagram; even keeping up with false idols like celebrities and athletes steal our focus on what we as Christian need to really pay the utmost attention to, God and Jesus Christ… I think that it is very important that we do not drift away from what we have heard and know about the gospel and all of the pivotal miracles that Jesus and God have done for mankind. The thing that stood out to me the most from P.Longs blog post was, “If our salvation is superior, then so is the consequence for ignoring it” (P.Long). This is important because we as Christian know that if we drift away from God and completely forget about everything that He has taught, shown, and told us we will not be sanctified, nor will we ever be granted access to the highest place. Hebrews 2: 2 is a very scary and important verse to “PAY ATTENTION” to it states that if there are any transgressions or disobedience there will be a just retribution. Thus, the best way to safeguard Christians and the rest of mankind from drifting away is to have complete trust and faith in Him for all of our manmade and Earthly materialistic wants hold no meaning to what will be promised if we stay strong and apply God’s words to our temporary life on Earth.
“The book of Hebrews underscores the unique and permanent significance of Jesus Christ in a world full of religious claims about God” (Jobes 93). I really like this quote from Jobe because she states that Hebrews is a book that is often taken for granted, Hebrews is a very important book because it is a direct warning of what is to come later if mankind continues to live a selfish Earthly lifestyle. It is of the utmost importance that we note that Hebrews testifies why Jesus is permanent and significant and we need to not be distracted by other people’s commentary of which is worthless and not permanent. Our attention as Christian needs to be solely on how one can live an honest life in imitation of Jesus Christ ultimately reaching the main goal of pleasing God.
Hebrews 2:1-4 contains a message to the reader and believer about not drifting away from the faith. There is also a message about how the evidence of God’s salvation can be seen throughout sings, wonders, and miracles, as God himself testified to the salvation that his sacrifice represents. The readers need to carefully devote themselves to spiritual growth to safeguard themselves from drifting away. In today’s society, the overflowing of social media platforms and internet is a new temptation for believers that early believers did not face. This poses a new threat for a believer, as something to draw their attention towards idolatry and away from God. Within the sermon on the mountain, Jesus describes sin as something that is not only action but also thought (Matt 5). Thus, one need to be careful to avoid the slippery slope that leads to sin when focusing too much on internet or social media.
There must be close attention paid to the salvation brought from God to prevent one falling away. The compromising of the faith is not something that is instantaneous, but something that gradually happens over time, as one continuously makes tiny compromises over time. The author of Hebrews describes this drifting away as neglect of God.
If the salvation we have is greater than the salvation those received in the Old Testament, how much greater will the punishment be for those who have received this greater salvation? Jesus himself states, “I tell you, even Sodom will be better off on judgment day than you” (Matt. 11:24). Jesus explains that judgment will be easier for those who were present in the destroyed city of Sodom, than for those who are unrepentant.
When discussing this passage in Hebrews, my mind immediately jumped to The Parable of the Sower found in Mathew 13 and the later chapter in Hebrews: 11. The writer does not say he is referencing The Parable of the Sower, but his message fits to an audience being warned against the category of the seeds that were sown on rocky ground. He did not want them to fall away from the gospel “when tribulation or persecution ar[ose] on account of the word” (Matt. 13:21, ESV). As important as it is to warn them of the dangers of falling away, he did not just leave it with a “don’t do this”. Chapter 11 of Hebrews first defines faith and then goes on to show examples of those who did live by that faith. Basically, as Jobes says in the book Letters to the Church “the kind of faith it takes to please God… is simply living as if we believe what God says” (2011, p. 48). It might be a frustratingly broad definition, but the reality of our lives is that they are all different. Even identical twins growing up in the same environment have widely different experiences. The author of Hebrews uses Sarah as an example of someone living by faith, but this does not mean everyone shows their faith by receiving the “power to conceive” like she did (Heb. 11:11). You (P. Long) ask what it might look like to fall away “from a contemporary perspective”. Just as living by faith can look different for each Christian, I think falling away might look different for each as well.
In Hebrews 2:1 it talks about paying attention and not to drift away from God. As believers we believe not what Jesus necessarily said that gives us the message that is sent from God but it is who Jesus is and what He has done for us (Jobes , pg.166). Therefore, I personally think that we need to obey God and not drift away from God and to pay attention whether it is through prayer, scripture, worship, etc. (Isaiah 28:23). Another point I think that could be mentioned and talked more about in this post is how faith doesn’t just suddenly appear in someone’s life overnight, it takes time to create a strong relationship with Christ, and if you drift away from Him it is going to take some time to come back to him and be consistent in your time with Him.
I agree with you that just because angels aren’t mentioned in the delivering the law in the Old Testament doesn’t mean that they aren’t active in other passages throughout the Bible serving God. I believe that as a Christian it is important to know what drifting away means and to evaluate your spiritual life to see maybe if you need to reconnect with God.
As Christtians, I can say drifting away and spiritual negligence is more like you get lost in the words and stop spending time, and stop relying on God. In my perspective, there are days that we do not read the Bible everyday, when we should get spiritual strength going and praying and asking God for guidance, wisdom, and protection. The less we read our Bible, we end relying on flesh and not on the only Holy Spirit. Things can go very wrong when we are away from God. I have drifted away from God by not reading my Bible that often, not praying so much that I thought I could do this without God’s help. I end up relying on my flesh and not the Holy Spirit. The worst thing is that I end up fighting with the flesh, not the Holy Spirit. It is like you are fighting with yourself and knowing that you are not going to get the answer. You hear people making their 5 or 10 year plan, thinking they can control their life, their plan especially of how they should follow according to schedule. I had planned what I was going to do with that plan that involves my life but then the plan I had did not turn out what I wanted or didn’t happen. God has a plan for all of us and He controls our life unless you let him in and do your will follow Him. I wonder if someone would ask if you know the Lord and how strong your faith is, and if someone says they are lukewarm or cold then that means the person does not have a close relationship with God.
What an interesting concept that brings out many kinds of opinions and thoughts. What exactly can we take from this small line “so we do not drift away”. For those who believe in the theological doctrine of eternal security, which I believe to be supported by various passages (i.e Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:38-39, John 10:28-29), this verse becomes quite problematic. But I believe what you say about the deeper meaning of the word gives a more profound understanding that doesn’t conflict this theological doctrine. To define this as a sort of drifting or floating aimlessly, I don’t believe intends to refer losing ones salvation. Instead, what you say right after, the thought of “neglect” In verse three I believes is intending for us to care for the salvation that has been given to us. Yes, they’re warnings for backsliding which is for us to pursue maturity and growth in our faith. But if we were to understand this as a slow progression of drifting away, I think we can infer that the opposite of what we would need to pursue is us slowly working for being in right relation with God. Instead, this sounds like the old covenant and sacrificial system that the author of Hebrews is contrasting to the New covenant and is in contradiction to Eph. 2:8-9. The beauty about this verse is not the warning of losing your salvation, but inexplicably encouraging an a appreciation for the free gift of salvation that we shouldn’t take granted and to seek after growth and maturity in our faith.
It always amazes me at how God speaks to me through the things I learn in class. It shouldn’t come as a surprise since I’m going to a Bible college yet somehow I learn about a warning to the church about the dangers of drifting away just as I observe my own spirituality becoming stagnant. Suffice it to say that the Hebrews author’s application is just as relevant to the modern Christian as it was to the original audience. But there is one element of the author’s argument that I still don’t understand: Why is it so important that this new salvation through the apostles and Christ is greater than that of the Old Testament brought by the angels? My understanding is that both messages of salvation are from God. Is the salvation of the Grace dispensation somehow greater that that of the Law? If so that would make the salvation, and punishment for abandoning it, greater. Why can’t the two be equal? Maybe connecting this interpretation of the author’s argument to the dispensational view is incorrect but if so I don’t see how. How is the author’s statement that Christ is greater than the angels support his warning against neglecting our faith?
In verse 1 of Hebrews 2, we are being commanded to pay careful attention to what we have heard and to not drift away from it. Since the writer of Hebrews is talking about paying attention to what we hear and not drift away from it, this can be a sign the this was a problem people were facing at the time this book was written. “The word for “drifting away” is only used here in Hebrews 2:1. It refers to something floating aimlessly on the surface of the water. The word is used for allowing a ring to “slip from one’s finger” (Bruce, Hebrews, 27). This is telling us that the word drifting away is only used in verse 1, there was probably a good reasoning behind that. The whole concept of “drifting away” here is a real problem. In verse 3 it says this “How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation.” (ESV). This is telling that if our salvation is so great, the consequences we will face for ignoring the salvation will also be big. We are told by P. Long that the first part of this argument is based off the idea the “great salvation” that we have is greater than the salvation in the Old Testament. With what we know about this great salvation we have. Yes, it is said to be better than the salvation in the OT, which means that the judgment we face for drifting away from that salvation will also be greater. The whole message of salvation here, was witnessed by signs and miracles. Those miracles alone, don’t prove that Jesus is God, considering he would be God even if he did not perform miracles. Instead, the miracles were supposed to help verify that Jesus and the disciples were from God.
In my opinion, I think the term drift away in Hebrews 2:1, where we must pay careful attention so that we do not drift away, I think in life when problems arise and life starts to feel like it is crumbling apart, I think that is human nature to drift away, and then start asking God, “Why does this happen”, “Why does and is this happening to me?” and I think when we do this, we begin to be more focused on the negative than the positive which is what we will gain from this experience. We know that God has an ultimate plan, for every human being, and he decides what happens to us, and because of our free will, it is our position to come to him in the most dire of times so that instead of going through the situations alone, that we have God right next to us, and asking for his guidance through this. In Jobes Chapter 2, the author makes a statement which says “The revelation of God in Jesus Christ unites all who put their faith in him” Jobes 118) and when we start to drift away from him, we no longer can see God’s revelation to us, since we are so worried about our own problems. In your blog post you had mentioned that the term “Pay attention” is used for devoting oneself to a task such as prayer and scripture reading, and this does not happen sometimes and we begin to drift away from consistently paying attention because like I stated earlier we are focus on the “Why” instead taking action and Going to God’s words even more.
Hebrews 2:1-4 is about the author encouraging the audience to not drift away from the credible evidence of their salvation in Jesus Christ. Even today we still have that same temptation to drift away.
In today’s American culture it is almost encouraged to make little compromises in your faith. Excuses like “it’s okay, it’s really not that bad” are constantly being used to enable each other and ourselves to fulfill our fleshly desires. Little do we realize that each time we compromise no matter “how bad it is”, we are allowing our faith to be corrupted. A great biblical example of someone who resisted this corruption is Daniel. Currently the youth group at Rush Creek Bible Church is going through the book of Daniel and talking about this idea of not compromising your faith. Daniel has many opportunities to take the easy way out and give in to King Nebuchadnezzar’s demands which go completely against the Jewish Law. He could potentially lose his life and yet he still chose to not compromise his faith.
The enemy is continually looking for an opportunity to grab our attention, and so if we are not focused on God, we are making it easier for the enemy to corrupt us. Another Jewish Christian author in James 4:6-8 says, “6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”[a] 7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” Today we need to stand firm and resist the devil, but more importantly have our eyes on God.
In regards to what the author of Hebrews was talking about, Jobes in Letters to the Church says that Hebrews concerning salvation could be summed up in one statement. “Lifelong commitment of growth towards spiritual maturity and holiness, persevering in faith even though times of temptation turn away” (Jobes, 132). The encouragement for us to persevere runs through the entire book of Hebrews.
Jobes, Karen H. Letters to the Church: A Survey of Hebrews and the General Epistles. Zondervan, 2011.
This post highlights the importance of salvation weighed against the also important warning of straying from faith. As mentioned, this passage describes spiritual gifts as the proof of salvation in verses 3 and 4, “God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.” (Hebrews 2:4). I think that as the verse has described God has equipped us all with gifts in revealing his power to us. These gifts are not only proof of his salvation, but also help us along our journey in getting to know our savior better, and be better stewards of him. There is one line in particular in this post that really stuck out to me, “In today’s American culture it is almost encouraged to make little compromises in your faith,” (P.Long). I have seen this in my life, and everyday in our contemporary culture. One of the greatest words of encouragement I have seen is, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes,” (Ephesians 6:10-11). God has equipped us all with the ability to stay strong and resist the temptations so we can remain strong in his word.
Wonderful post! I enjoyed reading it because I believe that this applies very much to the things we live in nowadays. By drifting away, I would say that our society doesn’t just get burned out of the Christian life but, that also many have compromised their faith by allowing other “truths” to form part of the ultimate truth. This is something that I don’t agree with, and I believe it to be one of the main reasons why people will drift away. Instead of allowing the word of God to shape and transform them, they have made it fit in their lives by just applying the things they like about it in their lives. This made me think about Revelation 3:15-18 which says “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm- neither hot nor cold- I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” This verse shows that staying in the middle, comprising our faith as Christians is not an option, it’s either we are on God’s side or not. Isaiah 53: 6 says, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, everyone, to his own way.” So there is also our sinful nature which naturally wants to go against the things of God.
I believe that to put safeguards against this drift, one should always be looking back to their life is lined up with what they believe. For a Christian, our life should be seen on an “ L ” 90-degree diagram where our relationship with God is dependent on how our relationship with others will be. The more we love God and our relationship with Him keeps growing, the more we will be able to love others and reflect God’s love to them. I believe that we are called to live a personal life with God and have a community that points us back to Him. I believe this is why Jesus said “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.” This will help us not drift away or have spiritual negligence.
At the time that Hebrews was written, there was a real likelihood that some people were considering drifting away from God. It would be an easier choice for those that are weaker to begin to distance themselves. Sometimes we just need to be reminded what it is we are working for. Being reminded of the judgments and rewards that are imminent can be a motivator. If we drift away from God, we are giving up all that He is offering us and there are consequences in those actions. Another aspect of drifting away may be that you are becoming stagnant in your growth of faith. We can not be complacent when it comes to our relationship and loyalty to God. We need to be actively taking steps to grow in our faith and learn and develop that relationship. We will never be able to fully know all when it comes to our faith but we must use our time here on earth to worship and live in the image of God.
I love it when any book of the Bible takes the theological points and thinking that they have written in that book and actually apply it to your life. I think the first point that is brought up is so powerful and scary at the same time. When we even look at Biblical characters we can see them “drift away” from their faith. I think more importantly we can look at our lives and be convicted very heavily. I know when I read this passage I was. It’s something I think most Christians struggle with. It’s the same concept as the “flame” of your salvation is slowly put out or it runs out of wood. I know when I was saved that I was on fire for God. I was in the Bible every morning and praying in the morning, afternoon, and night. I think that is most people, but then over time, we start to get choked out by life. Maybe it’s just the busyness of life or maybe it’s a loss of a loved one. It can be a thousand different things, but all that matters is what you said, “rather someone who makes many compromises over a long period of time.” I know you can also use this concept in money. If you spend 8 dollars a day on a cup of coffee by the end of the year it’s almost 3,000 dollars. Small things add up. I think it’s even worse when it comes to our faith. I know I have experienced that and it’s called “the snowball effect”. It starts off as a harmless small, slow-moving ball and before you know it the ball is 20 times the size and it’s going full speed down the hill. It can be with anything in our faith. Our stances on issues, how committed we are, how much we give God, our time prioritization. As Christians, we have to know that the walk of Christ is a long obedience in the same direction. The Christian walk is a marathon not a 100m dash.
Hebrews 2:1-4 is where the author is encouraging the readers to stay strong and not drift away from what they know is true, based off evidence in their salvation with Jesus Christ. The readers today (us), are still tempted to drift away from what we believe in. We are challenged and tempted every day of our lives, whether it is small or large. Hebrews 2:4 says, “God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.” God has not left us to fight these temptations and challenges alone. For one He is always with us, and also, He has given us specific gifts for our own specific challenges. We should never compromise our faith or make excuses. Making excuses causes us to just continue to go down a far path, because it becomes comfortable. As Christians, we should also encourage one another to stay strong. Drifting away can be so easy because, well it is easier. So it is so important to stay strong.
That’s so powerful to understand what drift away means in the original text. I never thought about the idea of this sentence. That is such a big deal, because it is true so often we lose sight of things, but it doesnt start with something big, but with small things in our life that slowly distract us and get our attention from what really matters. When studying about this in my mind comes right away, the King Salomon. It is interesting to study his life, and seeing in chapter about his life in the book of Kings, describe how wise he was. However at the end of some chapters it shows some of his slight distractions and or mistakes that later cost him deeply. As explained on the blog, about how the author thinks that this kind of drifting away it’s as bad as neglecting God helps even more to understand how God is God of relationship, and He cares about being included in the details of our lives. At the same time I think about the difference between Saul and Davi. How Saul did not become crazy from one day to another, but he would slowly act on his own instead of seeking God’s will and guidance. Different from David, that often we see seeking God’s guidance, “David inquired of the Lord…” (2 Samuel 2:1, ESV). Plus I believe that are not those small situations where we persevere firmly in the Lord, we see our faith being built strong in the Lord that prepares us for the harder times. “The author of Hebrews passionately used ancient Greek rhetoric to persuade his readers to persevere and to continue in their faith. For regardless of their temptation, he warns them that if they do turn away from Christ for any reason, there is nowhere to go but toward apostasy, which would be a spiritually fatal mistake” (Jobes, 2017, p.29). However, if we neglect our faith in little things, it will be challenging to persevere during suffering. Which also makes a lot of sense that the author talks about this, when considering the context that the audience were going through hard times, yet haven’t experienced. “Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood” (Hebrews 12:4, ESV).