Episode notes
Guarding Against the Drift
In Acts 16:30 (NIV), the Philippian jailer asked Paul a life-defining question: “What must I do to be saved?” It may be the most important question anyone can ask. But there’s a sobering flip side: “What must I do to be lost?”
The answer? Nothing. You don’t need to do anything to be lost. In fact, Scripture teaches that we are born into spiritual lostness, and without divine intervention, we naturally continue down that path. This truth underscores the urgency and significance of the gospel.
The book of Hebrews offers a solemn warning, not to unbelievers, but to Christians. In Hebrews 2:1(NIV), we are told to “Pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.”
The author uses the image of a boat drifting, not due to rebellion or recklessness, but simply because it has no anchor. Drifting doesn’t require intentional action; it happens slowly and silently when we are not securely anchored in the truth of Christ.
The Greek word translated as “drift away” implies slipping, like an arrow slipping from a quiver, snow sliding off a roof, or food going down the wrong pipe. It’s the picture of backsliding, not a sudden rebellion, but a slow, imperceptible movement away from truth, caused by spiritual neglect and apathy.
Even though these words were penned nearly two thousand years ago, they remain deeply relevant. We are still prone to drift. Distractions abound more than ever.
We take our eyes off Jesus and fix them on whatever is loudest, flashiest, or most convenient. So the modern Christian must ask: How do we guard against this drift? The answer lies in the image of Jesus as both our anchor and our rudder.
The anchor holds us fast to the truth of the gospel, grounding us in His word. The rudder, on the other hand, guides us forward, directing our lives by His Spirit. Without both, we are either aimless or adrift.
One of the primary dangers highlighted in Hebrews is the danger of neglect. The Greek word used is amelesantes, meaning “to ignore” or “to make light of.” It’s the same word used in Matthew 22:5, where people disregard the king’s invitation to the wedding feast.
This is not rejection from those outside the faith, or those ignorant; it’s apathy from within. You can’t drift from a place you’ve never been. You can’t neglect a salvation you haven’t already received.
Neglect happens when we lose sight of the greatness and significance of our salvation. If we see God, His word, or the church as small, ordinary, or burdensome, we’re much more likely to ignore them.
But when we understand the immensity of God, the cost of our salvation, and the penalty we’ve been rescued from, a natural reverence and attentiveness follow. We must always remember that our salvation is great because our Savior is great. He is great in power, in love, and in sacrifice.
Hebrews goes on to address not just our view of salvation, but our view of Jesus Himself. While chapter 1 established Jesus’s deity and His superiority over every created thing, chapter 2 focuses on His humanity.
Both are essential. It is a serious error to think of Jesus as only God or only man, or to imagine Him as some mix, part-God and part-man. Scripture teaches that Jesus is fully God and fully man, one person with two natures.
This mystery is essential to our faith. In the early church, the heresy of Docetism denied Christ’s humanity, claiming He only “seemed” to be human. The Apostle John wrote much of 1 John to combat this false teaching, knowing that a wrong view of Jesus inevitably leads to spiritual drift.