"THE DANGER OF DRIFTING" (Pastor Tom Henry) ~ 3/26/26

“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.”

“How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?” (Hebrews 2:1, 3a)

James’ askes, “What is your life?’ To James’ point, life is very fleeting, “It is even as a vapour, that appeareth for a little time.” (James 4:14) Truly life is brief and passing quickly, nevertheless it is God’s most precious gift.

Sadly, this most precious gift is variously despised. Many choose a life-style that jeopardizes the quality of life, and also life itself. Many others allow envy and jealousy to rob them of the peace and joy of contentment, resulting in a life of emptiness and depression. How incredibly sad that for a good many folks life largely consists in regrets over unfulfilled dreams and lamenting what might have been.

All such misuses of the gift of life are regrettable, but the most tragic by far is to fail in life’s highest purpose. That which makes the gift of life precious is first and foremost because of “the hope of eternal life.” (Tit. 1:2)

The grand purpose of life is the salvation of the soul. “How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation?” The soul’s salvation is a matter subject to neglect. Notice, the Apostle refers to it as “so great salvation.” It is impossible to speak hyperbolically about the greatness of salvation. As the context reveals, it is a matter of Divine decree. It is that which compelled God Himself to come to earth and take human flesh. It became Him, for Whom are all things, and by Whom are all things, to take human flesh and become the Captain of this salvation, and to give Himself unto suffering and death to complete it. Something so great ought not be neglected, but should rather occupy us all day, every day. Yet countless people never give the salvation of their soul a thought and might be offended if someone mentions it.

This exhortation, however, is not addressed to unbelievers, but to believers. The grave danger that all Christians must avoid is here described. We must not allow the things that we have heard to “slip.” These things about Salvation were first spoken by Christ, and then by His Apostles. Our salvation is based on what we have heard. “…faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Rom. 10:17) The slipping that we must not allow may have to do either with the doctrine, or with us: “Lest…we should slip.”

The word can also mean “to drain out”, like a vessel with a hole in it. Some who profess faith will at first appear full of love and zeal for Christ. They are eager to learn, and willing to serve, and to keep themselves separated from the world. But, observing them over time, things seem to change, as though their vessel has a leak in it and their goodness appears to drain out. This is why “we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard.”

This word may also mean to “drift,” to “flow past,” or “drift away.” In the first century great skills were required to navigate the sea with the great sailing vessels. As ships were carried along by the wind, how quickly one could drift past the port of entry if the captain did not give earnest heed to the sails and the wind. To allow the vessel to drift past would require much time and laborious tacking to correct the error.

Paul here warns of a much greater disaster than a ship drifting past its port of entry. He’s talking about a professed believer drifting away from Christ. He’s talking about a “drifting away” that cannot be corrected by pains-taking tacking and time-consuming maneuvering. We are talking about the irrecoverable loss of a soul that results from spiritual drifting that causes one to miss the heavenly port of entry. Therefore, “let us give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard.”