The Danger of Drifting

Dr. Spencer R. Fusselman

The Silent Threat: How to Stop Drifting from the Savior
When we imagine the destruction of a believer’s faith, we usually picture a massive, sudden storm—a catastrophic moral failure, a tragic loss, or a public scandal that shatters their theology overnight. But when the author of Hebrews issues his first severe warning to the church, he does not warn them about a sudden tsunami. He warns them about a slow, silent drift.

“Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away.” (Hebrews 2:1)  

In this powerful study, Pastor Steve unpacked the nautical nature of this warning. To "give earnest heed" is the equivalent of tying a boat securely to the dock. To "drift away" is to slowly unmoor, allowing the subtle, persistent currents of the water to pull you away from the harbor. Drifting does not require any active rebellion; it only requires apathy. You don’t have to violently reject the Gospel to ruin your life—you just have to neglect it.  

The author asks a chilling question in verse 3: “How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?”  

Pastor Steve clarified that salvation is not merely a ticket to heaven; it is an all-inclusive word encompassing our past justification, our present sanctification, and our future glorification. We are quick to celebrate the grace that justifies us, but we often neglect the hard work of sanctification.  

We neglect our salvation when we hear the Word of God on Sunday but fail to obey it on Monday. As John MacArthur often points out, "The danger of hearing the truth without obeying the truth is that it slowly inoculates you against the truth." We can give intelligent, theological assent to who Jesus is without ever actually submitting to Him as Lord. And when we do that, we begin to slowly fade away from the safe harbor of His truth.  

To anchor us against the drift, the author reminds us of exactly what Christ did to secure this great salvation. In Chapter 1, we saw that Jesus is the eternal, superior Son of God. But in Chapter 2, we are confronted with the breathtaking reality of His humanity.  

For a short time, the Creator of the universe was made "a little lower than the angels" so that He might "taste death for everyone" (Hebrews 2:9).  

Why did Jesus have to become a man? Because an angel cannot die for human sin. The Justifier had to be a man to justify men. He had to take on flesh and blood so that He could step into the ring and definitively destroy the one who held the power of death—the devil (Hebrews 2:14).  

As Warren Wiersbe beautifully noted, "Christ became what we are so that He could make us what He is." Jesus took our filthy, unrighteous lives, died in our place, and gave us His perfect righteousness in the Great Exchange. And because of this completed work, the Sovereign Lord of the universe is now "not ashamed to call [us] brethren" (Hebrews 2:11).  

The humanity of Jesus does not just secure our salvation in the past; it secures our survival in the present.  

Because Jesus took on flesh, He knows exactly what it feels like to be exhausted, betrayed, and violently tempted. Verse 18 promises, “For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.”  

Pastor Steve pointed out a tragic flaw in how most of us handle temptation. We usually wait until after we have sinned to drag ourselves to the throne of grace, begging for forgiveness. While Christ will absolutely forgive a repentant heart, He actually invites us to come to the throne before we fall. He invites us to seek His aid—His grace and mercy—in our time of need, so that the Holy Spirit can empower us to withstand the temptation.  

Are you slowly drifting away? Are the currents of busyness, apathy, or unconfessed sin pulling you away from the Word of God? Do not neglect this great salvation.  Drop your anchor. Give earnest heed to the truth. Run to the merciful High Priest who tasted death for you, and allow Him to pull you back to the safety of the harbor.  

Check Your Mooring Lines: Conduct a spiritual audit this week. Where have you slowly begun to drift? Identify one specific habit (e.g., inconsistent time in the Word, skipping church, tolerating a "small" sin) that is unmooring you from Christ, and repent of it.

Stop Waiting to Seek Aid: The next time you feel the intense pull of a specific temptation, do not try to fight it with your own willpower. Stop immediately, go to the throne of grace in prayer, and ask the Holy Spirit for the specific "aid" you need to resist.

Act on What You Hear: James 1 warns against being a hearer of the Word but not a doer. Write down one specific command from Scripture that you know you need to obey, and take practical action on it within the next 24 hours.

Reject the Fear of Death: If you find yourself paralyzed by anxiety over aging, illness, or dying, read Hebrews 2:14-15 out loud. Remind yourself that Christ has rendered Satan's power of death inoperable, and you are no longer bound by that fear.

Rejoice in the "Brethren" Title: Take five minutes today to simply sit in awe of Hebrews 2:11. Worship Jesus, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe, for humbling Himself to the point of death so that He could adopt you and proudly call you His brother or sister.