Warnings from Hebrews to this generation (part 2) 
We are looking at the letter to the Hebrew Christians. In this letter we have several warnings that were directed to them that should also be heeded by everyone that call himself Christian or a believer. We will now look at the second warning:
The DANGER of DRIFTING AWAY and SLIPPING
”…THEREFORE we ought to pay much closer attention than ever to the truths that we have heard, lest in any way we drift past [them] and slip away….” Heb 2:1
“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory (original = if you hold fast and keep firmly ) what I preached unto you , unless ye have believed in vain .” 1 Corinthians 15:1-2
Today Christianity are lived not from the pure and unadulterated Word of God and are build upon it alone, but it is lived from doctrines of man and interpretations of what many call “godly” men! These have replace the pure Words of God and have substitute it with commentaries, doctrines and the thoughts of “great” men. When most come to Scripture, they come not untaught but already “taught” or influenced by these doctrines of men.
This is a sad fact, most people have glasses on their “spiritual eyes” given to them by their traditions or their particular background or where they were when they got saved, etc. So these spectacles are
put on the eyes and each time Scripture is read or looked at, many cannot read other than what they see through these glasses. The Word then are so interpreted not from the view and outlook of God the Holy Spirit but by some tradition or church background, etc! This is serious. Few will ever admit this, the way they see and interpret Scripture is for them the Word of God and absolute truth.
We have this example in Israel among the Jews. They have received from the Lord the Torah, then over some time there was interpretations of the Torah and the traditions of the elders were written and so the Talmud were formed. So now in Jesus day (something Jesus addressed very seriously) the traditions and interpretations of the elders became more prominent than the Torah so that the Torah became secondary to the interpretations of the elders and scribes and people began to give more heed to the teachings of the elders (gain from their interpretations from the Torah) than to the Word of God.
Now this has happen also to Christendom. We have so called “church fathers” down to the “great leaders” and teachers of our time, and they have their interpretations from the Scriptures. We have so many who interpret Scriptures and like the scribes established his their own view and interpretation of God’s Word, etc. So today, instead of holding to the Word of God, many hold to what some “great men” has taught and how he interpret Scriptures as the only true way of viewing Scripture!
But here is a warning, and this warning is not heeded today because it does not fit into the framework of doctrines and teachings of man. It cannot contain it, it cannot hold it, it is cast away and are neglected by thousands and thousands who profess Christ! This warning is real even though it does not fit into today’s Christendom or any other man made doctrine or interpretation.
We are to give MORE EARNEST HEED TO THE THINGS WE HAVE HEARD! Those words have to do with the gospel, with Christ and His Words and Work!
We are to pay close attention to the truths of Christ, to the Words of Christ, BECAUSE IF WE DONT WE WILL DRIFT PAST THEM And we will slip away…
Now let me ask you: “Did you ever and are you daily paying close attention to the truths of Christ and His Work and the Truth of God’s Word? Or are you satisfied with what you know and have heard?
Let me get closer. There is a danger that we may “drift away” and let what we have come to know of Christ and His Word SLIP, that is the warning is the possibility to LOOSE YOUR HOLD on what is really important in this life. Now this is also in relation to a man that is standing on a rock in the face of breaking waves and strong currents where he can in a moment be swept away by the powerful torrents of the sea and the crushing reality and devastating effect of been carried away by doctrines of man and waves of religiosity!
Now this is especially true today. It is absolute possible to be swept away by things that look like the real thing, but are merely teachings, doctrines and traditions of man! Please listen closely: IT IS POSSIBLE THAT WHAT YOU KNOW OF CHRIST and God and yourself and this world, etc, etc, MAY ONLY BE TRADTIONS and DOCTRINES of man!!! How would you ever know you are not merely busy with some manmade doctrine and traditions that were handed down to modern Christianity?
THERE is only one way to be sure! Stop and consider the warning, the awesome possibility that what you may hold as dear truth and which you will utterly defend to death may merely be just doctrines and traditions of men handed down to you! It is of so great importance to go back and sometime question what you hold so dear. Let me say this, if what you know of God’s Word does not alter and transform you then you may know that you have DRIFTED away from where you should be. For one time in our lives it is important to take Christ serious again and again to look closely and INTENTLY – that is to really begin to listen and take HEED to Christ, His Words, HIS doctrine, HIS Life, HIS work, and see if it is real and authentic in your life!
But sadly with this warning is the tragedy that very, very few ever will take the time to see if what they believe is really from God. Few will let themselves come under scrutiny and thorough examination of what they believe. You have nothing to try to defend if you are in the truth of God’s Word and the Truth is in you for you cannot be exposed for being a hypocrite. The reason why we sometimes so defend our own beliefs is that we are afraid of being exposed for what we really are and for things that we stand in that are actually in error and doctrines of devils.
“Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless. 15 And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; 16 As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. 17 Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. “ 2 Peter 3:14-17
Look again at the words used by Peter “BE DILIGENT THAT YOU MAY BE FOUND OF HIM IN PEACE, WITHOUT SPOT AND BLAMELESS” and then he adds “account the longsuffering of the Lord salvation..!” Do you get this? Many who have faith in Christ and who have listen to God’s Word so many times are still not being really touched by it! That Word has not done its complete work in many who merely listen to it and who read it casually! But the warning is that we should be DILIGENT and to PAY MUCH CLOSER ATTENTION that we may through our the things we hear and listen to and read may BE FOUND OF HIM IN PEACE and be WITHOUT SPOT and be BLAMELESS and furthermore that God’s mercy and longsuffering towards us is not to be taken lightly and let the time merely pass away as if all is well, BUT THAT ON ACCOUNT OF THE LONGSUFFERING and MERCY that God grants us in giving us still time and breath and means, that we the more should be transformed and delivered from every form and work of sin and defilement! We should count it salvation!
You may not realise this but what goes on today in Christianity is by sad means not that Christ has died for. Christ has been replaced by “anointed men”, God has been replaced by what we know today as “church” (men like to say “we are going to worship God” when they go to “church”) and the Holy Spirit has been replaced by organisation and church administration and the Word of God has been replaced by commentaries, study books, doctrines and traditions of man!
This is maybe the first step here that Peter addresses – “ seeing that you KNOW these THINGS BEFORE!” This is where the warning begins! Then he says “BEWARE…!” and give his warning – “LEST YOU ALSO…BEING LED AWAY…. AND FALL FROM YOUR OWN STEDFASTNESS!!!”
The great danger is that you may not even be aware of the severity of it. It mostly is not a great storm that lets you ”drift” away, it mostly is almost as if you are sleeping, (Rom 13:14; Eph 5:14, etc), a calm and soothing state, not really sober (1 Pet 4:7), some are in such a “spiritual drunken stupor” (Isa 29:9; Isa 51:21) that they lose all reality with Christ and the true nature of this present evil world and their very nature that breed sin and are caught up in the cares and affairs of this life – a race for financial survival, etc – as if this is what it is all about! THEN LATER you are caught up in things that you have no more control off, you lose direction and are caught up in things that sweep you away and destroy your faith and PURE DEVOTION TO CHRIST and HIS WORD!
Dear friend, you MUST come to the knowledge that this is an utter danger that may happen with you or with many have happened already! It is possible to DRIFT AWAY and let Christ SLIP away and His Spirit becomes silent and grieved in you and you BE LED AWAY and may FALL and perish! You can miss all that! Men do not want to hear that they can miss out on something that God wanted for them so dearly! If you don’t belief this or reject even such a notion you are in a dangerous place. If you have been careless and casual with your Christian life and you think everything will work out fine if you merely go to church or listen to sermons or read your books, etc, then you may have already drift a long way off from where you should be and you will miss the work of Christ! It is a overwhelming danger and reality!
Please take note, the Apostle stated that we are in such a place where we can at any moment be swept away by the torrents and winds of doctrines so that we may lose our standing and be swept away and become reprobates! The time and place where we are at, calls for earnest and CLOSE ATTENTION to the Truth of the gospel not interpreted by man (like Calvin, Luther, MacArthur, Hinn, Olsteen, Copeland, etc, etc) but by God Himself through His Son! If we do not pay close attention and give earnest heed to the Words of Christ then we will be caught in the torrents and drift away from the truth and slip away and perish even though we were so well assured (thinking we are sound and secure as if we are still on the rock) that we are standing sure!
The warning are before us all, it is so possible if you are careless or merely taking it “easy” with your Christian walk and the things you know and hear, that you may – if you are not holding firm the Words of Life (even Christ Himself) and take great caution with what you are confronted with – either by what you know or the things you hear or read or listen to. You may in reality be drifting away further and further away from the truth and from Christ and that even the things you had in possession may slip from your life and the light you have becomes darkness in you!
“…THEREFORE we ought to pay much closer attention than ever to the truths that we have heard, lest in any way we drift past [them] and slip away….” Heb 2:1
God bless
Brother Christiaan
PDF