Hebrews 2:1-4
Drifting:  The First Warning

This passage is the first “warning passage” in the book of Hebrews.  The skilled pastor/writer of this letter has planned out a very thorough presentation of the superiority of Jesus Christ as our Great High Priest.  As he develops that content through the letter, he chooses to connect the several sub-sections with these challenges to help the readers to see how the truths being taught need to impact their lives.  Our study in Hebrews will take notice of each of these warnings so that we can see how they are related and lead from one to the next, and  also how each is a response to the content just covered before it.  This alternating connectivity of doctrinal passage followed by warning forms a distinctive two-track symmetry to the book.  Click here to review the outline chart that shows the seven warning passages.

• The Five Warning Passages of Hebrews
  • Heb. 2:1-4 – Drifting from the Gospel – 2:3, “how shall we escape”
  • Heb. 3:7-19 – Doubting the Gospel – 3:15, “do not harden your hearts”
  • Heb. 5:11-6:12 – Dullness toward the Gospel – 5:11, Immaturity, “you have become dull of hearing”
  • Heb. 10:19-30 – Despising the Gospel – 10:35, Willful Sin, “do not throw away your confidence”
  • Heb. 12:14-29 – Defying the Gospel – 12:25, Unresponsiveness,  “see to it that you do not refuse Him
• Considerations as we approach this first warning passage:
  • Note the key phrase that links the passages before & after (Heb. 1:5-14 & 2:5-18).  In these verses, the writer demonstrates that Christ is (permanently) higher than the angels, and Christ is made (for a time on earth) lower than the angels.
  • Heb. 2:1, “Therefore”… this is a thought transition, not a shift to a new subject. The transition will lead to Heb. 2:5-18, but the transition itself gives rise to the first warning passage.
  • Note that in each warning, there are words of both warning and encouragement.
  • The writer is focused on emphasizing that “Continuing in faith is Evidence of Reality of faith.”
  • Recall how the warning passages fit into the overall plan of the book by reviewing the Outline chart (click here).

Bible Study Journal

• Hebrews is a logically developed book.  This is shown by the 24 times the writer moves his thoughts along with the word “therefore” – look them up!  …Hebrews 1:9;2:14, 17; 3:1, 7, 10; 4:1, 6, 11, 14, 16; 6:1; 7:25; 9:18, 23; 10:5, 19, 35; 11:12, 1; 12:1, 12, 28; 13:12
  • • Extra Credit!  Think through each verse and assign each a topic or title – list these in your Journal.
    • Quite a strong line of thinking!  Consider how strategic chapter four is to the book as a whole.
    • How does this theme fit with what is said in Heb. 2:1-4?  Christ is superior to the angels, and we need to appreciate the greatness of our salvation, and what a tragedy it would be to disregard the person and work of Christ because of superficial attitudes, loyalties or practices.
    • Make some notes in your Journal on what you’ve learned from this exercise.

Pay Attention!

When we note that Hebrews is a carefully written letter, Heb. 2:1-4 becomes much more meaningful. The writer knew his audience, he understood their struggles, he probably faced many of the same challenges his readers did. So he knew how critical it was that they take this challenge seriously. It would be so tragic if they were to turn away from the their faith in Christ alone for salvation.  Note that in reality we still benefit from the  writer’s practical vision today – we still face life struggles, and we need to take these truths and challenges to heart in our own lives now.

This first warning is just the first “poke” from the pastor/shepherd’s staff, alerting his readers to the dangers they face in their Christian walk. What his listeners are now discovering about Who Christ is and what He has accomplished for their salvation needs to lead them to understand how far superior He is to the requirements of the Old Covenant which has been their Jewish heritage.   That in turn needs to begin impacting the way they live their new faith in Christ.  We may not be Jewish and believe in OT sacrifices, but until we receive Christ as Savior, we all grow up with our own personalized belief system, finding one way or another to compensate for our weaknesses and wrongdoings.  For all of us, the only answer for regaining our relationship with our Creator is through Jesus Christ.

It’s an If /Then/Else argument:  Logical thought tells us we need to give serious consideration to implications for life.  Some people have a very casual approach to “giving attention”… “I hear you but I don’t know what you’re saying”.  When teaching His parables, the Lord Jesus often mentioned the need for people to have “Ears to Hear”, that is, be “tuned into” what God is saying, willing and ready to believe and act upon recognized truth.  So, what have “we” (us today as well as the audience who initially received this letter) heard?  Consider how the apostle John described it in 1 John 1:1 — “what we have seen and heard and touched”.  Also the apostle Peter in 2 Peter 1:16, says the disciples were “eyewitnesses of His majesty”.  God leads us along a path of increased knowledge, understanding and wisdom as we hear the truth of God expressed to us from those who have “heard” before us.  This is a great expression of how precious the Bible is to us.

Remember as you think through these study notes that it’s important to stop and read carefully the additional Scripture links.  Think through how they help your understanding of the related comment and make some notes in your Study Journal!

Drifting Away

Note the challenging terms of this short passage:  “give the more earnest heed”, “lest we drift away”, “if we neglect”.  The writer strongly declares the message — “Don’t let go of the anchor!”  If we allow ourselves to be adrift on the rough seas of life, not secured by our anchor in Christ, that is setting a sure course for disaster.  Here are some key thoughts to look for in this passage:

• Heb. 2:1-2, Our sins take on many forms of transgression or disobedience, incidental or belligerent.  Either way, the action is against God’s revealed holiness and must be judged
• Heb. 2:3, Giving in to this selfish behavior leads us to drifting away aimlessly.  First we have Wandering Thoughts – then we develop an Bad Attitude – that leads to Sinful Action.
• If we have lost our anchor in Christ and His Word, everything we do is just drifting.  Psalm 1:3 reminds us that we need to be deeply rooted in God’s Word, allowing God to lead s along a path of increased knowledge and wisdom.
• Some possible indicators that you are drifting away from God:
  • Questioning important biblical truths instead of being responsive to God’s Word
  • Excusing ungodly behavior, pursuing foolishness yourself, having questionable (foolish, ungodly) friends
  • Hiding behind lies and deception
  • Having a bad attitude about your circumstances
• What a shame it is to “lose interest” in the Gospel and miss out on the blessings of God in your life!

Therein Lies the Rub

Shakespear’s Hamlet bemoaned life-ending struggles that he faced, two unyielding alternatives (“To be or not to be…”), he expresses his gut-wrenching quandary that there seems to be no solution:  Deal with the struggle in either direction, transgression or disobedience, and you are left rubbing up against reality either way.  As Christians, we know that either overtly sinful actions, or just quietly not acting on what you know to be truth – either way you are guilty of neglect if you ignore the clear truths of God’s revelation and salvation.  We have many testimonies of God’s truth, both inspired revelation and the testimony of God’s faithful servants.  If we ignore these realities and toss away the anchor of God’s Word, what are we left with but the prospect of disaster?

• Is Heb. 2:3 a rhetorical question or is it actually an obvious conclusion?
  • How shall we escape if we turn away from God’s salvation through Christ?
  • Is this saying that if we neglect our salvation, we won’t escape God’s judgment?
  • Actually, remember the book addressed is to Christians, the readers already know Christ as Savior, so it’s not a warning about rejecting salvation.  But they run the risk of giving in to unbelieving ideas which cause them to fail at living their Christian life as God intended.
• When we are privileged to receive more “light”, we have more responsibility for “right living”.
  • Heb. 2:4 reminds us that God has given us many rich demonstrations of His sovereign works to confirm His carrying out His plan.
  • Lu. 12:48 tells us “ From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.”
  • Dig Deeper:  Read this whole passage (Luke 12:35-48) and get a sense of why Jesus made this major statement.  Clue: It addresses our subject of neglecting our salvation.

So then, instead of neglecting, what should we do when we are stopped in the middle of going the wrong way and are reminded that it is the wrong way?  That is what the writer is doing – he wants the reader to stop and think when he’s not trusting in God’s solution for salvation. At the risk of stating the obvious, I believe God wants us to take the writer’s question in v.3 seriously, in other words:  “Do you really think you’re going to get away with that?”  If ignoring all the previous revelation by God through history, with angels and other ways, didn’t gain us a “guaranteed pass” into heaven, then how can we think that we are any closer to making our own way to God today?  There is only one way for God’s salvation, and that is through His Son Jesus Christ!

Did God grab your attention with this warning passage?  After the amazing introduction of Heb. 1, He has startled us with this dramatic warning to take His revelation in Jesus Christ seriously.  As we proceed through the book of Hebrews, let’s keep this warning – “How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation” in front of us and in our hearts.

  Bible Study Journal

1. 1. 1. What Bible passage is being quoted in Heb. 2:5-8, and what is the main point being made?
      2. To whom does the word “him” refer each time it is used in Heb. 2:6-9?
      3. In what sense was Jesus made a little lower than the angels (2:9)? See 1:4; Phil. 2:5-7.
      4. What is the primary point behind this paragraph of Heb. 2:5-9?
      5. What is the special relationship we share with Christ as quoted from Isa. 8:18?
      6. In Heb. 2:14, what power did Jesus destroy?
      7. According to Heb. 2:17-18, what did Jesus have to do, and why?