Christian summer camp can be one of the most transformative times for students of all ages. There is something incredibly powerful that occurs when all of the noise in a student's life is stripped away for a few days. The voice of God is more easily heard and His direction is more readily received. Through chapel, counselors, fellow campers, creation, and unique activities, God encounters campers in often unexpected ways. Personally, I have many fond and formative memories of my times at camp. On one particular occasion I had the opportunity to go sailing off the rocky shores of Camp Patmos located on Kelley’s Island in Lake Erie. After a short lesson, I received sole responsibility to skipper a little Sunfish sailboat. To be fair, I had naïvely given the impression that I knew more about sailing than I actually did. Once I was released from the security and protection of the dock, my hands began to shake and my heart started racing. Even though the waters were calm, my frame of mind was not. I was concerned about the shifting winds, my lack of sailing experience, and, of course, the growing distance between the sailboat and the dock. At that moment, the question that screamed in my head was, “Will I be able to make it back to the safety of the dock?”
A similar image is used by the writer of Hebrews as he pens the beginning of chapter 2. The picture is of a ship - untethered and unmanned - drifting from its harbor’s safety into the dangers of the open sea. He writes,
Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.
The image of this drifting ship vividly warns those who have heard the glorious message delivered through the words and actions of Jesus to be wary of neglecting “such a great salvation” (Heb 2:3). But why is it so important to pay attention to “what we have heard” (Heb 2:1)? Two momentous reasons call for us to give the message constant attention. First, the message comes from the highest authority imaginable. Immediately following mankind’s rebellion and fall from innocence into a state of sin and separation, God announced His redemptive plan (Gen 3:15). God promised a Redeemer and initiated salvation history. Everything from that moment on tilted dramatically toward the incarnation, the cross of Calvary, and the suffering Servant (Jn 1:1-5, 9-14). God took initiative and full responsibility in meeting humanity in its need and rescuing it from its lost estate. Which leads to the second reason to pay attention to God’s message: the message is good news. It is good news because it saves us from something and for something. The gospel saves us from sin’s penalty (Rom 8:1), sin’s power (Rom 6:6-7), and even sin’s presence (1 Jn 3:2). Furthermore, it saves us from God’s wrath (Rom 5:9-10). God hates sin and sinners are “by nature children of wrath … But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved – and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (Eph 2:3-7). What a loving and gracious God! Did you notice He not only rescued us from sin and from wrath, but He has saved us for freedom from guilt, for a reconciled relationship with Him, for a life of obedience, for eternal joy, and for much, much more!
The writer’s warning or admonition has an enormous ramification. By including himself as a target of the warning through the use of the first-person plural pronoun “we”, the writer hints at an audience of believers. The Jewish believers, tempted to return to their Mosaic traditions, are told to pay close attention to what they had heard. The writer’s appeal is as follows: if the Law of Moses, delivered by angels on Mount Sinai, was binding and warranted punishment for disobedience, how much more does neglecting the gospel received from the Son of God call for discipline? While this may come as an initial shock to some, it is important to remember that a born-again believer is a redeemed and adopted child of God. As a beloved child, “the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives” (Heb 12:6). Warren W. Wiersbe notes, “We have the idea that believers today ‘under grace’ can escape the chastening hand of God that was so evident ‘under law.’ But to whom much is given, much shall be required.”
The gospel message is to be greatly loved and equally respected. We need to be secured to the mooring of the gospel of Christ! This first of five warnings reminds us that we need help to avoid drifting. God has provided His Word, His Spirit, the ordinances (communion and baptism), and His church to remind us to remain true to the salvation that is ours. Likewise, warnings function to encourage us to persevere. They are one of our Heavenly Father’s means to safely bring us to glory.
1 Corinthians 15:1-8 (ESV) - Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.
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