Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard lest we drift away. For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will? (Hebrews 2:1-4)

The Steadfast Word

Apostasy is a serious danger facing every Christian. The faith of God’s saints is daily tested against the wiles of the devil who seeks to devour the soul of the Christian. Hebrews is a book written to encourage the Jewish Christian to hold fast to the confession of hope without wavering. One of the foundational requirements of a stable faith is anchoring the soul in the word of God. Paul reminded the Romans that faith came from hearing the word of God. A strong spirit is fortified with the study, examination, and meditation on the truth revealed through the Holy Spirit. Knowledge requires a diligent desire to listen carefully to the truth and to exercise the application of that truth into the heart. The more the word permeates the mind of man, the more secure he will be in the faith of God.

The word of God has always been proven trustworthy. There has never failed a promise of God. His word is reserved in Heaven and no man can change the divine truth when the Lord speaks it. Everything that God promised that was good came about and all the things that were punishment came true. The word spoken through angels always stood firm with no deviation. Jesus never spoke a word that was not the word of His Father. From time beginning, the Holy Spirit revealed the mind of God to the world in the exacting details purposed by the Father. All the word of God has proven steadfast. God told Noah He would destroy the world, and He told Noah how to save himself. The flood destroyed the disobedient just like the word of God had said. Noah and his family were saved by the word of God when he obeyed the instructions of the Lord.

Faltering faith comes when a man stops listening to the word of God. Neglecting salvation begins with a denial of truth. The writer of Hebrews asks a rhetorical question when he considers how a man can escape the judgment of God. There is no way a man will evade the judgment of God because the word of God is sure, steadfast, and immoveable. God spoke His word, it was confirmed by Jesus through signs, wonders, and miracles and the early disciples were given gifts by the Holy Spirit to confirm the word. That word is unchanged. It remains the same. His word establishes God’s love. His word confirms the severity of God. What makes a man think the word of God will not judge him (good or bad) on the final day?

The danger of drifting away from the truth is real. When a man leaves the Lord, it begins when he stops listening to the word of God. External indicators may be a pattern of failing to assemble with the saints but it started much earlier when the word of God was not a central part of life. A soul turns away from God when the Bible is no longer important. Faith does not disappear overnight. It is a gradual process of drifting away until finally, the soul rejects God completely. There is a need for an earnest effort to constantly be made to fortify the heart with the teaching of the word of God.

What God did for men a thousand years ago He will do for men today. The power of God’s word is that it is unchanging. In 1492, the gospel was a compelling message of hope and that same power is available today for all men who would come to the Lord and accept His word. Time does not diminish the word. The apostasy of men will not dilute the word. Angels cannot change the message of grace. If the Lord allows the world to continue until the year 3021, the word of God will be the same. It is sure, steadfast, and true. No man will escape the word of God. His word will either be a blessing or a curse. You make the decision. What are you doing with the word of God?