Recognizing When You Drift to Overcome Careless Christianity

Salvation and ... Neglect?

Have you ever played the familiar, ‘word association’ game? You know how it goes; I say a word, then you say the first word that comes to mind. For instance, I say “near,” and you may say “far.” Or I say “stop,” and you may say “go.” When it comes to word association, certain words just seem to naturally go together. Now, when you hear the word “salvation,” what’s the first word you think of? There are many possible responses here such as, Jesus, deliverance, sacrifice, etc. A word that does not immediately come to mind is “neglect.”

Our salvation, because it is so precious, should be handled with care. We should live to please the Lord in all we do and say. “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer” (Psalm 19:14). So, the two words, salvation and neglect, just don’t seem to have any connection. But do they?

How Do We Respond to Storms?

As we navigate our way through the waters of this life, we must be ready at all times to deal with storms. While storms will vary in their intensity, one thing we can be sure of: God does not allow them into our lives to punish us or to knock us off balance. On the contrary, each storm has its specific purpose. First, if we allow them, storms will show us something about God. What He shows us, enables us to come to the aid of those dealing with similar circumstances.

We read from 2 Corinthians 1:4: “...who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” These same storms will also reveal things about ourselves – things that need to be laid aside.

Storms also cause use us to grow in the faith and help us to know Him more intimately. We’re told in 2 Peter 3:18: “...but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” James also tells us of the greater purposes of our storms when he says, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing” (James 1:2-4).

How Do We Respond to Calm?

Having said these things, we understand that storms will at times have their violent tendencies, spiritually speaking. The writer of Hebrews, however, gives us a different dynamic; he speaks of the times of relative calm. It is during these times that we are in the greatest danger. We read: “Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away” (Hebrews 2:1). 

The fact is that drifting is such a subtle action, and happens so slowly, that sometimes we don’t even realize it’s happening. There are a myriad of things that we can drift away from in this life, with the world, our flesh, and the devil all playing distinct roles in trying to bring this about. Verse 3 goes on to say: “...how shall we escape, if we neglect so great a salvation...?” Remember our little word association comments earlier? These two words, “salvation” and “neglect” shouldn’t go together, but unfortunately, it does happen, or else the writer would not have warned us of it.

How Can We Know We Are Drifting?

What does a drifted life look like, and how can we know if it’s happening to us? Allow me to offer several characteristics of the drifted life: 

First, it is important to realize that the drifter is living without any daily practical boundaries; they have veered off course, and have become carnal in their actions. Secondly, the drifter is living in a state of forgetfulness; in a sense, not remembering who they are, and more importantly, not remembering who they serve. We note that Peter following Jesus from a distance served as an ominous prelude to his three denials of the Lord in Matthew 26:58.

Finally, the drifter has minimized the treasure that we possess in these earthen vessels. 2 Corinthians 4:7 states: “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.” This treasure speaks of the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. Drifters have forgotten that they have been purged from their old sins (2 Peter 1:9).

Avoiding "Careless Christianity"

How then do we live a drift-free life, and avoid the plague of “careless Christianity?” You will notice that the writer of Hebrews says that we need to, “give the more earnest heed;” this means simply that we need to pay close attention, he says, to the things we have heard. I believe Scripture speaks to us in at least four areas where we need to do this.

First, we need to pay close attention to our focus. First and foremost, Christ needs to be the center of all we do. “...looking into Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith...” (Hebrews 12:2a). We also need to pay close attention to our fellowship: “If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth” (1 John 1:6). In other words, we need to walk in the light, i.e., truth.

Next, it is our faith that we need to pay attention to. “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). The apostle Paul says that he lives his life by faith in Christ. So, the question becomes, where is your faith?

Last of all, but certainly not least, is our firmness. We need to remain staunch in our spirit, and not allow the winds of adversity to move us from our place. “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58). 

As we walk, let us continue to be mindful of these things, understanding that as we do so, we greatly negate the possibility of living careless Christian lives. Living drift-free is where we want to be.