“Therefore, we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. For if the word spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward, how shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation…” Hebrews 2:1-3

When you think about the word “neglect”, what pictures come to mind? I immediately imagine a mother who fails to provide for her child the basics of life: food, clothing, shelter or love.  In our country, a person could be imprisoned for neglecting their child…they could even have their child taken away from them. The general populous would shake their head and concur they deserved to loose their child because they neglected them. That would be justice at work.

The process of neglect is usually slow. It’s not something that can be determined immediately. For example, if we neglect our garden, weeds will eventually grow; if we neglect our homes, they will eventually fall into disrepair; if we neglect our bodies, health problems will eventually arise. In short, unless things are maintained, they will begin to fall apart. That is what Science terms “The Second Law of Thermodynamics”: Every system, left to its own devices, always tends to move from order to disorder (simply put, it will come to ruin).

So, what does it mean to “neglect salvation”? It means you have begun to slack off and let things slide that were once important to you. You don’t really pursue the Lord as you once did and you begin to make excuses as to why. You no longer seek to hear and keep God’s Word. You no longer see the importance of gathering with God’s people. You begin to hang out with people that encourage your laziness, entertainment and other distractions and begin to discourage you from spending time in prayer, studying God’s Word and fellowshipping with other believers.

You begin to drift into sin. Howbeit, ever so slowly…little by little…so comfortable and subtle. I’m not talking about sins we classify as major. I’m merely talking about neglect. If neglect, in the natural, is taken as a serious crime, why do we think it’s not as serious spiritually?

How does this process of neglect start? Paul tells us in Hebrews 2:1, “…we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.” The process of neglect begins when we start letting the Word of God slip. We allow Satan to distract us during the preaching of the Word. We allow the importance of other people and things to divert our attention away from church…away from other believers…away from our stance upon the Word.

Here is an important fact, folks. If the devil discovers he can use sickness or family crises or busyness to keep you away from the body of believers, you can go ahead and mark it down on your calendar, he will continue to use it. Why? It is effective in your life. Your week will go perfect, until Saturday night. Then you get a phone call – someone needs you and the only time you can be of help to him or her is on Sunday morning. Or, Sunday morning you wake up exhausted or sick and by George, you just can’t make it to church! Don’t you realize this is a tactic of the enemy of your soul? He wants to isolate you from other believers and the Word the Lord gave your pastor. Why? He knows if he can isolate you from the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, your faith will begin to weaken and what you heard will begin to slip.

Consider the Animal Kingdom for a moment. What would happen to a gazelle if she were to wander off from the herd? Would she not become a prey to whatever wild animal was stalking her? She would have lost the protection the herd offered her. Don’t fall for this trap of the devil. He waits for the opportunity to devour you.

Paul tells us to “give the more earnest heed” to the Word of God. What does the word heed mean? The Greek word means to give attention to, to listen very carefully. We are not only to heed the Word, but we must give more earnest heed to it. We are to pay the utmost attention to it. We are to make it the center of our focus. If we don’t, the Bible warns us  we are in danger of neglecting our great salvation.

The words, how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation is an alarming statement. Whether you believe you can loose your salvation or not, this verse seems to strongly indicate severe judgment awaits those who practice neglect. I believe we can all agree that whoever rejects Christ’s salvation will suffer eternal judgment. However, what happens to those who  Christ’s salvation?

Salvation is freely given to us by the price Christ paid on Calvary. What we fail to understand is each person who receives salvation, as a free gift will be judged according to what they did with it. In Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus talks about the parable of the talents. The servant who neglected his talent and buried it in the earth was severely judged by his Master.

Jesus paid a terrible price to purchase our salvation. He was beaten, spat on, humiliated and crucified. If we neglect that salvation by not esteeming it as great or live our lives in a way that brings shame to His glorious Name, how shall we escape His judgment? We bring great dishonor to the sacrifice He made and bring upon ourselves terrible consequences.

Charles Finney once said, “Mere neglect secures the soul’s ruin.” Don’t be so foolish as to neglect this great salvation. Consider Him who purchased your soul out of darkness and brought you into His marvelous light. Live your life for Him every day and don’t let His Word slip out of your heart!

Copyright 2009  Holly D. Dye all rights reserved.  Material may be copied and shared with others as long as it is done so without charge, in entirety, and if attribution is given.

Tags: judgment, neglect salvation, repentance, salvation, spiritual neglect