Wednesday’s Column: Third’s Words

Gary Pollard

It is a well-known fact that apathy destroys whole countries. Wealth lulls people into a state of complacency that avoids conflict at all costs. Government seizes the opportunity to gain power. Oppression always follows. “Hard times create tough people. Tough people create good times. Good times create soft people. Soft people create hard times” (loosely paraphrased from Those Who Remain by Michael Hopf). 

Faith is not immune. Hebrews 2.1-4 strongly warns us against apathetic faith. What happens when we lose interest in our awesome spiritual freedom? We put distance between ourselves and God. This isn’t without consequences. 

“How will we escape if we disregard our salvation?” (2.3). We won’t! Apathy is scary because the consequences arrive in plain sight and at a slow pace. We can easily see them coming, but choose to ignore them for a few more moments of complacent bliss. Once consequences arrive, they’re miserable on multiple levels. 

So, how do we get rid of apathy? Hebrews 2.5ff gives some hypes: 

1. We’re in Charge of the World to Come (5)
2. God Is Invested in Us (6)
3. Jesus Is in Charge Now (7-8)
4. Jesus Rescued Us (8-10)
5. Jesus Sees Us As Family (11-16)
6. Jesus Goes to Bat for Us (17-18)

Finally: “How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?” (10.29).