In a biblical context, the concept of "drift" can be understood as a gradual movement away from faith, truth, or righteousness. This notion is not explicitly named in Scripture but is implicitly addressed through various passages that warn against spiritual negligence and the dangers of straying from God's path.

Spiritual Drift

The idea of spiritual drift is most clearly articulated in the New Testament, particularly in the book of Hebrews. Hebrews 2:1 states, "We must pay closer attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away." This verse underscores the importance of vigilance in maintaining one's faith and adherence to the teachings of Christ. The author of Hebrews warns believers to remain steadfast and attentive to the gospel message, lest they gradually move away from its truth.

Moral and Ethical Drift

The Bible also addresses the concept of moral and ethical drift, where individuals or communities slowly deviate from God's commandments and standards. In the Old Testament, the Israelites often experienced periods of drift, turning away from God's laws and embracing idolatry and sin. Judges 2:17 illustrates this pattern: "Yet they would not listen to their judges, but prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped them. They quickly turned from the way of their fathers, who had walked in obedience to the LORD’s commands."

Drift in Doctrine

The New Testament warns against doctrinal drift, where false teachings and heresies can lead believers astray. Paul addresses this concern in his letters, urging the early church to hold fast to sound doctrine. In 2 Timothy 4:3-4 , Paul writes, "For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires. So they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths."

Preventing Drift

To prevent drift, Scripture emphasizes the importance of regular engagement with God's Word, prayer, and fellowship with other believers. Acts 2:42 describes the early church's commitment to these practices: "They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer." This devotion serves as a model for maintaining spiritual vitality and preventing drift.

The Role of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit plays a crucial role in guiding believers and preventing drift. Jesus promised the Holy Spirit as a helper and guide in John 14:26 : "But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have told you." The Spirit empowers believers to remain faithful and discerning, helping them to stay anchored in the truth.

Conclusion

While the Bible does not use the term "drift" explicitly, the concept is woven throughout Scripture as a warning against the dangers of spiritual, moral, and doctrinal negligence. Believers are called to remain vigilant, rooted in the Word, and reliant on the Holy Spirit to avoid the subtle yet perilous path of drift.1. (n.) A driving; a violent movement.

2. (n.) The act or motion of drifting; the force which impels or drives; an overpowering influence or impulse.

3. (n.) Course or direction along which anything is driven; setting.

4. (n.) The tendency of an act, argument, course of conduct, or the like; object aimed at or intended; intention; hence, also, import or meaning of a sentence or discourse; aim.

5. (n.) That which is driven, forced, or urged along

6. (n.) Anything driven at random.

7. (n.) A mass of matter which has been driven or forced onward together in a body, or thrown together in a heap, etc., esp. by wind or water; as, a drift of snow, of ice, of sand, and the like.

8. (n.) A drove or flock, as of cattle, sheep, birds.

9. (n.) The horizontal thrust or pressure of an arch or vault upon the abutments.

10. (n.) A collection of loose earth and rocks, or boulders, which have been distributed over large portions of the earth's surface, especially in latitudes north of forty degrees, by the agency of ice.

11. (n.) In South Africa, a ford in a river.

12. (n.) A slightly tapered tool of steel for enlarging or shaping a hole in metal, by being forced or driven into or through it; a broach.

13. (n.) A tool used in driving down compactly the composition contained in a rocket, or like firework.

14. (n.) A deviation from the line of fire, peculiar to oblong projectiles.

15. (n.) A passage driven or cut between shaft and shaft; a driftway; a small subterranean gallery; an adit or tunnel.

16. (n.) The distance through which a current flows in a given time.

17. (n.) The angle which the line of a ship's motion makes with the meridian, in drifting.

18. (n.) The distance to which a vessel is carried off from her desired course by the wind, currents, or other causes.

19. (n.) The place in a deep-waisted vessel where the sheer is raised and the rail is cut off, and usually terminated with a scroll, or driftpiece.

20. (n.) The distance between the two blocks of a tackle.

21. (n.) The difference between the size of a bolt and the hole into which it is driven, or between the circumference of a hoop and that of the mast on which it is to be driven.

22. (v. i.) To float or be driven along by, or as by, a current of water or air; as, the ship drifted astern; a raft drifted ashore; the balloon drifts slowly east.

23. (v. i.) To accumulate in heaps by the force of wind; to be driven into heaps; as, snow or sand drifts.

24. (v. i.) to make a drift; to examine a vein or ledge for the purpose of ascertaining the presence of metals or ores; to follow a vein; to prospect.

25. (v. t.) To drive or carry, as currents do a floating body.

26. (v. t.) To drive into heaps; as, a current of wind drifts snow or sand.

27. (v. t.) To enlarge or shape, as a hole, with a drift.

28. (a.) That causes drifting or that is drifted; movable by wind or currents; as, drift currents; drift ice; drift mud.

3901. pararreo -- to flow by, hence slip away
... hence slip away. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: pararreo Phonetic Spelling:
(par-ar-hroo-eh'-o) Short Definition: I am lost, perish, drift away Definition ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3901.htm - 7k

Drifting Away: a Fragment
... DRIFTING AWAY: A FRAGMENT. They drift away. Ah, God! they drift for ever.
I watch the stream sweep onward to the sea, Like some ...
/.../kingsley/andromeda and other poems/drifting away a fragment.htm

Drifting Away. December 2.
... December 2. They drift away"Ah, God! they drift for ever. . . ... I watch them
drift"the old familiar faces, Till ghosts, not men, fill old beloved places. . ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/daily thoughts /drifting away december 2.htm

Christianity
... First: the modern drift in Christianity and its absolute failure. ... The modern drift
is antagonistic to doctrine and repudiates the miraculous. ...
/.../haldeman/christ christianity and the bible/christianity.htm

The Wicked Husbandmen.
... Whether in simplicity, as unconscious of the Teacher's drift, or in exasperation
as knowing that by this time his drift appeared to the whole company all too ...
/.../arnot/the parables of our lord/xi the wicked husbandmen.htm

Communion Broken --Restoration
... Cant. ii.8-iii.5 "Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things
that were heard, lest happly we drift away from them.""Hebrews 2:1 (RV). ...
/.../taylor/union and communion/section ii communion brokenrestoration.htm

Lost Earnings
... If you look in the margin of your Bible, you will see the words, 'run out as leaking
vessels', and in the Revised Version the words read, 'drift away from them ...
/.../howard/standards of life and service/xiv lost earnings.htm

Caring for My Aged Mother
... pull through. It would run a little way into the drift, then back up, and
again push its way into the drift as far as possible. It ...
/.../cole/trials and triumphs of faith/chapter xxii caring for my.htm

The Necessity of the Spirit's Work
... The drift of the gospel is, that man is dead in sin, and t at divine life is God's
gift; and you must go contrary to the whole of that drift, before you can ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 5 1859/the necessity of the spirits.htm

Youthful Strength
... the reason of the failure of so many lives is simply that people have never fairly
looked that question in the face and tried to answer it, but drift and drift ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture ephesians peter/youthful strength.htm

Let a Shining Robe be Mine,
... Let a shining robe be mine,. Spotless as the snow drift white,. Thou, who for Thy
form Divine,. ... Let a shining robe be mine,. Spotless as the snow drift white; ...
/.../brownlie/hymns of the early church/let a shining robe be.htm

Drift (1 Occurrence)
... by wind or water; as, a drift of snow, of ice, of sand, and the like. ... 27.
(vt) To enlarge or shape, as a hole, with a drift. 28. ...
/d/drift.htm - 9k

Heading (4 Occurrences)
... barrels, etc. 5. (n.) A gallery, drift, or adit in a mine; also, the end
of a drift or gallery; the vein above a drift. 6. (n.) The ...
/h/heading.htm - 8k

Tenor (5 Occurrences)
... 1. (n.) The general tendency or drift that runs through a conversation or writing;
also the male voice between bass and alto; course; career. ...
/t/tenor.htm - 9k

Person (807 Occurrences)
... Method of the Article I. THE TEACHING OF PAUL 1. Philippians 2:5-9 (1) General Drift
of Passage (2) our Lord's Intrinsic Deity (3) No Examination (4) our ...
/p/person.htm - 49k

Level (31 Occurrences)
... a level; as, to take a level. 8. (n.) A horizontal passage, drift, or adit,
in a mine. 9. (a.) Even; flat; having no part higher ...
/l/level.htm - 19k

Gallery (2 Occurrences)
... When prepared for defense, it is a defensive gallery. 6. (n.) A working
drift or level. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. GALLERY. ...
/g/gallery.htm - 11k

Wall (227 Occurrences)
... 4. (n.) An inclosing part of a receptacle or vessel; as, the walls of a
steam-engine cylinder. 5. (n.) The side of a level or drift. ...
/w/wall.htm - 49k

Intent (37 Occurrences)
... 3. (n.) The act of turning the mind toward an object; hence, a design; a purpose;
intention; meaning; drift; aim. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. ...
/i/intent.htm - 20k

Fourth (87 Occurrences)
... the Babylonians. The drift of these visions is, How can a just and loving
God allow His own people to suffer so much? The problem ...
/f/fourth.htm - 43k

Face (780 Occurrences)
... Scriptural phrases. 15. (n.) The end or wall of the tunnel, drift, or excavation,
at which work is progressing or was last done. 16. (n ...
/f/face.htm - 47k

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