THE POSSIBILITY AND DANGER OF BACKSLIDING

THE POSSIBILITY AND DANGER OF BACKSLIDING

1 Timothy 4:1-2; Hebrews 3:12-13

We are in the last days where backsliding is prevalent. Backsliding is described in the Scriptures as “turning back or turning away” from: God (1 Kings 11:4, 9), our first love (Revelation 2:4), or the Gospel (Galatians 1:6, 7) to: Satan (1 Timothy 5:15), evil (Psalm 125:5), or the world (2 Timothy 4:10). Metaphorically, the backsliding state is described as serving two masters, forsaking the Lord, going our own way, leaving our first love, forgetting God, falling away, turning aside “like a deceitful bow” (Psalm 78:57), growing cold, departing from the faith, putting a hand to the plow and looking back (Luke 9:62), “salt that has lost its savour” (Matthew 5:13), “a dog returning to his vomit” (Proverbs 26:11), and a dead branch (John 15:6; Hebrews 6:8).

A backslider is a Christian who gets out of touch with the Lord; a careless, disobedient, unhappy, ineffective Christian who has suffered a relapse. A backslider stops following the Lord and falls back into a previous sinful way of life. He deserts the Christian faith and is unfaithful and unfruitful. Backsliding is the opposite of repentance and conversion, which is turning towards God. It is also different from apostasy, which is the state of becoming the enemy of Christ after being His ardent follower, though apostasy starts with backsliding (1 Timothy 1:19-20; 4:1-5; 2 Timothy 3:1-13; Hebrews 6:4-8; 10:26-31; 2 Peter 2:20-22; 1 John 5:16-17).

God is displeased with backsliding (Psalm 78:57, 59). Hence, He enjoins every Christian to be wary of and watch against backsliding and to support and encouraged other Christians in the faith (Hebrews 3:12-13). Therefore, our responsibilities as Christians is to be our “brother’s keeper” (Genesis 4:9), “bear one another's burdened” (Galatians 6:2), “exhort one another daily” (Hebrews 3:13), confront and correct one another in love (Ezekiel 3:19-21; Galatians 6:1), pray regularly for one another (Psalm 80:3, 7; Jeremiah 13:17), and be careful not to compromise our faith (1 Timothy 4:16; Hebrews 3:12).

1.    CONDITIONS AND THE CHARACTER OF THE BACKSLIDER

Proverbs 14:14; Jeremiah 8:5; 14:7; 1Timothy 4:1-2; Titus 1:16

 “The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways.” Three vital truths emerge from this Scripture:

(i) Backsliding always begins from the heart long before outward manifestation such as giving up church attendance, prayer, Bible reading, losing love for the Lord’s work and for soul-winning, and relapsing completely into sin.

(ii) The outward evidence or results of backsliding are always the same. From our text “The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways.” In the language of the New Testament, that means “walking according to the sinful nature” instead of “living by the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16).  A supposed Christian who is supposed to be Christlike is now filled with himself—self-willed, self-assertive, self-centred, self-opinionated, self-pity, and self-enthroned. And because he is filled with himself instead of with Christ, his state is insecure—he has no sense of security and assurance; his profession is insincere, he is hypocritical, he still goes to church, holds office, and preaches as a soul winner, missionary, pastor, or an evangelist, but he has fallen away from the Christian faith; his life is inconsistent with his message; and his service is ineffective being filled with the flesh and not of the Spirit, hence, it bears no fruit nor brings any glory to God.

(iii) Every Christian is faced with the possibility and danger of spiritual relaxation. God has provided for us all that will enable us to live a consistent victorious life to His praise and glory (Romans 8:37), but you should know that there is no position of grace from which you cannot fall (1 Corinthians 10:1-13).

Signs or symptoms that show a person has backslidden include neglect of God’s Word, loss of desire for prayer, increased interest in worldly pleasures, making trivial excuses for missing or going late to church services or programs, and a relapse into old sinful habits.

2.    CASES AND CAUSES OF BACKSLIDING

1 Corinthians 15:33; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; 2 Timothy 4:10; 6:9-10

The Scripture is full of cases of backsliding. Israel’s repeated backslidings (Exodus 32:8; Nehemiah 9:26; Jeremiah 3:11; Hosea 4:16) are well documented, as are those of many Old Testament individuals such as Saul (1 Samuel 15:11, 26-28); Rehoboam (2 Chronicles 12:1-2); Asa (2 Chronicles 16:7-9); Amaziah (2 Chronicles 25:27); and Solomon (1 Kings 11:1-13; Nehemiah 13:26) to mention just a few. Names of many backsliders are also mentioned in the New Testament: Hymenaeus and Alexander (1 Timothy 1:19-20); Phygellus and Hermogenes (2 Timothy 1:15); Demas (2 Timothy 4:10), etc. Entire churches are mentioned as having backslidden as well: the Corinthian church (2 Corinthians 12:20-21); the Galatian church (Galatians 1:6; 3:1; 4:9-11; 5:6-7); and the churches of Asia Minor (1 Timothy 5:15; 2 Timothy 1:15; Revelation 2:4, 14, 15, 20; 3:2, 3, 15-18). On Solomon, the Bible says, “For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father” (1 Kings 11:4). His heart was turned from the Lord when he was nearer the grave. What a tragedy!

We cannot mention cases of backsliding without mentioning their causes. Causes of backsliding are many and varied. Some are hidden; others are obvious. They include not heeding the Word (Hebrews 2:1); worldly desires (1 Samuel 8:19-20; 2 Timothy 4:10); spiritual ignorance (Hosea 4:6); prevalent of sin (Matthew 24:12); fear of man and persecution (Proverbs 29:25); ungodly union (Nehemiah 13:26; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18); bad friendships (1 Corinthians 15:33; 1 Peter 4:2-4); shunning fellowship of Christians (Hebrews 3:12-13; 10:25); covetousness and love of money (Joshua 7:1-26; 1 Timothy 6:9-10); and pride and arrogance (Proverbs 16:18). 

3.    CONSEQUENCES AND CURE OF BACKSLIDING

Psalm 125:5; Isaiah 59:2, 9-11; Jeremiah 5:6; 8:5, 13; 15:6; Luke 9:62

Backsliding is a sin that attracts grave consequences: sickness and death (1 Corinthians 11:28-32); unanswered prayer (Isaiah 59:2; Psalm 66:18); loss of victory (Joshua 7:11-12); loss of God’s peace, joy, and favour (2 Chronicles 19:1-2); loss of God’s security, protection, and presence (1 Thessalonians 5:3); loss of personal relationship with God (1 John 1:6); loss of ministry (1 Samuel 13:12-14); loss of life (1 Kings 13:20-24); and loss of Heaven (Matthew 10:32-33). There is also punishment for those who make others backslide (Proverbs 28:10; Matthew 18:6).

The cure of backsliding is to realize the failure, repent of them and return to the Lord. Fervent prayer and intimate relationship with God reassures the lukewarm Christian of God's presence. Further steps are found in the following references: Mark 9:43-44; Jude 1:3 and Revelation 3:11. There is the possibility of and a grave danger in backsliding. So be watchful, be careful, and be warned! Examine yourself to know if you are still in the faith; be honest with yourself (2 Corinthians 13:5). If you discover you have backslidden, confess and repent of the sins you have relapsed to, and then return and renew your commitment to God (Revelation 2:5). The Lord is merciful, He will receive you to Himself.PSO


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THE POSSIBILITY AND DANGER OF BACKSLIDING

1 Corinthians 10:1-13; Proverbs 14:14

The Christian journey is a sensitive one that is filled with ups and downs as the devil and his cohorts are out to do all things to hinder the believer from getting to the Kingdom of God at the end of time. There is no believer who can boastfully declare that he has immunity against backsliding. It is possible for someone to fall from the faith. We have examples of people like Balaam, David, Solomon, Samson, Saul, Judas Iscariot, Demas and a host of others, who were once fiery and fervent with the Lord but due to carelessness, they fell from their steadfastness. A backslider is a Christian who gets out of touch with the Lord. A careless, disobedient, unhappy, ineffective Christian who has suffered a relapse from the faith. But the backslider is isolated between two worlds - he is not able to enjoy the Lord and he cannot fully enjoy the world! Abandoning faith for something else, which is backsliding, has also been described as “to fall back into wrongdoing or a bad habit after an attempt to act in a better way.” The danger inherent in backsliding is a grave one as it has the tendency to rob you of your relationship with the Lord here on earth and ultimately hinder you from seeing God at the end of your life. 1.   POSSIBILITY OF BACKSLIDING - 1 Corinthians 10:1-13; 1 Kings 13:1-30; Numbers 22:1-35; 1 John 2:15-17; Proverbs 24:21; Exodus 23:2; 2 Timothy 3:1-5; Matthew 24:12-13; There is no position of grace from which a fall is not possible. Backsliding begins inwardly, long before the outward evidences are seen - such as giving up church attendance, prayer, Bible reading, losing love for the Lord’s work and for soul-winning. Worldliness is one of the baits that the devil use to lure many unsuspecting believers into backsliding. An attempt to be like other nations like Israel of old (1 Samuel 8:4-6) will not make God happy with us. The fashion of the world is another area where you need to be watchful. Don’t forget that not all things that glitter is gold as “...the fashion of this world passeth away” (1 Corinthians 7:31). Unholy ambition is rampant in the world as people are into the rat race of seeking for position, fame, wealth etc. As believers, we need to be wary of these things that can make us backslide and becloud our vision of living with God eternally in the city of life. Apart from these, others are:      i.Inability to take heed to the divine injunction - 1 Samuel 15:22; Deut. 28:1,2,9,13,14    ii.Consistent disobedience to the Spirit’s warning - Jeremiah 8:5  iii.Lack of interest in spiritual matters (Spiritual apathy) - Hosea 7:9  iv.Spiritual indolence - Proverbs 19:15         2.    PRECAUTION AGAINST BACKSLIDING – 1 Corinthians 10:6,11,12; Matthew 26:41; Luke 21:34-36; 17:32; Genesis 19:26 There is the need for watchfulness and taking of precaution as we await the coming of the Lord. In warning His audience about the need for watchfulness, the Lord Jesus Christ told them to “Remember Lot’s wife” (Luke 17:32). The pedigree of this historical woman is of no importance, but her action of disobeying an angelic instruction not to look back when they were taking their flight from Sodom and Gomorrah calls for a serious caution on the part of the pilgrims journeying to the city of Heaven. The Young prophet in 1 Kings 13 was told not to eat in the place he was sent to; he was persuaded otherwise by an old prophet who appealed to his religious sentiment in the city. He disobeyed the Lord, died and was buried in a strange land. Balaam was a charismatic prophet who was recognized to carry an unusual anointing by the people around; he refused God’s perfect will and settled for His permissive will. He died like a rebel on the battlefield. Christian beware! Judas allowed the love of money to push him into betraying his Lord; he couldn’t spend a dime on the 30 pieces of silver he collected before he committed suicide. Demas, an associate of Paul the apostle, forsook the people of God and went to the city of Thessalonica not to seek for the lost souls but because he fell in love with this present evil world; he never came back before death struck and he leaped into a hopeless eternity because of mundane things of this world. Don’t forget the 10 virgins; the foolish ones didn’t know they were foolish until they missed the glorious opportunity to enter in with the groom. 3.   PANACEA (i.e. REMEDY) FOR BACKSLIDING - 1 Corinthians 10:6,10-12; Matthew 24:36-46, 2 Timothy 2.4 v  Be on your guard not to allow temptation to fall you – 1 Peter 5:8-10; Mark 14:38 v  Maintain your regular quiet time – Mark 1:35 v  Weigh every option before you with God’s unchanging word – Psalms 119:11 v  Make the best use of available spiritual resources – Hebrews 10:25 v  Maintain clean hands and a pure heart – Psalm 24:3,4 v  Maintain a life of holiness everywhere and every time – 1 Peter 1:14-16 v  Practice constant abiding presence of God – Ecclesiastes 12:13-14; Hebrews 4:13 v  Be conscious of heaven all the time – John 14:1-3 v  Be watchful and spiritually alert – Luke 21:36 v  Be Prayerful -  Luke 21:36 We all know that we are living in the last days when compromise and backsliding are very rampant, we are the ones to be on our guard so that the devil will not lure us away from God’s will by his antics. The Lord is counseling you and me today in Mark 13:37 “And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.”(pfa)