Hebrews 10:38; Psalm 119:176
There are clear danger signs to backsliding that the Christian needs to know.
To spiritually backslide is, “To wane in religious commitment, to become less arduous in piety or less upright in morals.” God is always grieved by his chosen people’s spiritual defection, and he likens it to adultery. The Prophet Jeremiah lamented over Israel’s backsliding, writing, “O LORD, though our iniquities testify against us, do thou it for thy name’s sake: for our backsliding are many; we have sinned against thee.” (Jeremiah 14:7, KJV)
Backsliding is no light matter though some Christians treat it as such. Over the years, I’ve had church members say, “Aw preacher. I’m just backslidden.” They say it as if it’s no big deal. They say those words as if God can’t hear and doesn’t care about their backslidden condition.
Backsliding is no light matter. You can take people lightly, but you cannot take God lightly. God’s Word is full of stories about those who paid little attention to God’s warnings about backsliding.
Q: Mention Bible characters that backslid in their walk with God and the consequences they suffered?
Saul took God’s words lightly, and he lost his kingdom, and his son, and his own life.
David took God’s words lightly, and he fell into sin that brought calamity and tragedy and heartache to his home for the rest of his life.
Israel took God’s words lightly, and God let them be carried into Babylon’s captivity for three whole generations.
The Christian cannot continually reside in a backslidden state and expect to get away with it. It is imperative, then, that believers always guard their lives for the telltale signs of backsliding. And there is no single life which affords us a better illustration than Peter, the Lord’s outspoken disciple.
DIAGNOSING THE PATHOLOGY OF BACKSLIDING
SYMPTOM #1: Doubt Matthew 14:22–31
Jesus is not referring to a casual, fleeting doubt that passes through our mind from time-to-time. A literal translation of the last part of vs. 31 can read, “… O thou who lacks confidence in me. Why do you waver in your obedience?”
You’ve taken the first step in backsliding when you waver in your Christian walk because you lack confidence in God. That will happen when we take our eyes off Jesus. When Peter began to be more concerned about his situation then our Lord’s ability to bring him through the storm, he began to sink
SYMPTOM #2: Disinterest In The Things Of God Mark 14:37–38,
What happens when a Christian begins to lose confidence in God and waver in their walk with Christ? They become interested in the amusements and distractions the world has to offer and disinterested in the things of God and His church
In his book, Daily Celebration, the Scottish theologian William Barclay makes an interesting observation concerning the conflict between our focus on earthly things vs. our focus on heavenly things. It was Saturday evening after the assassination of President John Kennedy. Barclay observed that the religious section of his newspaper was missing that evening. The news of the Kennedy assignation had driven it out of the paper. In that same issue, there were sections devoted to racing news and major league sports events. The entertainment world still had its section, women’s topics and a short story still had their usual place, and the section devoted to astrological horoscopes was still there. When something had to go, that something was the news of the Churches and religious articles. Barclay saw this as a sad commentary on the lives of too many Christians: When life gets busy when there is a clash between the earthly and the spiritual in our lives, and priorities get set, and events cut out, church and faith seem to be the first to suffer. It was the Englishman, Lord Melbourne, in the 19th century who said, “Religion is all right so long as it does not interfere with a man’s private life.”
One of the saddest verses in all the Bible is in 2 Timothy 4:9–10. Be wary when you begin to become disinterested in the things of God–you may be on the backslider’s road
SYMPTOM #3: Defensiveness about Your Disinterest Luke 22:56–60
People always have excuses for their disinterest in the things of God; they get defensive and begin to make excuses. “It’s that preacher’s fault! He keeps stepping on my toes.” “Well, if sister so-and-so offended me, and I won’t be back until she apologizes.”
They often begin to compare themselves to other Christians, of course, the Christians they compare themselves to are always more backslidden than they are. “At least I don’t cheat on my spouse as Deacon Jones does!”
SYMPTOM #4: Distancing Yourself from Other Believers and Even Christ Luke 22:54
Peter followed at a distance because he was afraid and ashamed that he was afraid. Our disinterest in God and the things of God will always lead the backsliding to distance themselves from God and the things of God. That makes you vulnerable
ILLUSTRATION. Have you ever watched a TV nature program where a lion was chasing after lunch in the form of a gazelle or a zebra? He usually gets the straggler, the one that gets separated from the rest. Similarly, the Devil often grabs the stragglers, those who are following at a distance. Those who distance themselves from the Body of Christ become easy prey to the world, the flesh, and especially the Devil, who is like a roaring lion. Distancing ourselves from Christ and fellow believers is a step into backsliding
SYMPTOM #5: Departing From Christ And Joining The Wrong Crowd Luke 22:55
If you’re not running with other Christians, the spiritual fire in your life go out. When you become disinterested in the things of God and more interested in the things of the world, it naturally follows that you will leave your Christ-centered friends to hang out with world-centered friends. The ultimate end is that you will find yourself departing from Christ and his church
SYMPTOM #6: Denial That You Even Know The Lord Luke 22:56–57
This is the final step—the end result for the backslider. Peter’s denial was not merely a spontaneous response to unexpected danger or embarrassment. For all practical purposes, he had already laid out the groundwork for desertion. No one suddenly backslides. A series of steps always lead to it because every day, we are either building up or weakening our spiritual character. We are either moving forward or falling backward.
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