for My anger has turned away from him.”
In the book of the prophet Hosea is described the undying love of God toward a people whose hearts have wandered far from His ways. Here are expressed the deep, inner longings and desire God’s heart to woo them and win them back by His love. "I will heal their backsliding," He promises; "I will love them freely."
(1) The word "backslide" literally means "turn back" or "turn away":
-from God-1 Kings 11:9
-from our first love-Revelation 2:4
-from the gospel-Galatians1:6, 7; 3:1-5
-to return to Satan-1 Timothy 5:15
-to a life of evil-Psalms 125:5
-or returning to the habits of the world-2 Timothy 4:10
(2) Scripture describes the backslidden state as…
-Serving two masters.
-Forsaking the Lord.
-Going our own way.
-Leaving our first love.
-Forgetting God.
-Falling away.
-Turning aside.
-Growing cold.
-Departing from the faith.
-Putting a hand to the plow and looking back.
-Salt that has lost its savor.
-A dog returning to his vomit.
-A dead branch.
With the abundance of Bibles in
The backslider does not suddenly wake up one morning and go out and commit adultery. Over a period of time, he may have become lax in his thought life, or entertained fleshly desires. King David watched Bathsheba undress, and soon it was but a little step for him to give expression to the imagination of his heart.
(3) What causes a good person to go bad? Amos 6:1 “Woe to you who are at ease in Zion, and trust in Mount Samaria, notable persons in the chief nation, to whom the house of Israel comes!”
Spiritual decay is a gradual process. If it came as a splash of cold water in the face on a sweltering day, we'd recognize it for what it is. But Satan is sly, and his tactics are subtle. Even as the onslaught of many diseases can be insidious, the wasting away that occurs in the heart of the backslider may be nearly imperceptible. It may begin with a general feeling of spiritual indifference. As we fail to focus upon spiritual things, the flesh seeks fulfillment.
Initially, the prayer life may be crowded out with other interests, even innocent pastimes such as sports, hobbies, or television. As we fill our hearts and lives with junk food, our hunger for the Word diminishes. Church attendance usually slackens off (though some continue in a state of hypocrisy), and relationships undergo extreme stress, as the conviction of the Holy Spirit becomes increasingly uncomfortable.
(4) Good people go bad when they ignore God’s signals! 2 Kings 17:15 “And they rejected His statutes and His covenant that He had made with their fathers, and His testimonies which He had testified against them; they followed idols, became idolaters, and went after the nations who were all around them, concerning whom the LORD had charged them that they should not do like them.”
As we ignore God's appeals to return our zeal and concern for souls subsides, due to a sense of guilt and hypocrisy. In time, the fear of God departs and a complete re-ordering of priorities in our life occurs. An overall feeling of lostness and lack of purpose causes great discontentment of heart.
(5) Good people go bad when they regain their tolerance for evil! 1 Timothy 4:1, 2 “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron…”
Then one day, we realize that our abhorrence of sin is gone. It becomes easy to justify actions we never otherwise would have considered acceptable. And since our sensitivity to spiritual things is not what it used to be, we may sense very little guilt. The calloused heart becomes stone; our conscience, "seared". Now, the farther we stray, the more distant the voice of God becomes, and the more difficult it seems to find our way back.
(6) Good people go bad when they become more confident in their abilities than trusting in the Lord!
Luke 6:46 “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?”
Even while struggling in a fallen state, the backslider may verbally identify himself with the Lord. The inconsistencies in his life may disturb him; but more often he will be blind to his own spiritual state.
Revelations 3:17, 18 “Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.”
An over-confidence in one's former standing with God (as opposed to confidence in God) can falsely convince an individual that God will overlook his present conduct.
Some have a propensity to falter-they just keep on backsliding.
-They are bent to backsliding-Hosea 11:7 “My people are bent on backsliding from Me. Though they call to the Most High, none at all exalt Him.”
-Their condition appears perpetual-Jeremiah 8:5 “Why has this people slidden back,
-Their hearts are always going astray-Hebrews 3:10 “Therefore I was angry with that generation, and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart, and they have not known My ways.”
(7) Good people go bad despite because of a gradual yielding to the flesh. Even as individuals vary in their degrees of spirituality or commitment, some are more prone to falling away, by reason of choice or personal weakness.
Like a garden that must be carefully tilled and weeded our spiritual lives require diligent attention. Neglect and laziness, as well as trampling the vines, can wreak havoc. Backsliding is, as the word implies, a sliding back – not a jump off a cliff, but a coasting downhill. We cannot ascend the mount of God in neutral. Spiritual growth requires a conscious effort, or it will be only "natural" that we succumb to the ways of the flesh.
The condition, however, while not sudden in onset, may escalate rapidly. -All it takes is "a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest..." according to Proverbs 8:10; 24:33.
-"A little leaven ferments the whole lump," says Galatians 5:9.
"... The little foxes... spoil the vines," according to Song of Solomon 2:15.
Satan tempted Jesus when He was physically weak (fasting), and he attacks us at our weakest times, in our weakest areas. An A-student might not be tempted to cheat, but to become proud of his achievements. The Christian might never be tempted to murder, but faces countless opportunities to hate or speak evil of his brother.
(8) Good people go bad because of a spiritual condition that begins in the heart. Proverbs 14:14 “The backslider in heart will be filled with his own ways…”
Often concealed in secret, the backslider's condition may remain hidden behind a facade of religiosity. We can have all the right doctrines, and bear every appearance of honor among men – yet still be filled with lust, jealousy, bitterness, etc. The wayward heart, however, does not long tarry near the altar of God, but squirms under the conviction of the Holy Spirit and writhes in discontent.
(9) Although backsliding begins in the heart and mind however, the condition eventually becomes evident externally.
Jesus said that a person's inward spiritual condition becomes obvious by the fruit he bears. Matthew 7:16-18 “You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.”
Paul said it is possible to profess the truth verbally, but deny the Lord in our actions-Titus 1:16 “They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work.”
If our lives fail to measure up to our profession of faith, our actions will declare our words obsolete-1 Timothy 5:8 “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”
Even the term "believer," as used in the New Testament, is not a noun but a participle: "one who is believing." We must always remember that Christianity is not a one-time trip to the altar, but a day-by-day walk of life and faith in Jesus Christ.
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