Beware of Backsliding

By Arnold A. Brevick
Hosea 11:6,7; 14:4

SPEAKING OF Israel's apostasy, God says in Hosea 11:6,7: "And the sword shall abide on his cities, and shall consume his branches, and devour them, because of their own counsels. And my people are bent to backsliding from me: though they called them to the most High, none at all would exalt him."

What is backsliding? To start with, it is a descent. It is going downhill. Backsliding, however slight, is always the opposite of climbing toward the God of heights! To paraphrase John Bunyan, the author of Pilgrim's Progress, a person starts backsliding as soon as he takes his thoughts off God, His law, and the judgment to come...We do this because such things (heavenly things) are not agreeable to the natural heart.

Second, it is a descent by degree. Backsliding involves taking little steps away from God. Just as the growing Christian fights upward step by step, so the faltering professor slides downward bit by bit. Many a great tree is blown down by a hurricane. And yet, most likely little things had gotten to it first. Insects might have eaten at it; a drought might have injured its roots, or rot might have caused its inside to suffer decay for years.

Likewise, when a Christian leader falls to adultery or a long-time churchgoer turns worldly, it is most likely the gradual result of little unseen sins accumulating over years.

Given up. Third, backsliding is a descent by degrees that defiles. God says in James 4:7, "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." The opposite is also true, if you continually give yourself to the devil, resisting God, will not God give you up to your lusts?

In Romans 1, where God explains why His wrath is revealed from heaven against men, we read in verse 24, "Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts," in verse 26, "God gave them up unto vile affections," and in verse 28, "God gave them over to a reprobate mind."

Thus, C.H. Spurgeon wrote, "It is a defiling thing to backslide, for a man cannot lose the intensity of his love to Christ and holiness, without becoming thereby worldly and impure in heart." In short, backsliding is spiritually fatal!

Consider the downward steps of Bunyan's character Backsliders:

1. They choose to put their thoughts on things other than God, His law, and the judgment to comebecause such things are not agreeable to the natural heart.

2. They gradually give up their inner spiritual duties such as secret prayer, controlling their lusts, vigilant watching, and the likebecause such things are burdensome to him who has taken his thoughts off Jesus Christ.

3. They shun the company of hot and lively Christiansbecause they remind them that they themselves are lukewarm.

4. They begin to grow cold to public spiritual duties such as Church and Prayer Meetings where God's word is preached and His praises sungbecause their thoughts and hearts are out of place there.

5. They begin to perceive the specks of dust in the eyes of the godlybecause this enables them to be blind in their own eyes and gives them a reason to throw all religion to the wind.

6. Next they begin to spend time in company with loose and wanton personsmeaning people who are careless about God and Christianity.

7. They begin to enjoy carnal conversation and enjoy the contemplation of sin; and they rejoice if they can find any evil in one who is counted honest that they may sin the more boldly.

8. They begin to play with little sins openly.

9. Lastly, they harden their hearts, and cast off all pretense of goodness!

In the final analysis, backsliding happens only to those who have never been saved, for Romans 14:4 says this of the true believer of Christ, "To his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand."

So, if you find yourself to be a backslider, repent at once, and beseech the Lord to have mercy on you. To those that return unto Him, God promises, ģI will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from himī (Hos. 14:4).o

Rev. Arnold A. Brevick was pastor at the Congregational Church ( http://www.pivot.net/~lcc )  in Limington, Route 11, Limington, DE 04049.



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