• Table of Contents
• Introduction
• CHAPTER 1. Perverting the Gospel - The Ultimate Sin Against Humanity
• CHAPTER 2. The Gospel of Salvation - Part I - Faith and Obedience
• CHAPTER 3. The Gospel of Salvation - Part II - A Righteous Life by Faith
• CHAPTER 4. Regeneration: God's Creation of the Righteous
• CHAPTER 5. Sanctification: Set Apart for Righteousness
• CHAPTER 6. The Neccesity of Coming Under the Lordship of Christ - Part I
• CHAPTER 7. The Neccesity of Coming Under the Lordship of Christ - Part II
• CHAPTER 8. We Walk By Faith - Part I - Every Believer Overcomes the World
• CHAPTER 9. We Walk By Faith - Part II - Every Believer Takes up Their Cross
• CHAPTER 10. The Fallacy of the "Carnal Christian"
• CHAPTER 11. Bear or Burn: The Fate of the Fruitless in the Parables of Christ
• CHAPTER 12. Righteousness vs. Self-righteousness
• CHAPTER 13. Saint or Sinner?
• CHAPTER 14. Can a Christian Backslide?
• CHAPTER 15. Sin and the Misinterpretation of Romans 7
• CHAPTER 16. Conclusion: Examine Yourselves to See Whether You Are in the Faith

Clinging to a Counterfeit Cross

Grk/Heb Fonts

by James P. Shelly

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Can A Christian Backslide?

Even as in the case of the term “sinner” (chapter 13), the term “backslide” is another case in point of the perilous consequence of taking the liberty of redefining a God-breathed word in a way that was never intended by Him. We use the term in the church as though it were a common occurrence in Scripture, yet it is not once mentioned in the New Testament. We often hear it used of a believer who has temporarily fallen into sin or even of the supposed Christian who, though saved, has turned back to a sinful lifestyle. However, such usages of the term are not found anywhere in the Bible. It is used only in the Old Testament and of the 16 times it appears in the King James, 15 refer to backslidden Israel who had apostatized and forsaken God and unless they would return to Him with their whole heart (Jer. 24:7) they would be forever lost and without hope. In the ESV, in all its forms, it appears only 5 times, and in the NASB only 2, wherein they interpret it instead with words such as “apostasy” or “faithless.”

The Hebrew word most often translated as “backsliding” is mĕšûbâ [mesh-oo-baw]. It “appears twelve times, nine of which are in Jeremiah (Jer 3:6, Jer 3:8, Jer 3:11, etc.). Twice it appears in Hosea, Hos 11:7 (where ‘backsliding’ has become a way of life) and Hos 14:4 which indicates that Israel may still be cured from such a lamentable condition. Only in Prov 1:32 is mĕšûbâ applied to an individual, ‘The “turning away/error” of the simple shall slay them.’ It means, ‘backsliding, disloyalty, faithlessness’”¹ (emphasis added). The NASB translates it, “For the faithlessness of the naive will kill them.” In all places the word is used of Israel forsaking God, in reference to the covenant relationship between God and the nation, conceived as a marriage tie which Israel had violated. God was Israel’s husband, and by her idolatries with other gods she had proved unfaithful (Jer 3:8,14; 14:7; Ho 14:4).²

In Proverbs 14:14 we read, “The backslider in heart will be filled with the fruit of his ways, and a good man will be filled with the fruit of his ways.” The NIV translates it as “The faithless will be fully repaid for their ways, and the good rewarded for theirs.” Here the heart condition of the backslider is contrasted with a good man; the wicked with the righteous, the faithless with the faithful. The word used here in the Hebrew is “sug.” “The term סוּג (sug) means ‘to move away; to move backwards; to depart; to backslide’ (BDB 690 s.v. I סוּג). This individual is the one who...departs from the path of righteousness.”³ It is the same word used in Psalm 53:3, “They have all fallen away; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one” (emphasis added). The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament says of the word as it is used in this passage:

The Psalmist avows that the natural heart condition of the unregenerate man is one of turning aside from God. Like apostate Israel, it is in need of divine intervention, if it is to be saved (Ps. 80:14-21).⁴

The first commandment is, “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exod. 20:3). God gave His people Israel severe warnings as to the fate of those who would disregard this command, by backsliding and going after other gods;

And if you forget the Lord your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I solemnly warn you today that you shall surely perish (Deut. 8:19).

We read in Jeremiah 2:13, 19, of backslidden Israel,

‘For My people have committed two evils:
They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters,
And hewn themselves cisterns — broken cisterns that can hold no water.’

‘Your own wickedness will correct you,
And your backslidings will rebuke you.
Know therefore and see that it is an evil and bitter thing
That you have forsaken the Lord your God,
And the fear of Me is not in you,’
Says the Lord God of hosts (NKJV).

The backslidden are described here as those who have forsaken the Lord and have no fear of God in them. They are unregenerate and apostate. God refers to them as “My people” because those physically born in Israel, circumcised in the flesh, were referred to as such irrespective of whether or not they were born spiritually and circumcised in their hearts. In other words, both believers and unbelievers alike were referred to as God’s people. This is not the case under the New Covenant, as we become the people of God only through spiritual birth and the circumcision of the heart irrespective of physical circumcision or origin of birth. The term “backslide” is used of Old Testament Israel in that as a nation they had a unique and prior relationship with God which they had fallen away from as exemplified by the lost sheep of the House of Israel. Moreover, the term does not speak of those who have temporarily fallen into sin, but of those who have fallen away and forsaken God entirely. “You have rejected me, declares the Lord; you keep going backward, so I have stretched out my hand against you and destroyed you — I am weary of relenting” (Jer. 15:6, emphasis added).

God says of those who have turned aside from the way, the backslidden, that they “whore after the foreign gods” (Deut. 31:16). God says to unfaithful Israel, “You have played the whore with many lovers; and would you return to me? declares the Lord.” (Jer. 3:1). We read in Joshua 24:19, 20

You are not able to serve the Lord, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm and consume you, after having done you good (emphasis added).

Here God says He will not forgive the backslidden as long as they remain in that state. His covenant with His people is likened to a marriage contract, and as in any marriage agreement, those involved are required to be faithful. God separates Himself from the spiritual adulterer, the backslider, the unfaithful called by His name, and unless there is sincere repentance the separation is final and irrevocable.

Have you seen what backsliding Israel has done? She has gone up on every high mountain and under every green tree, and there played the harlot. And I said, after she had done all these things, ‘Return to Me.’ But she did not return. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it. Then I saw that for all the causes for which backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had put her away and given her a certificate of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but went and played the harlot also. So it came to pass, through her casual harlotry, that she defiled the land and committed adultery with stones and trees. And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah has not turned to Me with her whole heart, but in pretense,’ says the Lord’ (Jer. 3:6-10, NKJV).

Return, O faithless children, declares the Lord; for I am your master (Jer. 3:14).

We find then that the term “backslide” is used of the unfaithful, the spiritual adulterer, the apostate, the faithless, those who whore after the foreign gods, forsaking God by rejecting His Lordship that they might walk according to the dictates of their own hearts. To use the term “backslidden” of a believer when Scripture defines it as apostasy and faithless, i.e., the opposite of faith, is deceptive indeed.

We find throughout Scripture that salvation comes only with repentance; a turning from sin to God. “That everyone may turn from his evil way, that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin” (Jer. 36:3). Again, in Acts 3:26 we find that repentance is one of the blessings of the gospel, “God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first [the Jews], to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness.” Jesus was sent first to backslidden Israel to bless them by turning them away from their wickedness and healing them of their backslidings (Jeremiah 3:22, Ezekiel 37:23, Hosea 14:4). The good news was that notwithstanding their unfaithfulness to God, He would still allow them the opportunity to be reconciled to Himself through Christ; Avoid His wrath and be restored to the flock under the rule and care of their Shepherd. It says in Ezekiel 37:23-25,

I will save them from all the backslidings in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God. My servant David5 [Christ] shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd. They shall walk in my rules and be careful to obey my statutes.

This good news is not limited to the Jews, however, for whosoever is the recipient of this grace will also be turned from their wicked ways that they might come into a relationship with God; Becoming one of His flock under the rule and care of the great Shepherd, being no longer strangers to the covenant of promise (Eph. 2:12).

One aspect of Israel’s walk with God under the Old Covenant, because of God’s loving and merciful grace, was an allowance of various sacrifices for sin. In other words, to be in a covenantal relationship with God did not mean a walk of perfection, but rather it was to be the walk of a heartfelt pursuit of perfection, while God graciously provided a means to cover their imperfections. In contrast, the backslider is one who falls away from the covenant, following after other gods, in a heartfelt pursuit of sin. In doing so they abandon the only means whereby forgiveness is made possible, and unless they would return to God with their whole heart their sin would remain and consequently be condemned. Likewise, under the New Covenant, Christians walk in this same heartfelt pursuit of perfection, purifying themselves even as Christ is pure (1 Jn. 3:3), through the work of the Spirit. However, to the extent that they are not yet purified, God has graciously made provision through the once and for all sacrifice of Christ. Therefore, individual acts of sin are confessed, 1 John 1:9, not because they have backslidden and turned away from God, but as per their covenantal relationship with God, they seek to move forward in, and remain in, close fellowship with Him, v. 7. In other words, because of the weakness of our flesh we may fall into various sins, however, since we now “live to righteousness,” 1 Peter 2:24, we detest it, confess it, and consistently forsake it, as it contradicts the innate Spirit-wrought desire to “be holy even as He is holy,” 1 Peter 1:15, which we now possess in Christ.

Throughout the book of Jeremiah, God shows that He is wonderfully longsuffering toward Israel in that His merciful hand is continually reaching out to heal them of their backslidings. However, we also find that unless they take His hand by turning back to Him in repentance, He would destroy them;

‘If you return, O Israel’, declares the Lord, ‘to me you should return. If you remove your detestable things from my presence, and do not waver’.... For thus says the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: ‘Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns. Circumcise yourselves to the Lord; remove the foreskin of your hearts, O men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem; lest my wrath go forth like fire, and burn with none to quench it, because of the evil of your deeds.’ (Jer. 4:1-4)

They were yet uncircumcised in heart, meaning they were unregenerate. Again, Scripture refers to all of Israel as God’s people, yet we read in Romans 9:6, “Not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel”, and in Rom. 2:29, “But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter.” Backslidden Israel, as a nation, had not obtained salvation. “What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened” (Rom. 11:7). The redeemed are the remnant, the elect of God, that did not backslide and fall into idolatry and the worship of Baal, the pagan god of the surrounding nations. “I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal” (Rom. 11:4). God had kept for Himself seven thousand men who did not backslide by turning away from Him and going after other gods. Again, what does God say to His people Israel who will not return from their backslidings?

‘You have rejected me’, declares the LORD; ‘you keep going backward, so I have stretched out my hand against you and destroyed you — I am weary of relenting. I have winnowed them with a winnowing fork in the gates of the land; I have bereaved them; I have destroyed my people; they did not turn from their ways’ (Jer. 15:6, 7, emphasis added).

Here we find the winnowing fan that speaks of separating the wheat from the chaff (Luke 3:17); the chaff being the backslidden and rebellious Jews who would not return to the Lord as evidenced by their rejection of Christ, the consequence being that of eternal judgment.

As we have previously covered in Chapter 7, the Old Testament Exodus was a pattern or type of our salvation in Christ and New Testament believers are warned not to imitate the example of those who would afterward backslide and be destroyed. God says of them in Psalm 95:10, “For forty years I loathed that generation and said, ‘They are a people who go astray in their heart, and they have not known my ways.’” We repeat again the warnings stated in that chapter as they have a direct correlation to the subject at hand. We read in Hebrews 3:16-19,

For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.

The writer then states in Hebrews 4:1, 2, 6, 11,

Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.... Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience.... Let us be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience (NKJV, emphasis added).

They did not enter because of unbelief, which was evident in their defiant disobedience to God’s word; “the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith.” He warns New Testament believers because we will not enter the promised eternal rest if we fall away, or backslide in the same way as they did. The same warning is expressed in Jude v. 5, “Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.” Again, they did not believe in Christ as evidenced by their disobedience. In the first verse of Hebrews Chapter 3, the writer refers to his hearers as, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling(emphasis added). Then he follows in verses 12-15 with the words,

Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. As it is said, ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion [those who left Egypt led by Moses]’ (Heb. 3:12-15, emphasis added).

Those who would depart from the living God after professing to know Him, reveal an evil, unbelieving heart and have no share in Christ. For he says, “we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.” And what might hinder them from holding their original confidence firm to the end? The deceitfulness of sin. And how would sin deceive them? By enticing them to return to it rather than to remain steadfast in their faithfulness to Christ.Again, the warning is given to the Corinthians,

For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.

Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, ‘The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.’ We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall (1 Cor. 10:1-12, emphasis added).

They all drank of the spiritual rock which was Christ, but with most of them, God was not pleased. Why? Because they desired to do evil. We have a solemn warning in each of these passages of one who after professing faith in the Lord, would then fall away by turning away from God in unbelief, resulting in disobedience.It is significant that in each of these passages the cautions are addressed to the “brothers,” and the inspired writers, rather than using words such as “once saved always saved” or “eternal security,” which would lead to complacency, they gave them warnings and exhortations of which they must take heed if they are to have any assurances as to the final preservation of their souls;

‘Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away,’ ‘lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience’, ‘Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall’ (emphasis added).

Some would teach that because these are referred to as brethren, they are saved, but if they were to subsequently fall according to this same example of disobedience, i.e., backslide, they would lose their salvation. Others would teach that it is not possible that a true Christian can fall away and these warnings in Scripture are one of the means used by the Spirit to keep us from complacency and ultimately falling away. If anyone does fall away, according to this view, they were never truly saved in the first place. Most notably to the subject at hand, however, is the consensus of both views in that they teach that those who fall away or backslide, in the biblical sense, are not saved. (Note: There is also the view that those who fall away are still saved but they lose their rewards in heaven, which is so contrary to Scripture that we find it difficult to conceive that any thoughtful student of the Bible could seriously consider it, as the church throughout her history would also testify.) It is significant to note that we find no instance in the New Testament of a true believer ever falling away from God and then returning to Him. We never read of pleas to Christians, as we often hear in our day, such as “recommit your life to Christ.” A Christian, by definition, is committed to Christ, and thus to “recommit” would be a contradiction in terms. The Christian’s commitment may wane, but genuine faith is never, at any time, uncommitted to Christ. Those who would find themselves in a so-called backslidden state after professing a belief in Christ, either never had a genuine and saving faith, or their faith was in a spurious gospel whereby regeneration cannot take place. The only alternative to these would be a loss of salvation. However, since it is also the case that we have no examples in the NT of a Christian losing their salvation and having it restored again, it is most probable that it would be the former rather than the latter. Many have fallen prey to a counterfeit gospel whereby the word of God has no real power.Whereas the truth of the gospel “is living and powerful,” a false gospel is dead and impotent. Even the truth, with respect to its effectiveness in the human heart, is only as powerful as the genuineness of the faith that resides therein. God’s word has little to no effect in the heart wherein a spurious faith exists and thus, “They always go astray in their heart.” Jesus speaks of a falling away in the parable of the four soils;

And the ones [sown] on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away (Luke 8:13, emphasis added).

In contrast, we have God’s promise to those with a genuine and abiding faith,

I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will put the fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from Me (Jer. 32:40, emphasis added).

The parable of the prodigal son, Luke 15:11-32, is often used to depict a backslidden Christian. However, Jesus spoke this parable while still under the OT dispensation and was referencing the Jewish people; the lost sheep of the House of Israel, the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all of Israel, those near and those far off in all the countries to which God had driven them, because of the unfaithfulness which they had committed against Him (Dan. 9:7). Although the message contained in the parable is instructive to all, it was not spoken in reference to New Covenant believers, let alone gentile believers. In fact, it was not until about 7 years after Christ’s ascension, in Acts 10, that the inclusion of the Gentiles was fully understood and accepted by the Jewish Christians; v. 45, “And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles.” In Matthew 15:24 we read, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Christ was clearly not sent to find lost sheep that were already saved, but rather to seek and save the backslidden, the scattered sheep who had apostatized by going after other gods. The prodigal son was dead and lost and could only be restored in regeneration; “for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.” (Luke 15:32). “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Lk. 19:10). This Christ says in reference to Zacchaeus, v. 9, “And Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham” (emphasis added). The parable represents apostate Israel who walked away from God, being dispersed among the gentile nations, openly serving the gods of paganism. If they were to be saved, they, as the prodigal, would have to come to their senses saying, “I will go back to my first husband, for it was better for me then than now!” (Hosea 2:7).

For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called (Isa. 54:5).

The gentiles never had “a first husband” nor a Father whom they had left. They had no prior relationship with God from which to backslide. The gentiles are never referred to in Scripture as “lost.” The prodigal represents a falling away from and a return to a prior relationship with the Father which could only be true of Israel. Therefore, the gospel was first preached to the Jews that they might return to the covenant relationship from which they had backslidden. It was then preached to the gentiles that they might come into a relationship with God that they never previously had (Eph. 2:12). They too could now call Him Father as they were adopted into the family of God, “grafted in among the others, and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree” (Rom. 11:17).

Peter is also used as an example of a backsliding believer. However, we would maintain that there is no biblical warrant for making such an assertion. Peter denied Christ but he did not return to a life of sin, turning aside from God to serve other gods. The Lord told Peter that Satan had asked to sift him as wheat (Luke 22:31), but Jesus also said, “I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail.” Praise God we have an advocate with the Father who prays on our behalf, who appeals to the Father that He might keep us from forsaking the faith despite our times of stumbling. Peter denied the Lord in fear; however, he was immediately convicted by the Spirit and Luke 22:62 states that “Peter went out and wept bitterly.” The believer’s sin torments the soul. The more grievous the sin, the more penetrating the agony, for there is nothing so grievous to the Christian’s heart than that of sinning against his Lord. This grief of the soul is one of the means whereby the Spirit works in us “both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Phil 2:13). Peter sinned, but his faith did not fail to keep him from falling off the path and into a backslidden state. To say otherwise is to contend that Christ’s prayer was not answered, which would be contrary to Scripture. Albert Barnes writes;

It is true that the ‘courage’ of Peter failed; it is true that he had not that immediate confidence in Jesus and reliance on him which he had before had; but the prayer of Jesus was that he might not altogether apostatize from the faith. God heard Jesus ‘always’ John 11:42; it follows, therefore, that every prayer which he ever offered was answered; and it follows, as he asked here for a specific thing, that that thing was granted; and as he prayed that Peter’s faith might not utterly fail, so it follows that there was no time in which Peter was not really a pious man...and though his fears overcame him and led him to aggravated sin, yet the prayer of Christ was prevalent, and he was brought to true repentance.⁶

Peter’s denial simply illustrates that a believer can sin, not backslide. His pride had to be shattered even as every believer and Christ used Satan as a means to that end. It is an example, not only of the sanctifying power of God but of the keeping power of God through Christ. Therefore, it would, in fact, be more suitable to use Peter’s denial as an example of how a Christian is kept from backsliding or apostatizing rather than for one who has.

We are also told that David’s sin with Bathsheba and Uriah is an example of the backsliding believer. However, as grave as David’s sin was, there is no biblical justification to contend that he was backslidden. Again, we do not find him forsaking the Lord by serving other gods or turning back to a life of sin. God Himself says in summation of David’s life, “David did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and did not turn aside from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite” (1 Kings 15:5, emphasis added). Ironically, this description God gives of David’s life is, in actuality, the biblical antithesis of a backslider. David had fallen grievously, but he did not turn around and go the other way in departing from the living God. When we find David praying over his sin in Psalm 51, we find the prayer of a broken-hearted believer, confessing his transgression, confident in God’s mercy and forgiveness that He might restore him to the joy of his salvation. This is the experience of every believer who falls while walking on the path of holiness. As they walk in the light, God’s word shines on the sin of their hearts, in David’s case through the prophet Nathan, revealing and convicting, effectually resulting in a broken heart of repentance. It is not a falling off the path, or a change in direction, but rather a falling on the path and then rising to press forward. This was true of David, this was true of Peter, and it is true of every believer. In Johann Lange’s commentary he writes;

The children of this world often quote and excuse their sins by citing the example of good and holy men who have fallen, but never take pattern after their repentance and humiliation, and refuse to know anything of the wrung and smitten heart of a David (Psalm 51:19), or of the tears of a Peter (Matthew 26:75).⁷

We read in Hebrews 10:38, 39,

‘My righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.’ But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls (emphasis added).

The true Christian is not as those would-be disciples who found the words of Christ too difficult to receive and, “turned back and no longer walked with him” (John 6:66). When the true Christian is asked, “Do you want to go away as well?” (v.67) He answers as Peter, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God” (v. 68, 69). Once we are fully convinced of the promises of God, (Rom. 4:21, 22), there is no turning back. We soon find that there is nowhere to go, no other hope, and no one else to look to but Christ and the promise of His kingdom for our eternal happiness and well-being.

We read in Ezekiel 18:21, 24,

But if a wicked person turns away from all his sins that he has committed and keeps all my statutes and does what is just and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die.

But when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness [backslides] and does injustice and does the same abominations that the wicked person does, shall he live? None of the righteous deeds that he has done shall be remembered; for the treachery of which he is guilty and the sin he has committed, for them he shall die.

Peter echoes a similar thought in 2 Peter 2:20-22;

For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: ‘A dog returns to his own vomit,’ and, ‘a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.’

In Colossians 3:9 we read that Christians, “have put off the old self with its practices.” The NIDNTT says of “putting off the old self,” “That the object is a thing ‘You have put off the old nature’ The use of the double compound is probably to stress that it is a complete putting off and putting away, which makes falling back into the former manner of life impossible.”8The TDNT says, “It has the strong sense fully to put off with no possible return to the old state.”⁹

One example of how the term “backslide” has been used in a manner that has caused confusion is found in this quote from Jonathan Edwards. He begins by stating, “True saints may be guilty of some kinds and degrees of backsliding…” He uses the word that Scripture defines as, “falling away” or “apostacy” of a Christian, but then proceeds with the argument that a Christian “can never backslide so as to continue no longer in a way of universal obedience.” He says,

…but they can never fall away so as to grow weary of religion and the service of God, and habitually to dislike and neglect it, either on its own account, or on account of the difficulties that attend it; as is evident by Gal 6:9. Rom 2:7. Heb 10:36. Isa 43:22. Mal 1:13. They can never backslide so as to continue no longer in a way of universal obedience; or so, that it shall cease to be their manner to observe all the rules of Christianity, and do all duties required, even the most difficult, and in the most difficult circumstances.... Nor can they ever fall away, so as habitually to be more engaged in other things than in the business of religion: or so that it should become their way and manner to serve something else more than God; or so as statedly to cease to serve God, with such earnestness and diligence, as still to be habitually devoted and given up to the business of religion; unless those words of Christ can fall to the ground, Ye cannot serve two masters; and those of the apostle, He that will be a friend of the world, is the enemy of God; and unless a saint can change his God, and yet be a true saint. Nor can a true saint ever fall away so, that ordinarily there shall be no remarkable difference in his walk and behaviour since his conversion, from what was before. They who are truly converted are new men, new creatures; new, not only within, but without; they are sanctified throughout, in spirit, soul, and body; old things are passed away, all things are become new. They have new hearts, new eyes, new ears, new tongues, new hands, new feet; i.e. a new conversation and practice; they walk in newness of life, and continue to do so to the end of life. And they that fall away, show visibly that they never were risen with Christ.¹⁰

This is a strong statement that actually refutes any notion that a Christian can turn back to a life of sin, i.e., “backslide.” So why use the term backslide when the word “sin” would have sufficed? If he had said, “True saints may be guilty of some kinds and degrees of sin” there would be no ambiguity or confusion in his meaning. Lamentably, however, this misuse of the word has led to what we often hear in modern-day testimonies of one who came to Christ at a young age, turned back to a life of sin, and are yet thoroughly convinced that they remained as Christians because they often heard the term “backslidden Christian” to describe such a condition. From where did this idea come from? It is certain it did not come from Scripture as we have not one example from Genesis to Revelation of one who is described as “backslidden” in a state of salvation. The New Covenant says nothing of a “backslidden Christian,” but speaks only of a narrow way and a broad way with no mention of any other way. If one were to fall away from the narrow way, he would then be in the broad way, which leads to nowhere but destruction. How many are in a so-called backslidden state at the present, who have not returned, who think their salvation secure? This unchecked error is deceiving multitudes into believing in a heaven they will never see. To teach such, one must completely disregard passages such as Galatians 5:19-21; 1 Cor. 6:9, 10; Rom. 6:1, 17-18; 1 John 3:9, 10; 1 John 5:18, Matt. 7:21; 1 John 2:3; Eph. 2:1-3; Ezek. 18, etc. Are we to disregard the clear warnings in Hebrews, Corinthians, and Jude as well? Are not all of these passages descriptive of those who would be considered backslidden in this modern-day? Such teaching is unacceptable when the warnings in Scripture are so explicit and unambiguous. “‘Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!’ declares the Lord” (Jer. 23:1). “For the shepherds are stupid and do not inquire of the Lord; therefore they have not prospered, and all their flock is scattered” (Jer. 10:21). “For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naïve” (Rom. 16:18). They “say continually to those who despise the word of the Lord, ‘It shall be well with you’; and to everyone who stubbornly follows his own heart, they say, ‘No disaster shall come upon you.’” (Jer. 23:17). Thus, because of the ignorance and “stupidity” of the shepherds, the so-called backslider thinks in his heart, “‘I shall have peace, even though I follow the dictates of my heart’ — as though the drunkard could be included with the sober” (Deut. 29:19, NKJV). In contrast, the counsel of the wise Shepherd is;

Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin (Ezek. 18:30).

J. C. Ryle wrote;

Often — far too often — people are built up in self-deception, and encouraged to think they are converted when in reality they are not converted at all. Feelings are supposed to be faith. Convictions are supposed to be grace. These things ought not so to be. By all means let us encourage the first beginnings of religion in a soul. But never let us urge people forward without telling them what true Christianity entails. Never let us hide from them the battle and the toil. Let us say to them ‘come with us’ — but let us also say, ‘count the cost’…how miserable is the condition of backsliders and apostates…The necessity of ‘counting the cost’ is enforced by a picture of the consequences of neglecting to do so. The man who has once made a profession of religion, but has afterwards gone back from it, is like salt which has ‘lost its savor.’ Such salt is comparatively useless. ‘It is neither fit for the land, nor fit for the ash-heap — but men cast it out.’ Yet the state of that salt is a lively emblem of the state of a backslider. No wonder that our Lord said, ‘He that has ears to hear let him hear.’

The truth which our Lord brings out in this place is very painful, but very useful and needful to be known. No man, be it remembered, is in so dangerous a state as he who has once known the truth and professed to love it, and has afterwards fallen away from his profession, and gone back to the world. You can tell such a man nothing that he does not know. You can show him no doctrine that he has not heard. He has not sinned in ignorance like many. He has gone away from Christ with his eyes open. He has sinned against a known, and not an unknown God. His case is well near desperate. All things are possible with God. Yet it is written, ‘It is impossible for those who were once enlightened — if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance.’ (Hebrews 6:4-6.)

Let us ponder these things well. The subject is one which is not sufficiently considered. Let us never be afraid of beginning to serve Christ. But let us begin seriously, thoughtfully, and with a due consideration of the step we take. And having once begun, let us pray for grace that we may persevere, and never fall away.¹¹

He says in another place;

I can certainly testify, after sixteen years of ministry, that by far the most hopeless and painful deathbeds I have attended have been those of backsliders. I have seen such persons go out of this world without hope, whose conscience really appeared dead, buried and gone, and on whom every truth, doctrine and argument appeared thrown away by them. They seem to have lost the power of feeling and could only lie still and despair. I fear the true account of such persons’ state of soul was the sentence of our Lord, on which I have now been dwelling.”¹²

Those who would find themselves in this desperate state can, if any desire for God yet remains in their heart, find comfort in that now, while it is yet called today, God’s hand remains outstretched in mercy and grace to every penitent sinner irrespective of their past condition. It is true that one can fall away from a profession of faith and become so hardened a sinner, their conscience so seared, that they, unlike the prodigal, will never come to their senses. Even as the Jews in Hebrews, if they would fall away from the faith and return to Judaism, it would be nigh impossible to renew them again unto repentance. However, it is not yet so with those who do indeed come to their senses and see their desperate need for a Savior with a deep desire to be reconciled to God that they might live for Him. God will not reject their pleas for mercy and forgiveness, for, “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love” (Psalm 103:8). “As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live” (Ezek. 33:11). Jonathan Edwards writes,

Take heed of despairing thoughts, because you are a great sinner, because you have persevered so long in sin…and resisted the Holy Ghost. Remember that, let your case be what it may, and you ever so great a sinner, if you have not committed the sin against the Holy Ghost, God can bestow mercy upon you without the least prejudice to the honor of his holiness, which you have offended, or to the honor of his majesty, which you have insulted, or of his justice, which you have made your enemy, or of his truth, or of any of his attributes. Let you be what sinner you may, God can, if he pleases, greatly glorify himself in your salvation.¹³

In summary, we never hear of the prodigal son going back to slop the hogs. We Christians are not like dogs that return to their own vomit, nor are we like the sow who after having washed returns to her wallowing in the mire (2 Pet. 2:22). Regrettably, we will sin, but we cannot wallow in sin, and unlike the dog that laps up his own vomit, the very taste of sin sickens us. The Christian abhors his sin, and no man with the Spirit will continue to practice that which he despises in himself but will be diligent in seeking to put it to death. Sin is the great burden in the Christian life, not its delight (Gal. 6:2, Heb. 12:1). The tables have turned. Whereas it was once the law that was our great burden, it has now become our delight (2 Cor. 5:9, 1 Jn 5:3, Ps. 1:2). The flesh may deceive us into thinking that we might still find pleasure in its indulgence, but we soon find that the pleasure of it is never worth the Spirit wrought sorrow and anguish of sinning against our loving Father; And as godly sorrow increases, sin decreases. For who among us wants to live in continual sorrow? We soon find that sin is a fool’s errand. Those who come to repentance and then turn back again to a life of sin may have had a worldly sorrow over their sin, but it is godly sorrow that leads to true repentance and salvation (2 Cor. 7:10). As we have established from Scripture, the term “backslide” is used of Israel and is, in all cases, descriptive of those who have apostatized and fallen away from God. “They always go astray in their hearts” (Heb. 3:10). They are the double-minded, the hypocrite, the faithless, and unless they would return and faithfully serve Him, they would be eternally condemned. We never find it used in any other way. Therefore, to use it in such a way that God never intended can be deceptive and costly indeed. It allows a professing believer, although living even as backslidden Israel, to think they are Christian. How devastating to those in such a state when they stand before God and realize they have believed a lie and subsequently hear the most heart-wrenching words imaginable, “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness” andassigning them a place with the hypocrites where there will be weeping and the gnashing of teeth (Matt. 24:50). On the other hand, what ecstatic joy and euphoric jubilation to hear it personally said to us by our Lord, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master” (Matt. 25:21). Dear reader, remind yourself continually that all the sinful pleasures in the world are not worthy to be had at the expense of our not hearing these glorious words from the lips of our Lord which will eternally ring in the blessed ears of all those who have been faithful to Him to the end. “For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised” (Heb. 10:36). Those who sincerely believe, and are fully convinced of His promises, will, without hesitation, put their hand to the plow and never look back, steadfastly looking forward to that day with the great expectation Scripture speaks of. For, “we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul” (Heb. 10:39, NASB). However, those who do shrink back, and yet think their salvation secure, will find themselves, in the last day, clinging to a counterfeit cross.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Sin and the Misinterpretation of Romans 7

see also:

HEBREWS 6:4-8 - Can True Christians Commit Apostasy?