Often we hear of someone that is "backslidden" in their faith in Christ.
Is this really possible?
Is it Biblical?
How do you think Christ would handle this concept?
Have you or anyone you are close to ever experienced this? Are you in the middle of it now? What caused you to feel this way?
Your thoughts on this topic.....
8 comments:
Abandonment of faith to engage in a season of sin is what backsliding means to me. I can take that one step further and say backsliding, far too often, is a crutch many lean on to back up (or discredit) a hollow decision that was made twenty years ago. I believe when The Holy Spirit truly lives within a person there will be temptation and sin, but greater still, there will be ongoing conviction and repentance. The strength and will to finish strong for our Savior will far outweigh the sin and temptation that causes many to stumble and "backslide".
Once again, when you get a picture of just how AWESOME, POWERFUL, HOLY, and ALMIGHTY God is in comparison to the wretch you are, you won't be able to prevent yourself from following Him and heeding the Spirit's call to stay true to the only God worth following.
On a personal note, the reason I believe back sliding is a modern day "crutch concept" is 1) there is very little Biblical evidence to support an "in and out" or "up and down" faith, meaning faith is ongoing growth and we grow daily pressing toward our goal of being more like Christ and 2) based on personal experience, I was not a "backslid" Christian as I often thought and claimed, but a lost, unsaved person who never truly confessed my sins and saw myself in light of a Holy God.
Okay, my lunch break is over, but this is a very good topic to start our blog and one that I mull over a lot due to the behavior I see from so many proclaiming Christians. I also believe it's a "gray" area and with a Holy, Almighty God there are no "gray" areas. Of course, this is a debatable topic and I'm not always right. I'm simply stating how I view the concept of "backsliding" and for many of us the term has different meanings.
I'll leave you with a few verses that mean a lot to me and further caused me, just a few short years ago, to reevaluate my life and give it completely to Christ.
"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." Matthew 7:13-14
Backslidden to me is rebellion. We know what is right and what is wrong. If we are doing what is right we will want to go to church to worship and fellowship with fellow believers. If we are not doing right that is where the backsliding/rebellion comes in.
This is just my opinion but there are several ways of looking at this one. Clearly if you claim to know Christ yet you live like a heathen then its obvious that your ship is sailing in the wrong direction. However, what do you do with the person that has hit a spirtually dry time? In fact our lesson last week was about a man in this predicament. Verse 9 of Psalm 42 says:
9 I say to God my Rock,
"Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I go about mourning,
oppressed by the enemy?"
This is a spiritually downtrodden man. He acknowledges God to be his "Rock" but in the same breath speak of being sad and "oppressed". These are typically not adjectives that we would use to describe a man that walks with God, but here we see it. I doubt that a man in the Psalmist's situation would just spring out of bed every time the church doors open so they could have a front row seat. I personally have seen seasoned Christians go through a period just like this. It almost looked like the life had been sucked out of them. They fit the bill perfectly for "backslidden" Christian but this seemed like it was honestly out of their control.
We talk sometimes about how the church ministers, or doesn't, to those that do not know Christ but do you think that maybe we miss the mark on this a little also?
No such thing. Old testament: God's law was written on their minds, but the Israelites were powerless in their flesh to follow it. They repeatedly left God. If you want to argue for backsliding, that's all you'll get with me.
Then along came Pentecost!!!!!! "I will write my laws upon their heart"--God. Today, when a person is saved, they are called REGENERATE. The Holy Spirit endwells that man or woman, old things pass away, and behold, he/she is a NEW CREATURE (all things become new). He who was once spiritually dead is now alive in Christ, because of Christ, and with the power of the triune God in every cell of his/her body--physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. That man will still face temptation, will still fall into sin, but will not (cannot) backslide. Do not confuse backsliding with sinning. We will all sin, probably daily, certainly daily in thought or motive. And conviction daily drives me to repentance, then to spiritual growth. It's the Holy Spirit that illuminates the meaning of Scripture, that empowers us to perform duties of ministries, to daily die to our flesh, to daily become more like Him. You cannot deny Him, avoid Him, nor leave Him. A man or woman who's only claim to Christianity is casual Sunday morning church attendance is almost certainly a false convert, and I would say is a safe bet to ultimately fade from the "faith", or backslide. If the Holy Spirit is the power within us to grow daily, what's your excuse for acting like a baby Christian at the age of 30, clinging only to that profession of faith in VBS at 9yrs old? You should be a spiritual Giant today! That's not Jeff taking a hard line stance, that's Jeff taking a biblical perspective. Man, I had a million more thoughts, scriptural proofs, and other stuff, but I'm out of time! God bless!
Oh, if you can find some free time, go to YouTube and check out anything Paul Washer. He is much better at saying what I think than I am!
Yo, is anyone out there???????? I've been in your houses...I know you have a computer!!!!! This is boring alone!
It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day
It's a slow fade, it's a slow fade
See Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-8SYA6rfbs
you might have to copy and paste this into your browser. Just my opinion but this is how it happens.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9JgrJjyNzg&feature=channel
Good stuff and it makes sense.
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