Understanding Backsliding

A backslider is someone who knows God and seeks after God but subsequently turns away from Him. To backslide is to revert back to a life of sin, immorality and wrong doings. The word "backsliding" is used in the Old Testament Scripture to describe Israel's turning away from the Lord. There is no mention of backsliding in the New Testament Scripture, but that does not mean that there are no backsliding Christians. The Scripture uses other terms like "falling away" or "walking in darkness" to describe backsliding.

It is intersting to study the nature and consequences of Israel's backsliding and God's remedy so that we can learn from it and apply the same remedy to the Church and to individual Christians.

Old Testament Backsliding

Backsliding Israel - According to Jeremiah and Ezekiel

The first mention of backsliding in the Old Testament is in the Book of Jeremiah:

The Lord spoke through Jeremiah when Israel has forsaken the Lord, "Your wickedness will punish you; your backsliding will rebuke you" (Jer. 2:19, NIV).

Later on the Lord said he would heal Israel's unfaithfulness and backsliding. And Israel promised to return to the Lord:

"Return, faithless people; I will cure you of backsliding. Yes, we will come to you, for you are the Lord our God" (Jer. 3:22, NIV).

Backsliding is sin

"Although our sins testify against us, O Lord, do something for the sake of your name. For our backsliding is great; we have sinned against you" (Jer. 14:7, NIV, emphasis added).

Notice that Israel knowingly and willfully sinned against God. It seems they could not help their backsliding and wanted the Lord to "do something" to heal their backsliding.

Backsliding is rejecting God

"You have rejected me," declares the Lord. "You keep on backsliding" (Jer. 15:6, NIV, emphasis added).

Backsliding is defiling oneself with idols

"They will no longer defile themselves with their idols and vile images or with any of their offenses, for I will save them from all their sinful backsliding, and I will cleanse them. They will be my people, and I will be their God" (Ezekiel 37:23, NIV, emphasis added).

Backsliding Israel - According to Isaiah

Isaiah Chapter 59 contains a terrible list of the sins of God's backsliding people. I believe this Chapter is written to backsliders, to people who know God but subsequently turn from Him, to people who are religious but in rebellion against God. What amazes me is that these backsliders acknowledged and confessed their own sinful condition and yet repentance was not found! They would not turn from their wicked ways!

"For our transgressions are multiplied before You, and our sins testify against us; for our transgressions are with us, and as for our iniquities, we know them" (Isaiah 59:12, NKJV).

Read Isaiah 59:13 - 15 you'll find it contains a list of Israel's sins and transgressions:

1. Lack of justice and righteousness.

2. They rejected the truth and inequity was found in their hearts.

3. Those who were righteous, who departed from their evil ways became the prey of the backsliders. They wanted everyone to join in their backsliding. Those who refused to follow them were persecuted.

God's remedy for backsliding Israel

"He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor; therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him; and His own righteousness, it sustained Him" (Isaiah 59:16, emphasis added).

Notice that the fearful list of transgression and the failure of God's people came to its climax with the statement, "There was no intercessor" - just one intercessor, Just someone to "come between" as a mediator.

The sin of His people was so great that He needs someone who is qualified to save the nation from the calamities which their sins deserved. Since He could not find a qualified human mediator (intercessor) for Israel "His own arm brought salvation for Him" - He became the Mediator Himself in the Person of Jesus Christ!

New Testament Backsliding

It is interesting to note that believers are already provided with the Intercessor, Jesus Christ, "the High Priest of our confession" (Hebrews 3:1) who always live to make intercession for them. So, what is God's remedy for Christians who backslide?

We must study the nature of Christian's backsliding after they have received "the knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim. 2:4) before we can answer the above question.

There are two stages of backsliding - backsliding as a "state" and apostasy:

Backsliding - as a "state" in the Christian walk

Backsliding involves the change of the believer's state but not his standing before God. The former is variable and depends upon his daily walk with God and many other factors of his spiritual life. Standing, by contrast, refers to the believer's position "in Christ", which is grounded in the unchangeable and perfect work of Christ for the believer. Faith in Christ secures his standing:

"But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name" (John 1:12).

The "state" describes the changing and imperfect condition of the believer's soul from moment to moment as affected by backsliding on one hand or spiritual progress on the other. For example, if in a period of time, a believer fails to walk in the light he is in danger of backsliding:

"But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin" (1 John 1:7).

This means the believer sins against God by walking in darkness instead of walking in the light. This causes him to break off fellowship with other believers. The remedy for this backsliding condition is confession:

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).

Backsliding as a state of the Christian walk rarely leads to death and we who are in the light must pray for those who had committed sin that does not lead to death:

"If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death" (1 John 5:16).

Other symptoms of backsliding and signs of falling away from the Christian faith are those described by Paul in his epistles to Timothy (1 Tim. 4:1 - 5 and 2 Tim. 3:1 - 5).

James said, "Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins" (James 5:19, 20).

The implication is that the intercessor has the ability to deliver a backsliding believer from the error of his way through prayer. This is consistent to God's remedy for backsliding Israel - the need of an intercessor.

Apostasy

Apostasy is more than falling away from the Christian faith. Apostasy is the determined, willful rejection of Christ, His teachings and commands. Not every act of apostasy is beyond restoration and not every sin of apostasy is "leading to death" (1 John 5:16).

Apostasy not leading to death

Here are some examples of apostasy not leading to death:

1. Hymenaeus and Alexander who rejected their faith and good conscience. They are said to have "suffered shipwreck" of their faith (1 Tim. 1:19, 20).

2. Those who are "the enemies of the cross of Christ":

"Whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame - who set their mind on earthly things" (Phil. 3:19).

3. Those who are "in opposition":

"In humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having heen taken captive by him to do his will" (2 Tim. 2:25, 26).

Apostasy leading to death

The writer of Hebrews said, "For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sin, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries" (Hebrews 10:26, 27).

"For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame" (Hebrews 6:4 - 6, emphasis added).

The above describes the type of sin that John said:

"There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about it" (1 John 5:16).

Before a Christian could be guilty of committing the sin unto death, all five conditions mentioned in this Scripture would have to apply to him:

1. He is enlightened about the truth of God's Word which means he is not in darkness.

2. He has tasted the heavenly gift. Jesus is the Heavenly Gift. That means he is not a new believer and he knows Christ in a certain extent.

3. He is a partaker of the Holy Spirit. He has received the baptism in the Holy Spirit and filled with the Holy Spirit at one time.

4. He has tasted the good Word of God. He is not a "baby" Christian. He is mature enough to take the solid meat of God's Word.

5. He has tasted the power of the age (or world) to come. He has the gifts of the Spirit operating in his life and ministry.

I believe very few Christians could qualify to be guilty of committing the unpardonable sin - sin leading to death (1 John 5:16).

The only example I can think of is "the antichrist", "the man of sin" or "the son of perdition" that Paul described in 2 Thessalonians 2:3. The antichrist is not only someone who is "against Christ" but also someone who claims to be Christ and takes the place of Christ. He is a "false Christ" or a "counterfeit Christ". He must have been a genuine Christian believer before he turns away from Him, for otherwise he does not know how to imitate Christ convincingly!

Why the unpardonable sin leads to death?

The truth is he who rejects Christ rejects the Intercessor.

Paul said, "It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us" (Romans 8:34, emphasis added).

When Christ the Intercessor is rejected all other intercessors are likewise rejected. Note that Christians are able to intercede for others according to the will of God because Christ is our Intercessor.

This is the reason why John said, "There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about this" (1 John 5:16).

In other words, it is futile to intercede for someone who has committed sin that leads to death because this sinner has already rejected all intercessors!

When there is no Intercessor or when the Intercessor is rejected there is no healing and restoration for the backsliders and apostates! - An important spiritual law.