THE MARKS OF A BACKSLIDER
By
Shelby G. Floyd
In
the Old Testament book of Hosea, Israel,
was likened unto a backsliding heifer, because they had left the Lord and his
word and had gone after idolatry and the worldliness of the nations round about
them. Hosea said, “For Israel slideth back as a
backsliding heifer: now the LORD will feed them as a lamb in a large place”
(Hosea 4:16). The
idolatrous calves which Israel
worshiped were typical of themselves. As
an unruly calf jerks back from the yoke of service, so Israel
was backsliding in its service to God.
God through his inspired prophets used many figures of speech with which
to compare the relationships of Israel
to himself. Sometimes God would liken
himself to the father and Israel
to his children. At other times he
likened himself unto a husband, and Israel
being his wife.
The
burden of the weeping prophet Jeremiah was to warn Judah
that unless they turned back to God, they would surely be taken into captivity,
and punished for their many sins. Judah
refused to learn the lesson that the northern 10 tribes of Israel
had learned because of their unfaithfulness to God. Therefore, over and over again Jeremiah
pleads for backsliding Judah
and Israel to
return to the Lord. He said, "How long will you gad about, O
you backsliding daughter? For the LORD has created a new thing in the
earth— A woman shall encompass a man.”(Jeremiah
31:22).
Judah
and Israel were
like backsliding children who would leave the teaching, love and care of their
parents. In the 14th chapter of
Jeremiah, the prophet intercedes for Israel
with an earnest prayer that the Lord will not leave them. A portion of his prayer states: "O LORD, though our iniquities testify
against us, Do it for Your name’s sake; For our
backslidings are many, We have sinned against You” (Jeremiah 14:7). This is the place where every backslider must
begin in returning to the Lord, that is, by a humble confession of sin, and a
change of life. God is always ready to
bless his children when they turn to him and do what he commands. But Israel
refused to return and do the commandments of the Lord. Therefore, Jeremiah likened them unto
perpetual backsliders because they were holding fast to deceit, and because
they refused to repent of their sins (cf. Jeremiah 8:5).
A
backslider paves the way and makes room for his own punishment. The nation of Israel
was preparing their own doom by their many sins and backslidings. Jeremiah prophesied that they would be
punished because of this: "Therefore
a lion from the forest shall slay them, A wolf of the deserts shall destroy
them; A leopard will watch over their cities. Everyone who goes out from there
shall be torn in pieces, Because their transgressions
are many; Their backslidings have increased” (Jeremiah 5:6).
In
Jeremiah, chapter 3, we have perhaps the fullest account of the doom which
would fall upon Judah
and Israel
because of their backsliding. The term
backsliding, literally means to apostatize.
First, Israel
was backsliding because they went up on every high mountain, and under every
green tree, and played the harlot by joining themselves in false idolatrous
worship (Jeremiah 3:6). Secondly, because backsliding Israel
committed spiritual adultery, God put her away and gave her a writing a
divorcement. Yet, her treacherous sister
Judah did not fear, but went and played the harlot also (Jeremiah 3:8). In the third place, having done all of this,
backsliding Israel
tried to justify herself even more than her treacherous sister Judah. This is commonplace, from Adam and Eve to the
present day, men and women who disobey the Lord usually try to justify their
actions. Israel
was no exception (Jeremiah 3:11). In
the fourth-place, God announced to his prophet his mercy and love for his
people by commanding Jeremiah to warn backsliding Israel that if they would
return he would not cause his anger to fall upon them (Jeremiah 3:12). Finally, God admonished backsliding Israel to
turn and come back to him for he is married unto them, and if they will do
this, he will bring them to Zion (Jeremiah 3:14).
The
subject of backsliding is not exclusively an Old Testament subject for Jesus
and his inspired apostles on many occasions warned their readers not to turn
their backs upon God. It is possible for
a Christian, a child of God, to apostatize and fall from the grace of God so as
to be lost for ever more. Jesus said
that no man, putting his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the
kingdom of God (Luke 9:62). Those
Galatians who left Christ and his Gospel, seeking to be justified by the Law of
Moses, fell from grace (Galatians 5:4).
A
Christian who has been overtaken in a fault needs to be restored because of his
backsliding (Galatians 6:1). The writer
to the Hebrews warns us to take heed, lest any of us should have an evil heart
of unbelief, in departing from the living God (Hebrews 3:12). Peter states
that those who have known the way of righteousness, and have turned from Christ
and have become entangled and overcome, the latter state is worse for them than
the beginning (2 Peter 2:20). The apostle Paul summarized it all up in his
letter to the Corinthians when he said, "Therefore
let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12).
From this brief synopsis of backsliding one may see that there are
definite marks which indicate that one is leaving the Lord.
Recently,
these comments came across my desk concerning the signs of a backslider:
1. The backslider is one who neglects to read
his Bible. Previously it had a vital place
in his life. Now he neglects the source
of his spiritual nourishment. He says he
is too busy.
2. He ceases to pray. Once prayer was a vital and mighty force in
his life, and he prayed often. Now the backslider
no longer asks God for wisdom and guidance in his affairs, or for God to bless
others and forgive his sins. Since he
ignores him, God seems farther and farther away.
3. He begins to criticize others. Needing some justification for his actions
(or lack of action) he tries to ease his conscience by his hunting and
magnifying the faults of others until he feels that they are just as bad as he
is. He finds fault with the preacher and
the elders, or as he puts it, "the ones who run the church."
4. He gives less and speaks of how much the
church is "wasting money." If
he does not happen to agree with how the elders use the money of the church, he
rebels by not giving as liberally as he knows he should, or, if he gives it
all, by sending his money elsewhere, thus becoming "an elder"
himself.
5. He becomes irregular in his attendance. His heart is now in the world. No longer does he thrill to worship or really
enjoy communion with God. Fellowship
with the saints means little or nothing to him.
Let
each one of us examine our own hearts to see if we are a backslider. If we are, let us turn to the Lord and he
will heal us of our backsliding (cf. Hosea 14:4). Copyright © 2011 Shelby
Floyd, All Rights Reserved