No 17

(When a Christian Backslides)

We all know of at least one person who has backslidden in his or her Christian life and there is nothing more sad to see than a person who has been saved and who turns from their Heavenly Father, who loves them so much that “He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). What exactly is a backslidden Christian? Is it someone who was never saved in the first place, therefore he or she simply refused God’s gift of salvation? Or is it someone who was saved and who lost his or her salvation? I believe that neither one of these excuses are exact. That first one (never saved) is what I call a cop-out; in other words, people use this excuse to sin and have the best of both worlds. They are “As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly.” (Proverbs 26:11). The second one (lost salvation) is totally unbiblical; one cannot lose salvation; it is a gift of God. So I ask again, what is a backslidden Christian? I believe the Bible addresses this issue in a most clear way and gives the person a way to return to their Heavenly Father. The account of the prodigal son in the gospel of Luke chapter 15 is one good example of how Jesus used a father/son relationship to illustrate the principle of backsliding and God’s unconditional forgiveness. However, the strongest verse of scripture on unconditional forgiveness is found in 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” This verse is directed towards true Christians who sin and God forgives them unconditionally; backsliders are also in this category. When true Christians backslide, they do so knowing that they refuse to obey God’s Word and deliberately commit sin. Is salvation lost? Absolutely not!! However, the person is stomping, we could say, on his or her salvation and is risking to lose all rewards that are bestowed on obeying Christians. This person will be in heaven but, as we have seen “If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.” (1 Corinthians 3:14, 15)