A10.1 – WHAT IS BACKSLIDING?

1. Backsliding is a process by which an individual who has converted to Christianity reverts to pre-conversion habits, Jer 8:5-7

2. Backsliding is when a person turns from God and falls, relapsing into sins to pursue what he has once renounced, Gal 3:1-6

3. In the Old Testament, backsliding and restoration used to be a trait of Israel. They usually turned to God for some time and later turned unto idolatry, Hos 4:16

4. In the New Testament the story of the Prodigal Son is a representation of backsliding and restoration, Luke 15:11-32

5. Apostasy is another word used for backsliding. It means the voluntary renunciation of one’s belief. An apostate is someone who forsakes his faith in the Lord Jesus, 2 Sam 11:2-4

6. To backslide means to turn back from God, Jer 31:22

7. To backslide means to slide backwards, Jer 3:22

8. To backslide means to turn away from God, 1Kings 11:9

9. To backslide means to turn away from our first love to God, Rev 2:4

10. To backslide means to turn away from the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, Gal 1:6-7

11. To backslide means to turn to Satan, 1 Tim 5:15

12. To backslide means to turn to evil, Ps 125:5

13. To backslide means to turn to the world, 2Tim 4:10

14. To backslide means to turn aside “like a deceitful bow,” Jer 14:6-8

15. A backslider is like a servant serving two masters, Matt 6:24

16. A backslider is like a savour-less salt, Mat 5:13

17. A backslider is like a dog that returns to its vomit, Prov 26:11

18. A backslider is like a branch or leaf of a tree that has withered, John 15:6

19. A backslider is like someone who forsakes the throne for a dunghill, Luke 22:31-32

20. A backslider is like someone who leaves gold for dross or someone who substitutes the blossoming of the roses to shiver in frozen ice caves and snow, Lam 4:1-3

21. Those who have backslidden often try to bring others down, Prov 28:10