Backsliding

Backsliding means becoming less committed to one’s faith, less devoted to living a godly life, or less morally upright.

The main Hebrew word for backsliding means “turning back” or “turning away.” The people of Israel often turned away from God and followed the sinful practices and idol worship of the nations around them. The Old Testament says that Israel desired evil things and rejected the Lord and his commands (Ezra 9:10; Isaiah 1:4; Ezekiel 11:21).

The people broke the sacred covenant, a binding agreement with God. They worshiped idols and were unfaithful to him (Psalm 78:10; Jeremiah 2:11; Hosea 4:10). They forgot the great things God had done for them. They ignored his guidance and rejected his teaching (Psalms 78:11; 107:11; Isaiah 30:9). They became stubborn and enjoyed all kinds of immoral behaviors (Jeremiah 3:21). Religious leaders who should have guided the people were leading them astray (Isaiah 9:16). The priests were unfaithful (Jeremiah 50:6).

God was deeply grieved because his chosen people had turned away from him. He said that Israel had been unfaithful to him like a wife who commits adultery (Jeremiah 3:8). Through the prophet Hosea, God compared Israel to a stubborn cow that refused to be guided (Hosea 4:16). Jeremiah confessed that the people had often turned away from God and sinned against him (Jeremiah 14:7).

In the New Testament, the word “backsliding” does not appear, but the idea is present in several ways. The New Testament usually describes backsliding as the failure of an individual rather than of a whole group.

During a conversation on the Mount of Olives, Jesus said that evil would increase near the end of the age. As a result, the love of many people would “grow cold” (Matthew 24:12). He taught that believers must remain faithful and continue to endure.

Paul also warned believers about the danger of turning away from God. Israel’s idol worship in the wilderness and God’s judgment of their rebellion should serve as a serious warning (1 Corinthians 10:1–11).

Paul warned the believers in Galatia not to give up their freedom in Christ and return to a religion based on human works. He was amazed that they had been deceived so quickly (Galatians 3:1). They were turning away from the gospel of Christ (Galatians 1:6). They had begun well, but they were no longer “obeying the truth” (Galatians 5:7).

In his letters to Timothy, Paul expressed sorrow that some believers had already “turned aside to follow Satan” (1 Timothy 5:15). The love of money and speculation about ideas had helped lead them away from the faith (1 Timothy 6:10, 20–21).

A Christian named Demas stopped serving with Paul because he loved the present world more than his ministry (2 Timothy 4:10).

In Revelation, the risen Christ corrected churches that had become spiritually cold or indifferent. Some had lost their earlier love, while others had become lukewarm in their faith (Revelation 2:4; 3:16).