Topical Bible: Church: Backslidden

◄ Church: Backslidden ►

Jump to: Nave's • Library • Subtopics • Terms

Topical Encyclopedia

The term "backslidden" refers to a state in which a believer or a church has regressed in their spiritual commitment, fervor, or practice. This condition is characterized by a departure from the faithfulness and devotion that once marked their relationship with God. The concept of backsliding is addressed throughout Scripture, often as a warning against complacency and a call to repentance and renewal.

Biblical References:

1. Jeremiah 3:22 : "Return, O backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings." This verse highlights God's call to His people to return to Him, promising healing and restoration. It underscores the compassionate nature of God, who desires reconciliation with those who have strayed.

2. Hosea 14:4 : "I will heal their backsliding; I will love them freely, for My anger has turned away from them." Here, God expresses His willingness to forgive and restore those who have backslidden, emphasizing His enduring love and mercy.

3. Revelation 2:4-5 : "But I have this against you: You have abandoned your first love. Therefore, keep in mind how far you have fallen. Repent and perform the deeds you did at first." In this passage, the church in Ephesus is admonished for losing its initial passion and devotion. The call to repentance and a return to former deeds serves as a warning and a guide for churches that have become spiritually lax.

Characteristics of a Backslidden Church:

· Loss of First Love: As seen in Revelation 2:4, a backslidden church often exhibits a diminished love for Christ and His teachings. This can manifest as a lack of enthusiasm for worship, prayer, and service.

· Compromise with the World: A church that has backslidden may begin to adopt worldly values and practices, diluting the distinctiveness of its Christian witness. This is often accompanied by a tolerance for sin and a reluctance to uphold biblical standards.

· Neglect of Spiritual Disciplines: Regular practices such as prayer, Bible study, and fellowship may be neglected, leading to spiritual stagnation and vulnerability to temptation.

· Resistance to Correction: A backslidden church may resist correction and accountability, often justifying its actions or dismissing the concerns of faithful members.

Causes of Backsliding:

· Spiritual Apathy: A gradual decline in spiritual fervor can lead to backsliding. This apathy may result from routine, complacency, or a lack of personal engagement with God.

· External Pressures: Societal pressures, cultural shifts, and persecution can lead a church to compromise its beliefs and practices, contributing to a backslidden state.

· False Teachings: The infiltration of false doctrines can lead a church away from the truth of the Gospel, causing it to stray from its foundational beliefs.

Remedy for Backsliding:

· Repentance: Acknowledging the state of backsliding and turning back to God is the first step toward restoration. As seen in Revelation 2:5, repentance involves a change of heart and a return to previous commitments.

· Renewal of Commitment: Reaffirming one's dedication to Christ and His teachings is essential. This includes a renewed focus on spiritual disciplines and a commitment to living out the Gospel.

· Community Support: Engaging with a community of believers who provide encouragement, accountability, and support can help prevent and recover from backsliding.

· Dependence on the Holy Spirit: Relying on the guidance and empowerment of the Holy Spirit is crucial for overcoming backsliding and maintaining a vibrant faith.

The concept of backsliding serves as a sobering reminder of the need for vigilance in one's spiritual journey. It calls believers and churches to remain steadfast in their faith, continually seeking God's presence and guidance.

Nave's Topical Index

Psalm 12:1
Help, LORD; for the godly man ceases; for the faithful fail from among the children of men.
Nave's Topical Index

Psalm 80:1-19
Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you that lead Joseph like a flock; you that dwell between the cherubim, shine forth.
Nave's Topical Index

Isaiah 1:2-27
Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD has spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me.
Nave's Topical Index

Isaiah 17:9-11
In that day shall his strong cities be as a forsaken bough, and an uppermost branch, which they left because of the children of Israel: and there shall be desolation.
Nave's Topical Index

Isaiah 43:22-28
But you have not called on me, O Jacob; but you have been weary of me, O Israel.
Nave's Topical Index

Jeremiah 2:5-34
Thus said the LORD, What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become vain?
Nave's Topical Index

Jeremiah 3:1-25
They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man's, shall he return to her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted? but you have played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, said the LORD.
Nave's Topical Index

Jeremiah 8:5-22
Why then is this people of Jerusalem slid back by a perpetual backsliding? they hold fast deceit, they refuse to return.
Nave's Topical Index

Jeremiah 9:1-3
Oh that my head were waters, and my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!
Nave's Topical Index

Jeremiah 10:19-22
Woe is me for my hurt! my wound is grievous; but I said, Truly this is a grief, and I must bear it.
Nave's Topical Index

Jeremiah 18:11-17
Now therefore go to, speak to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, Thus said the LORD; Behold, I frame evil against you, and devise a device against you: return you now every one from his evil way, and make your ways and your doings good.
Nave's Topical Index

Jeremiah 50:4-7
In those days, and in that time, said the LORD, the children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah together, going and weeping: they shall go, and seek the LORD their God.
Nave's Topical Index

Ezekiel 2:3-5
And he said to me, Son of man, I send you to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me, even to this very day.
Nave's Topical Index

Ezekiel 5:5-17
Thus said the Lord GOD; This is Jerusalem: I have set it in the middle of the nations and countries that are round about her.
Nave's Topical Index

Ezekiel 16:23
And it came to pass after all your wickedness, (woe, woe to you! said the LORD GOD;)
Nave's Topical Index

Hosea 2:1
Say you to your brothers, Ammi; and to your sisters, Ruhamah.
Nave's Topical Index

Hosea 4:1
Hear the word of the LORD, you children of Israel: for the LORD has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.
Nave's Topical Index

Hosea 6:1
Come, and let us return to the LORD: for he has torn, and he will heal us; he has smitten, and he will bind us up.
Nave's Topical Index

Joel 2:1
Blow you the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD comes, for it is near at hand;
Nave's Topical Index

Amos 6:1
Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came!
Nave's Topical Index

Matthew 21:33-46
Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and dig a wine press in it, and built a tower, and let it out to farmers, and went into a far country:
Nave's Topical Index

Mark 12:1-12
And he began to speak to them by parables. A certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and dig a place for the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to farmers, and went into a far country.
Nave's Topical Index

Luke 13:6-9
He spoke also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none.
Nave's Topical Index

Revelation 2:1-6,12-25
To the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things said he that holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks in the middle of the seven golden candlesticks;
Nave's Topical Index

Revelation 3:1-4,14-20
And to the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things said he that has the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know your works, that you have a name that you live, and are dead.
Nave's Topical Index

Library

What a Revival of Religion Is
... In the popular sense, a revival of religion in a community is the arousing, quickening,
and reclaiming of the more or less backslidden church and the more or ...
/.../finney/lectures on revivals of religion/lecture i what a revival.htm

I Suspect I have Been Allotting Habitually Too Little Time to ...
... Everywhere the Church was backslidden and apostate, her foes were victorious. Hannah
gave herself to prayer, and in sorrow she multiplied her praying. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/bounds/purpose in prayer/chapter vii i suspect i.htm

What are Consequences of Backsliding in Heart.
... Having been guilty of this infinite folly, the whole course of his backslidden life
must ... He is not at peace with God, with himself, with the Church, nor with ...
/.../finney/the backslider in heart/iv what are consequences of.htm

What are Evidences of Backsliding in Heart.
... of the Church, he was obliged to keep up appearances. He had gone round and round
upon the treadmill of his duties, while his heart was utterly backslidden. ...
/.../finney/the backslider in heart/iii what are evidences of.htm

A Message of Warning and Entreaty
... far backslidden that his licentious course was a violation of even the low standard
of morality held by the Gentile world. The apostle pleaded with the church ...
/.../white/the acts of the apostles/lesson 29 a message of.htm

The Revelation
... love of gospel truth. But in His mercy God did not leave the church to
continue in a backslidden state. In a message of infinite ...
/.../white/the acts of the apostles/lesson 57 the revelation.htm

Modern Revivals, Concluded.
... of inquiry, whether the subsequent slumbers of the American Church for nearly ... high
professors, in one place and another, have sadly backslidden; sinners are ...
/.../chapter xxvi modern revivals concluded.htm

Faith of Sinners in Prayer
... Old Testament on this subject is the faith of unrighteous and backslidden men in ...
It is worth something as showing the influence of the Church on sinners, when ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/bounds/prayer and praying men/xi faith of sinners in.htm

Hart
... While in this backslidden state he wrote a pamphlet titled The Unreasonableness
of ... not, however, until he attended a service at the Moravian church in Fetter ...
//christianbookshelf.org/nutter/hymn writers of the church/hart.htm

When a Revival is to be Expected.
... It is manifest that the church is sunk down into a low and backslidden state, when
you see Christians conform to the world in dress, equipage, parties, seeking ...
/.../finney/lectures on revivals of religion/lecture ii when a revival.htm