In biblical terminology, the concept of "slide" is not directly mentioned as a specific term in the Scriptures. However, the idea of sliding, particularly in a moral or spiritual sense, can be inferred from various passages that discuss backsliding, falling away, or turning from righteousness. The notion of sliding away from God's commandments or His path is a recurring theme throughout the Bible, often associated with the Israelites' repeated cycles of faithfulness and rebellion.

Backsliding in the Old Testament

The term "backsliding" is frequently used in the Old Testament to describe Israel's spiritual decline. The prophet Jeremiah often addressed the backsliding nature of Israel, calling them to repentance. In Jeremiah 3:22 , God implores, "Return, O backsliding children; I will heal your backslidings." This plea highlights God's desire for His people to return to Him despite their tendency to stray.

Hosea also speaks to this issue, as seen in Hosea 14:4 , where God promises, "I will heal their apostasy; I will freely love them, for My anger has turned away from them." The imagery of sliding away from God is evident in the Israelites' repeated failure to uphold the covenant, leading to spiritual and sometimes physical consequences.

New Testament Perspectives

In the New Testament, the concept of sliding away from faith is addressed through warnings against apostasy and encouragements to remain steadfast. Hebrews 2:1 cautions believers, "We must pay closer attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away." The metaphor of drifting or sliding away underscores the importance of vigilance in maintaining one's faith.

The parable of the sower, found in Matthew 13:18-23 , illustrates how some individuals may initially receive the word with joy but eventually fall away due to tribulation, persecution, or the cares of the world. This parable serves as a warning against the dangers of spiritual sliding and the need for deep-rooted faith.

Moral and Spiritual Implications

The concept of sliding, whether through backsliding or drifting, carries significant moral and spiritual implications. It serves as a reminder of the human propensity to stray from God's path and the constant need for repentance and renewal. The Bible consistently calls believers to remain vigilant, to guard their hearts, and to persevere in their faith.

Proverbs 4:26-27 advises, "Make a level path for your feet, and all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your feet away from evil." This passage emphasizes the importance of maintaining a steady course in one's spiritual journey, avoiding the pitfalls of moral sliding.

God's Faithfulness and Restoration

Despite the tendency to slide away, the Bible assures believers of God's faithfulness and His willingness to restore those who return to Him. In 1 John 1:9 , it is written, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." This promise of forgiveness and cleansing underscores the hope of restoration for those who have slid away from their faith.

The biblical narrative consistently portrays God as a loving and forgiving Father, eager to welcome back His wayward children. The account of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32 beautifully illustrates this truth, showing that no matter how far one may slide, God's grace is sufficient to restore and renew.1. (v. t.) To move along the surface of any body by slipping, or without walking or rolling; to slip; to glide; as, snow slides down the mountain's side.

2. (v. t.) Especially, to move over snow or ice with a smooth, uninterrupted motion, as on a sled moving by the force of gravity, or on the feet.

3. (v. t.) To pass inadvertently.

4. (v. t.) To pass along smoothly or unobserved; to move gently onward without friction or hindrance; as, a ship or boat slides through the water.

5. (v. t.) To slip when walking or standing; to fall.

6. (v. t.) To pass from one note to another with no perceptible cassation of sound.

7. (v. t.) To pass out of one's thought as not being of any consequence.

8. (v. t.) To cause to slide; to thrust along; as, to slide one piece of timber along another.

9. (v. t.) To pass or put imperceptibly; to slip; as, to slide in a word to vary the sense of a question.

10. (n.) The act of sliding; as, a slide on the ice.

11. (n.) Smooth, even passage or progress.

12. (n.) That on which anything moves by sliding.

13. (n.) An inclined plane on which heavy bodies slide by the force of gravity, esp. one constructed on a mountain side for conveying logs by sliding them down.

14. (n.) A surface of ice or snow on which children slide for amusement.

15. (n.) That which operates by sliding.

16. (n.) A cover which opens or closes an aperture by sliding over it.

17. (n.) A moving piece which is guided by a part or parts along which it slides.

18. (n.) A clasp or brooch for a belt, or the like.

19. (n.) A plate or slip of glass on which is a picture or delineation to be exhibited by means of a magic lantern, stereopticon, or the like; a plate on which is an object to be examined with a microscope.

20. (n.) The descent of a mass of earth, rock, or snow down a hill or mountain side; as, a land slide, or a snow slide; also, the track of bare rock left by a land slide.

21. (n.) A small dislocation in beds of rock along a line of fissure.

22. (n.) A grace consisting of two or more small notes moving by conjoint degrees, and leading to a principal note either above or below.

23. (n.) An apparatus in the trumpet and trombone by which the sounding tube is lengthened and shortened so as to produce the tones between the fundamental and its harmonics.

24. (n.) A sound which, by a gradual change in the position of the vocal organs, passes imperceptibly into another sound.

25. (n.) Same as Guide bar, under Guide.

26. (n.) A slide valve.

4226. pou -- where?
... Genitive case of an interrogative pronoun pos (what) otherwise obsolete (perhaps
the same as pou used with the rising slide of inquiry); as adverb of place; at ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4226.htm - 6k4571. maad -- to slip, slide, totter, shake
... 4570, 4571. maad. 4572 . to slip, slide, totter, shake. Transliteration: maad
Phonetic Spelling: (maw-ad') Short Definition: slip. ... make to shake, slide, slip ...
/hebrew/4571.htm - 6k

5637. sarar -- stubborn or rebellious
... away, backsliding, rebellious, revolting, slide back, stubborn, withdrew.
A primitive root; to turn away, ie (morally) be refractory ...
/hebrew/5637.htm - 6k

4131. mot -- to totter, shake, slip
... to slip, shake, fall -- be carried, cast, be out of course, be fallen in decay,
X exceedingly, fall(-ing down), be (re-)moved, be ready, shake, slide, slip. ...
/hebrew/4131.htm - 6k

2498. chalaph -- to pass on or away, pass through
... A primitive root; properly, to slide by, ie (by implication) to hasten away, pass
on, spring up, pierce or change -- abolish, alter, change, cut off, go on ...
/hebrew/2498.htm - 6k

7725. shub -- to turn back, return
... relieve, render (again), requite, rescue, restore, retrieve, (cause to, make to)
return, reverse, reward, + say nay, send back, set again, slide back, still, X ...
/hebrew/7725.htm - 9k

How a Man's Conduct Comes Home to Him
... You cannot slide up, nay, you have to cut every step with an ice axe; only with
incessant labor in cutting and chipping can you make any progress; you need a ...
/.../spurgeon/sermons on proverbs/how a mans conduct comes.htm

To the Right Honourable the Earl of Lichfield.
... Is shaken; we renounced, returns again. Each salutation may slide in a sin. Unthought ...
molest. His labouring mind, the stars in silence slide,. ...
/.../young/youngs night thoughts/to the right honourable the.htm

On the Excellency of Religion and Divine Love.
... Hence we may see how easily lovers or friends do slide into the imitation of the
persons whom they affect; and how, even before they are aware, they begin to ...
/.../scougal/the life of god in the soul of man/part ii on the excellency.htm

Christian Morals. Part I.
... and 'tis well, if by many cross tacks and veerings you arrive at the port; for we
sleep in lions' skins [29] in our progress unto virtue, and we slide not but ...
//christianbookshelf.org/browne/christian morals/christian morals part i.htm

Building for Community Service
... sufficient. The recreation room should have stage, lantern slide, and moving
picture equipment, and a very simple provision for games. ...
/.../vogt/church cooperation in community life/chapter v building for community.htm

The Opinions of the Philosophers Respecting God.
... Nor have I failed to reveal their ignorance; for, however much they think to
keep clear of error in one form, they slide into it in another. ...
/.../clement/exhortation to the heathen/chapter v the opinions of the.htm

Of Detraction.
... Many who would startle at an Oath, whose stomachs as well as consciences, recoil
at an obscenity, do yet slide glibly into a Detraction: which yet, methinks ...
/.../allestree/the government of the tongue/section iv of detraction.htm

The Northern Mountains
... and bound together by the roots, it would increase at a pace of which we in this
temperate zone can form no notion, and the whole mountain-range slide down in ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/at last/chapter xi the northern mountains.htm

Choosing the Tens
... facades, seemed frail and cobwebby at great height, and slabs of stone, drawn and
held by cables near the summit of chutes, looked like dice on the giddy slide ...
//christianbookshelf.org/miller/the yoke/chapter i choosing the tens.htm

Christ's Resurrection Song.
... "The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom and His tongue talketh of judgment.
The law of His God is in His heart; none of His steps shall slide. ...
/.../gaebelein/the lord of glory/christs resurrection song.htm

Slide (3 Occurrences)
... 8. (vt) To cause to slide; to thrust along; as, to slide one piece of timber along
another. ... 10. (n.) The act of sliding; as, a slide on the ice. 11. ...
/s/slide.htm - 9k

Slip (22 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (n.) To move along the surface of a thing without
bounding, rolling, or stepping; to slide; to glide. ...
/s/slip.htm - 16k

Relapse (1 Occurrence)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (vi) To slip or slide back, to suffer a return
of a disease. 2. (vi) To slide or turn back into a former ...
/r/relapse.htm - 7k

Coast (70 Occurrences)
... 5. (n.) To sail by or near the shore. 6. (n.) To sail from port to port in the same
country. 7. (n.) To slide down hill; to slide on a sled, upon snow or ice. ...
/c/coast.htm - 31k

Ostrich (9 Occurrences)
... lashes. The neck was long, covered with down, and the windpipe showed,
while large bites could be seen to slide down the gullet. ...
/o/ostrich.htm - 18k

Launch (3 Occurrences)
... 2. (vi) To strike with, or as with, a lance; to pierce. 3. (vi) To cause to move
or slide from the land into the water; to set afloat; as, to launch a ship. ...
/l/launch.htm - 8k

Lapse (9 Occurrences)
... 6. (vi) To slide or slip in moral conduct; to fail in duty; to fall from virtue;
to deviate from rectitude; to commit a fault by inadvertence or mistake. ...
/l/lapse.htm - 10k

Lap (12 Occurrences)
... 5. (n.) The amount by which a slide valve at its half stroke overlaps a port in
the seat, being equal to the distance the valve must move from its mid stroke ...
/l/lap.htm - 15k

Top (880 Occurrences)
... 2. (n.) A plug, or conical block of wood, with longitudinal grooves on its surface,
in which the strands of the rope slide in the process of twisting. ...
/t/top.htm - 8k

Travel (25 Occurrences)
... 9. (n.) The length of stroke of a reciprocating piece; as, the travel of a slide
valve. 10. (n.) Labor; parturition; travail. Multi-Version Concordance ...
/t/travel.htm - 14k

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