Backslidden Christians?

When I was a teen, there was a man who regularly attended the church that I attended and was a member of, along with his wife and children. He was a well-educated, accomplished, and highly esteemed man in the local and even regional Christian community. He somewhat regularly took the pulpit of the church that we mutually attended. He was also the leader of a large regional youth fellowship. He was also somewhat regularly directly involved with the church's youth ministries that his children were also involved in. I generally had a good rapport with this man and his family, as well as a great deal of respect for his position and accomplishments, as did many others.

This is all that I will say about the specifics of this very influential and accomplished man in my local Christian community during my teen and young adult years. Nonetheless, a man who has the level and power of influence that he did needs to be extremely careful and discerning about what he says, particularly regarding spiritual matters, especially around those he has direct influence over (James 3:1). At one particular gathering, I remember him saying something to the effect that he did not believe that there were any backslidden Christians. A backslidden Christian in this case would have been anyone who had in one manner or another professed faith in Jesus, and at first had a life that supposedly "showed" this newfound faith or commitment, and then somehow over time digressed in their behavior and/or zeal toward the things that were of, or were supposedly of, their faith, to one degree or another. I remember hearing that and being rather shaken up, especially after thinking about it for a little while. At that time, I was not exactly at a high point of "Christian virtue," even compared to what I may have thought I had been earlier in my life. Of course, being a teen, I was "immortal," so I didn't dwell on it too long and give it as much thought as I might have if I had heard it today and had been at the same spiritual maturity level that I was then.

Crooked Lake Sunset

Nonetheless, such a statement, especially coming from a man of this man's level of influence, could potentially be very damaging; and it very well may have been to some who came under his influence. I am not sure that this influential man understood the Gospel at that time. There is but one requirement to receive the gift of eternal life, and that is to put one's trust in Christ as Savior; to repent, meaning to change your mind and turn from unbelief in the finished work of Christ for absolute and irrevocable assurance of salvation (whatever form that may take in an individual) and toward belief in the finished work of Christ for absolute and irrevocable assurance of salvation (John 3:16, 18, 36, 6:47, Acts 16:31, Ephesians 2:8-9, etc.). THAT is the truth of the Gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). The evidence for my eternal security is found in the perfect and infallible Scripture, where the Gospel is clearly stated and discussed; not in my confused and corrupt heart (Jeremiah 17:9). My salvation is obtained and preserved by Jesus alone (Hebrews 12:2). I am saved because of the promises that God made to me, which He cannot break, not by the ones that I make to Him, that I am sure to break at some point. My salvation is not at all based on my highly flawed performance but entirely on Christ's perfect performance. My salvation is not based on my [lack of] faithfulness, but on Christ's faithfulness. There are indeed times, some longer, some shorter, when I may stray from my walk with the Lord; be at a low point (backslide; be a backslidden Christian for a time), but my salvation is NEVER in jeopardy; it can't be; Scripture assures me of this (John 3:16, 18, 36, 6:47, 10:28-29, Romans 11:29, etc.). So in other words, what this man said regarding there being no backslidden Christians is flat out wrong; it is a dangerous idea that generated from an impotent and dangerous false gospel. If there were not backslidden Christians, there would be no Christians at all. Besides, how long does one have to go astray or be at a low point to be "backslidden?" Who or what gives any person any ability or right to make such a determination? Also, if Christians were going to never backslide, then why did the Apostle Paul devote so much Scripture to admonishing backslidden believers?

Clouded View

If a person believes the statement that this man made regarding the nonexistence of backslidden Christians, then [supposed] salvation becomes works-based. If one messes up or finds themselves in a low point, for however long that may be, they start to wonder if they really repented hard enough; if they were sorry enough, if they really meant it deeply and sincerely enough in their heart when they said the "sinner's prayer" (which is not found or referred to anywhere in Scripture), etc. This is so dangerous. If you believe this, you start looking at yourself; at your very imperfect and sinful life for verification of your eternal salvation, as opposed to the Scripture and the finished work of the perfect and sinless Christ for this verification and assurance. This position ultimately reduces not only to no assurance of salvation, but to no salvation at all for the person who has never at some point chosen to trust in the finished work of Christ alone for salvation.

Natural Green Watery Hole

The danger in such messages to our teens (and to any other unbelievers) in our churches is very real, and I believe it is far more potentially eternally dangerous to them than a lot of other things that most church-going folk may [rightly] assert to be really bad and immoral things/behaviors. Here are a few reasons why I believe this to be true:

1) For the teen who has never heard the Gospel, he/she is STILL not hearing the Gospel. He/she is being taught a message that points to committing to a life of adherence to the moral teachings of the Bible that they must earnestly and consistently discipline themselves to keep, ultimately by their own volition and power. This false gospel, of course, has no power to save anyone. In our sin, we are filthy in God's eyes (Isaiah 64:6, Romans 3:23, etc.). Filth has zero ability to clean up filth. Only He who is clean (Jesus) can clean up what is filthy (us).

2) Some teens will at least try to undertake this brand of "Christianity" that incorporates this premise because they don't want to go to Hell and hope to somehow impress God with their newfound virtue and holiness. They will eventually become discouraged and inevitably "backslide" in regards to their prescribed standard of behavior in one way or another. If they do appear to live "godly" lives and "serve" God, it will be ultimately useless and done out of a sense of fear and obligation, as opposed to eternally useful and genuine service to God that is done out of love and gratitude.

3) Some teens will hear such a message and even appear to absorb it for a while, then despairingly just walk away because they know that they can never meet such a mark, as anyone does if they look at such a message honestly. They will likely become indifferent, bitter, and perhaps even hostile toward the things of God (which they most likely do not correctly understand) when supposed "Christianity" is based on such fallacy. This is particularly true for teens who are new to the Gospel, perhaps who have not heard it correctly before. This has the potential to cause many young people to simply throw in the towel before they ever start the journey. **

Clouds, Lakes, and Land

A teen, or any other person for that matter, who is "struggling with" or not sure of their salvation, is very likely unsaved. The teaching of messages, such as the one in question in this post, is by no means part of a message of salvation, and it leaves its unsaved hearer stuck in his/her condemnation. * If you are a parent, it is so important that you talk to your children about the truth of the Gospel as soon as you think they even might be able to comprehend it [Don't count on someone else to do it!]...and then continue to present/defend the truth of it continuously, at progressive levels of their understanding/development; make it part of everyday conversation. Make sure that you are consistently studying and rightly dividing as well (2 Timothy 2:15). It is also important that you ask your kids about what they are hearing being taught by their youth leaders/teachers, as well as what they are saying to them in conversation. If your kids, who may be familiar with the real Gospel and believe it, are getting teaching contrary to the true Gospel, that is bad, but what is even worse is that kids who have no exposure, let alone any understanding of the true Gospel, are hearing a phony one. It is extremely dangerous for the aforementioned reasons, and it needs to stop, one way or another. Please don't be afraid to speak up, even if it may make you "unpopular" with church leadership for a while. Also, be willing to volunteer to be a leader who will be assertive in being sure that the truth of the Gospel is being adhered to and taught regularly.

If you are a pastor or a person in any other sort of Christian leadership, you, of course, need to be frequently preaching the clear, understandable, and correct Gospel message, with no strings attached, no asterisks, no addendums, no fine print, with no fallacious assertions, such as the one that has been featured in this post. Many of the teens in our youth groups [as well as adult attendees, members, and even leaders in our churches] are not saved. I would argue that evangelism is a considerably more important component of youth ministries than discipleship is [and possibly so for your church at large]. If you are not preaching the true Gospel, I encourage you to, first of all, believe it yourself, if you don't yet already. Then immediately start preaching it boldly and very often. If you are unwilling to do either or both of these, I would encourage you to do yourself and everyone else an eternally valuable favor and step down from your position before you potentially lead anyone else into damnation and bring further judgment upon yourself (James 3:1).

The Prettier Side of Decomposition

As I think back on my experience in church youth, and even young adult ministries, I can name a number of people who were contemporaries of mine in that circle who appeared to wind up permanently "straying from their faith." This would range from some folks becoming more or less indifferent to the things of God, to some becoming outright hostile in this regard, at least toward anything resembling what one may regard as traditional or conventional Christianity or associated values. I wonder if these people ever really heard or truly understood the true Gospel? If not, they never had the chance to believe it; they never had a chance to be born of the Spirit, and they were left only with the hopeless, dead-end, and impotent false gospel that one must undertake by their own power; with ultimately guaranteed failure, that they mistook for the real Gospel. Granted, not all people who hear the true Gospel believe it; I can attest to that first hand. However, what a potentially eternal tragedy for someone to come to a church or church sanctioned institution or activity and not clearly hear the one true Gospel, especially during their most formative years. **

If you are reading this and you are not yet assured of your eternal security, your eternal salvation, that can change this instant. Perhaps you have suffered under misleading teaching, like I have described in this post. If this is the case, it is no accident that you are reading this post today (there are really no accidents...). The true Gospel is simple: Christ died for your sins according to the Scriptures, He was buried (because He really died), and He rose again on the third day (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). He paid your debt for sin in full with His death, and then rose again, conquering death, the ultimate enemy, so you will one day have complete victory over it as well, if you just put your trust in Him; take Him at His word. A simple metaphor: think of Jesus as the Judge (He ultimately is; John 5:30, Revelation 19:11, etc.). You are in a courtroom, you have been rightly found guilty, and you are in front of the judge to receive sentencing. He is a perfect and just judge who judges according to the law; no exceptions; anything else would not be right. The judge hands you the sentence, according to the law, which he must; however, out of his own resources, he serves your sentence for you. Jesus has done this for you; the wage of sin, that we all have rightfully coming to us is death (eternal separation from Him and damnation), but His gift to us is eternal life (Romans 6:23), if we will just accept it (John 3:16, Acts 16:31, etc.). He just wants you to choose to take Him at His word and accept His gift that is already paid in full. However, like any other gift that someone may give you, it is not yours unless you choose to accept it; not unless you make the choice to take the giver at his/her word that he/she gave it to you, and accept it as your own.

Sides Connected

For more insight on this eternally important truth/gift, please see other resources on this site, particularly the blog section and the articles. I have also published a relatively small book on this subject that has been of considerable help to a good number of individuals, entitled "Aspects of Salvation." It is available in PDF form on this site for free, and it is also available on Kindle and paperback if you prefer. Please like and share this. I hope to see each of you who read this on the other side, if not sooner. Walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16) and keep spreading the word; start doing so, if you haven't yet. It is urgent and it is wonderful. Please freely use all of the resources on this site for the glory of God; to bring in the lost and equip the saved. God bless.

* It seems that sometimes people in positions of spiritual influence forget that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23); it is not cleaning up your act or being "good." The wage must be paid either by you via your death (your eternal damnation), or by Jesus via His death. The moment you believe the Gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-4), the moment you put your trust in the finished work of Jesus—His death, burial, and resurrection—sin's wage is fully credited to His complete and perfect sacrifice and never again to you (Acts 16:31, Ephesians 1:13, etc.).

** While there are indeed backslidden Christians, there are no former Christians; at least in the true and genuine sense. Once someone has believed the Gospel, been sealed with the Holy Spirit, and been born again; receiving the gift of eternal life, the Bible is clear that it irrevocable, as noted elsewhere in this post. Generally speaking, the "former Christian" that you hear about or from was never saved to begin with; thus the central inspiration for this post.