An article at Proclaim & Defend last week raised the question “Do We Still Believe in Backsliding?” For me, the answer is, “Yes, but not in the way you mean.”
In general, we should describe the Christian life using biblical language in a biblical way. When we do that, we avoid a lot of misunderstanding or misemphasis. So, considering the topic of backsliding, we should start with three questions:
“If a Christian fails to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord and if he fails to attach himself to the Lord Jesus Christ gaining an intimate relationship with Him, He opens the door for what we use to call ‘Backsliding.’” - P&D
“I still think about that diagnosis when I find myself in a similar spiritual malaise of both needle-like tingling and numbness at the same time.” - Chuck Lawless
“39 percent of all Christians are not engaged in discipleship at all. And just one-third of Christians (33%) is categorized by Barna as a disciplemaker, actively helping someone grow in faith and move closer to Christ.” - Barna
“Mark Ward and Tim Miller from Shepherd’s Theological Seminary explore repentance in depth as an expansion of Miller’s article, ‘Is Repentance a Change of Mind or Something Different?’” - Word by Word
“The majority of Christians ages 55+ strongly agree (45%) or somewhat agree (42%) ‘It is important for me to see continual progress in my own spiritual life.’” - Barna
“there are two kinds of Bible poverty in the world: first, the poverty of those who don’t have God’s Word in their own language; and second, the poverty of being surrounded by Bibles, but not reading them.” - Randy Alcorn
“I’m also realizing that I too often take confession lightly. Maybe one of these quotes I’ve recently encountered will help you think about this important step in our Christian walk.” - Chuck Lawless
In his classic work, How to Read a Book, Mortimer Adler writes, “In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but how many can get through to you.” In order for good books “to get through to you,” consider some of the following…
“I still wish the editor might have found something positive to say. But ultimately, I was thankful for the correction because it led to a vast improvement in my writing and a new watchfulness.” - P&D
