The Christian walk entails a serious spiritual battle. Accordingly, I wish to emphasize that as believers are fighting “the good fight of the faith” (1 Tim. 6:12) the following points should not be construed as reprehension. Rather, these are warning signs that if undealt with could lead to deeper spiritual frustrations and loss of joy in serving the Lord. Paul cautions us towards “holding faith and a good conscience” because some had “made shipwreck of their faith” (1 Tim. 1:19). “Shipwrecking” one’s faith does not happen all at once. There are signs that a backsliding heart is occurring.
In my decades of ministry and fellowship, I have found that deep-down Christians truly desire a victorious faith. Here are 5 signs that I believe could help a Christian to identify the start of a backsliding heart, and to get back on “the way.”
1. Scriptural reading has lost appeal
“How sweet are your words to my taste,” said the Psalmist, “sweeter than honey to my mouth” (119:103). The Bible is truly a delight to read for those in genuine relationship with the Lord. Christians make deeper connections with God by studying what He has revealed about Himself. Biblically, a Christian should personally be appreciating that, “All Scripture is breathed by God and profitable … for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16). When personal Bible study has lapsed for an extended period of time, it signals that a Christian’s heart is starting to go in the wrong direction. If your Bible has accumulated a lot of dust, I would encourage you to clean it up and keep it by your bedside. You can begin by reading only one verse a day, that’s it, commit to one verse daily.
2. Church is becoming trite
When the Scriptures lose their place in a believer’s life then church becomes like attending a social event. Worshipping God begins to lose its focus. Instead of gleaning points from the sermon, a backslidden heart has lost confidence in the applications. Also, conversations with fellow believers about spiritual matters become distasteful. These are signs that a Christian’s heart is not into the community of faith. The temptation to give up on church altogether becomes real, but don’t despair. Have a conversation with a pastor or an elder, and share honestly about your experiences. A coffee with a mature and intelligent fellow believer is beneficial for all Christians with honest intentions.
3. Loss of passion for the Good News
Without the Word of God and meaningful fellowship, a Christian becomes dispassionate about the power of God’s grace. The desire to share the Good News slowly wanes. Now it’s important to highlight that a Christian should not force oneself to share the Gospel because it’s a mandatory expectation of the lifestyle. The grace of God should be communicated freely from the heart, because a believer has experienced forgiveness and knows how impoverished life was without Christ. Christians are grateful for when God’s grace was shared with them, and how wonderful it has been in their lives. So they sincerely desire to see God’s grace in others. Not caring about the grace of God for others is another sign that a Christian is backsliding in heart.
4. The world seems friendly
When growing in “the grace and knowledge of Christ,” believers realize that they are grappling with “the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end” (Rev. 22:13). Most certainly, questions and challenges will abound. A Christian who has stopped studying the Scriptures, and become bored with church, and dispassionate about the power of God’s grace, will begin to turn to the world for answers. We hardly remind ourselves anymore of what the Bible says: “Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God” (James 4:4)? The world has ideas about Christian faith, but has no “witness to the Light” (John 1:7-8). The world and all its “isms” will never love you back, nor will it ever satisfy you. Reverting to “the wisdom of this world” (1 Cor. 3:19) is thus a sign that a Christian’s heart is backsliding.
5. Sin is being trivialized
“The wisdom of this world” believes that sin is not as detrimental as proclaimed by Christian faith. Actually, sin is a very, very expensive business. Sin has cost countless people and their families a lot of sorrows. God paid the price for our sins with His own Son. Sin will cost the unrepentant their souls. “For the wages of sin is death,” the Bible warns (Rom. 6:23). Even so, Paul listed concrete sinful behaviors and then stated unequivocally: “I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God” (Gal. 5:21). So when a Christian believes that sin is not so bad and that it’s been overstated by conservative biblical expositors then it’s a sure sign that the heart is backslidden.
In conclusion, when we read of fallen Christians who embezzled, or committed sexual immorality, or abused their authority for personal gain, the foregoing signs were telling of a backsliding heart. Gradually, the backslidden “made ship-wreck of their faith” and inflicted much sorrow on others. That is why the wisdom of Proverbs reveals that, “The backslider in heart will be filled with the fruit of his ways” (14:14).
Constantly, the Christian life requires a deepening personal understanding and appreciation of what the Lord Jesus accomplished. He said lovingly, “The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life” (John 6:63). So nourish your spiritual life by reading at least one verse daily.
Marlon De Blasio, Ph.D. is a cultural apologist, Christian writer and speaker, and the author of Discerning Culture. For more info about Marlon visit his blog: thechristianangle.com
