ALL OF US who walk the pathway of faith are familiar with our own weaknesses in the steep or rough spots. It is a narrow path (cf. Matt. 7:14), and potentially easy to step off of if we’re not paying attention, or trip over something and mis-step. Jesus warns us that, “Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come.” (Luke 17:1) We encounter something we trip over—some kind of temptation along the way—and if we resist, as promised in scripture, the devil flees (cf. James 4:7).
But the time may come when we stray too near the prescriptive or proscriptive boundaries of the path, perhaps next to the sheer cliff-face above the abyss, and the lip of the precipice crumbles, and we stumble off-balance. Sometimes we just fall at the edge, scrambling back to safe ground; at the worst of times we may go over the edge into freefall, whirling down, out of control and in a panic.
At this point, we have, as the bible says, backslid, and there is a despairing sense of loss. The relationship with God is damaged, the Holy Spirit is grieved, and we immediately feel our sense of separation, either consciously or unconsciously, depending upon our depth of flirtation with the seduction of sin. God warns us sternly through Jeremiah, “Your wickedness will punish you; your backsliding will rebuke you. Consider then and realize how evil and bitter it is for you when you forsake the LORD your God and have no awe of me, declares the Lord, the LORD Almighty.” (Jer. 2:19)
Frequently, we may view the God of the O.T. as the God of wrath, while prevalent in N.T. theology—especially during the last century and a half or so in western Christendom—the primary attribute of love is most often stressed as central to the nature of God. The Jeremiah scripture quoted above certainly depicts a wrathful God. Of the six references to *backsliding found in the common translations, all are in the O.T., and five are found in the Book of Jeremiah.
These create great tensions between the O.T. and the N.T. for the trembling Christian. How can the God of love—who says “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (Deut. 31:6, Heb. 13:5), and, “I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matt. 28:20), promise an eternal salvation when the Lord Jesus himself says “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62)? We have to find resolution for this, or we will be ever struggling with whether or not we are saved. This ‘bi-polar’ erratic soul and Spirit condition will constantly have us high one season, and low the next, with no ability to will ourselves well.
Many fine Christian people have experienced times of fear of a wrathful God when we have let “the wages of sin” (Rom. 6:23a) take over an area of our lives. This is a good thing—the fear, not the sin—in at least one critical respect, for a proverb says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (Prov. 1:7) It is not a good thing, however, for that individual and the sphere of personal relationships in which they live out their lives to live in an ebb and flow of anxiety about salvation. God is with us today, but will he be for us tomorrow? Are we saved, or are we not?
Our internal tension may be great, but it is not as theologically paradoxical as it seems. Notice that Jesus says that those who turn back are “not fit for service.” (Luke 9:62) He does not say that they are not saved. Paul stresses that it is the “believing in our hearts” (cf. Rom. 10:10-11) which is the finished act on our part by which we are saved. And he adds that, “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.” (Eph. 2:8) Jesus both consoles and assures us of this, saying, “My Father, who has given you to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch you out of my Father’s hand.” (John 10:29) At his word our heart palpitations begin to even out, and our heart rate and blood pressure move towards a more normal state of being. Our body, mind, and soul relax when our Spirit is comforted and calm.
And so we look at God’s wrath with a new-found interpretation and appreciation. If we are truly saved children of God, when we have backslid, God will surely discipline. “If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are illegitimate children and not true sons.” (Heb.12:8) Because of oppression by the enemy of our souls, or through our willful attraction and response to the forbidden, our eyes stop seeing the presence of God and our ears stop hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit. It is when we refuse discipline that we lose sight of the promises and pay a price in spiritual pain. For this reason, “God drags away the mighty by his power; though they become established, they have no assurance of life.” (Job 24:22)
For the Christian, it is not salvation that has been lost; it is our sure and firm knowledge of that salvation. David knew the pain of this this well—listen to the agony of soul in his plea: “Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” (Psa. 51:12) His journey and ours bear a similarity; we are not unique in our propensity for backsliding. And his Godly repentance is also a trustworthy pattern for our own release from the clutches of sin. Paul says, “See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves.” (2 Cor. 7:11) It is by faith in the finished work of Jesus that we are saved. Only that. Our salvation is past, present, and future, despite the uneven gait of our walk on life’s daily path. And what a relief it is to the sin-sick soul to return to the blessing of the safety and assurances of God’s covenant-protection over our lives.
The God of the O.T. has both warned and promised, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.” (Psa. 32:8-9) Through the God of the N.T. we are continually assured that it is by abiding in Christ that we maintain that knowledge and inner peace. Hold onto this, “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Phil 1:6)
We finally come to the realization that God is the same God in both testaments. Knowing this, let us exercise faith during times of temptation until it becomes a personal spiritual discipline that sustains us consistently, holding us firmly in that safe space protected by a “life hidden in Christ in God . ” (Col. 3:3) “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” (James 4:7-8, 10)
Q. Am I able to truly consider God’s chastisement as that of Abba Father?
*Strong’s 4878. Apostasy – “turning away, turning back.”
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