Backsliding.

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Watchman22

Well-known member
Dec 9, 2025
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Saints don't fall or backslide in one fell swoop. They fall a little at a time.
There are sign posts along the way.

1) Neglect of prayer or the continually surrendered life.
2) Substitute action for prayer.
3) follow a far off.
5) Rekindle appetites of the flesh.
6) Open rejection of Jesus.
 
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Watchman22 said:
Saints don't fall or backslide in one fell swoop. They fall a little at a time.
There are sign posts along the way.

1) Neglect of prayer or the continually surrendered life.
2) Substitute action for prayer.
3) follow a far off.
5) Rekindle appetites of the flesh.
6) Open rejection of Jesus.
Click to expand...

We tend to pray in the middle of the temptation, instead of praying before the temptation. We should expect the tempter and the temptations.

Be careful when our day is filled with doing things for God, but never talking to Him.

After Peter backsides, God let Peter preach the sermon that brought the church into existence.....
 
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Watchman22 said:
We tend to pray in the middle of the temptation, instead of praying before the temptation. We should expect the tempter and the temptations.

Be careful when our day is filled with doing things for God, but never talking to Him.

After Peter backsides, God let Peter preach the sermon that brought the church into existence.....
Click to expand...

Hardening of the heart comes from the deceitfulness of sin.

The Hardening process goes forward, until at last, the condition of hardness is reached. It is the result of refusing to listen to conscience, and to faithe.

The sins that hardens is the sin of unbelief. The sin that hardens is departing from the way of faith, the continually surrendered life.
 
Watchman22 said:
Saints don't fall or backslide in one fell swoop. They fall a little at a time.
There are sign posts along the way.

1) Neglect of prayer or the continually surrendered life.
2) Substitute action for prayer.
3) follow a far off.
5) Rekindle appetites of the flesh.
6) Open rejection of Jesus.
Click to expand...
i do not agree. all it takes is 1 major negative event that's super disappointing & someone can backslide.
 
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Karlon said:
i do not agree. all it takes is 1 major negative event that's super disappointing & someone can backslide
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Would it be safe to say you understand that salvation happens in a moment of time? Hence can also be lost in a moment of time?
 
Watchman22 said:
Would it be safe to say you understand that salvation happens in a moment of time? Hence can also be lost in a moment of time?
Click to expand...
salvation occurs immediately upon someone becoming born again. no, you can not lose salvation, impossible. plus, you changed the subject.
 
Karlon said:
salvation occurs immediately upon someone becoming born again. no, you can not lose salvation, impossible. plus, you changed the subject.
Click to expand...

So define backsliding. We've already had a different born again experience.
 
Watchman22 said:
So define backsliding. We've already had a different born again experience.
Click to expand...
backsliding is when a b.a. Christian feels like quitting normal progression of faith, trust & love & slips a bit. he or she may stop praying, going to church or reading the Bible faithfully but said person's faith, trust & love for God never leaves, it's still there but backslidden a bit. a different born again experience? what do you mean by that? i will have to continue tomorrow, have to watch tv with mrs. wife.
 
Karlon said:
backsliding is when a b.a. Christian feels like quitting normal progression of faith, trust & love & slips a bit. he or she may stop praying, going to church or reading the Bible faithfully but said person's faith, trust & love for God never leaves, it's still there but backslidden a bit. a different born again experience? what do you mean by that? i will have to continue tomorrow, have to watch tv with mrs. wife.
Click to expand...

Backsliding is when a called out one who has received the spirit and the mind of Christ through "the salvation process" has stopped faithing towards God, (pisteuo). They have stopped a daily surrendering of their lives to Him, and living a life inspired by such surrender.

Faithing away from God is Apisteuo. Once faithing towards God has stopped, everything has stopped, salvation included.

But just like there is a process to receive the spirit of Christ, there's a process to giving it back also. Nobody knows what it takes to give the spirit of Christ back. The process is comprable to melting snow.
 
Watchman22 said:
Backsliding is when a called out one who has received the spirit and the mind of Christ through "the salvation process" has stopped faithing towards God, (pisteuo). They have stopped a daily surrendering of their lives to Him, and living a life inspired by such surrender.

Faithing away from God is Apisteuo. Once faithing towards God has stopped, everything has stopped, salvation included.

But just like there is a process to receive the spirit of Christ, there's a process to giving it back also. Nobody knows what it takes to give the spirit of Christ back. The process is comprable to melting snow.
Click to expand...
you are incorrect!!! you can not lose salvation. study these verses: 1st John 5:13, John 3:36, 10: 28, Hebrews 5:9.
 
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Karlon said:
you are incorrect!!! you can not lose salvation. study these verses: 1st John 5:13, John 3:36, 10: 28, Hebrews 5:9.
Click to expand...

When a called out one truly has the spirit and the mind of Christ, it's harder to get out of that state of being, than it is to stay in it.

If you think a called out one is saved in a moment of time" believing" in what Jesus said and did, your not qualified to make suggestions concerning Gods word yet.
 
Watchman22 said:
When a called out one truly has the spirit and the mind of Christ, it's harder to get out of that state of being, than it is to stay in it.

If you think a called out one is saved in a moment of time" believing" in what Jesus said and did, your not qualified to make suggestions concerning Gods word yet.
Click to expand...
i'm ending this conversation with you because you are straying off point & you lack evidence of what you say but mostly, you don't believe in being saved for ever. blessings to you always.
 
Karlon said:
i'm ending this conversation with you because you are straying off point & you lack evidence of what you say but mostly, you don't believe in being saved for ever. blessings to you always.
Click to expand...

Grace through faith.
Unmerited favor through a personal surrender to Him and a life inspired by such surrender.

It's not hard to understand.
 
Watchman22 said:
Saints don't fall or backslide in one fell swoop. They fall a little at a time.
There are sign posts along the way.

1) Neglect of prayer or the continually surrendered life.
2) Substitute action for prayer.
3) follow a far off.
5) Rekindle appetites of the flesh.
6) Open rejection of Jesus.
Click to expand...

Yes, I describe the process as follows:

As soon as a new Christian realizes a sin was committed, he/she should confess it (1John 1:9) rather than compound it by trying to hide it or cover it up like Adam and Eve did (Gen. 3:7-8). Then God will forgive, and the saint will again be in a Spirit-filled or spiritual condition. This spiritual flip-flopping might happen once a day, or it could occur several times in an hour. While this instability may be bad, failure to confess promptly is much worse, because it results in chain-sinning or back-sliding. This condition is also referred to as being carnal/worldly (1Cor. 3:1) or prodigal (Luke 15:13) if it continues for weeks or years.

Unfortunately, some people may not appreciate the process of being renewed morally or as Paul says (in Rom. 12:2) of being “transformed by the renewing of your mind”, perhaps because it involves admitting sins or having “guilt trips”. It is not guilt that is bad; rather whatever one is doing that makes one feel guilty. Guilt is like a warning light on a car’s instrument panel that lets one know something is wrong. Until we have the wisdom to welcome God’s “guilt trips” like we do warning lights, we will never feel the satisfaction of becoming a new and improved version of ourselves. Hopefully, we will never reach the point where we are so callous that we experience no guilt when we do wrong. Warnings are good!

This unstable or immature phase in a Christian’s spiritual relationship with God is followed eventually (and hopefully soon) by a second phase of relative perfection or maturity signified in the Bible (especially the King James Version) by the phrase “walking with God”. Gen. 5:24 describes Enoch as a man who walked with God, and the apostle Paul described the goal of Christians (the fullness of Christ) as walking with God (Rom. 6:4, Gal. 5:16, Eph. 4:1, 1Thes. 4:1). Elsewhere the continually (ideally) Spirit-filled condition is referred to as walking: in light (1John 1:7), in love (Eph. 5:2), in a new life (Rom. 6:4), according to the Spirit (Rom. 8:4), and in good works (Col. 1:10). Some people call this living the surrendered life.
 
GWH said:
Yes, I describe the process as follows:

As soon as a new Christian realizes a sin was committed, he/she should confess it (1John 1:9) rather than compound it by trying to hide it or cover it up like Adam and Eve did (Gen. 3:7-8). Then God will forgive, and the saint will again be in a Spirit-filled or spiritual condition. This spiritual flip-flopping might happen once a day, or it could occur several times in an hour. While this instability may be bad, failure to confess promptly is much worse, because it results in chain-sinning or back-sliding. This condition is also referred to as being carnal/worldly (1Cor. 3:1) or prodigal (Luke 15:13) if it continues for weeks or years.

Unfortunately, some people may not appreciate the process of being renewed morally or as Paul says (in Rom. 12:2) of being “transformed by the renewing of your mind”, perhaps because it involves admitting sins or having “guilt trips”. It is not guilt that is bad; rather whatever one is doing that makes one feel guilty. Guilt is like a warning light on a car’s instrument panel that lets one know something is wrong. Until we have the wisdom to welcome God’s “guilt trips” like we do warning lights, we will never feel the satisfaction of becoming a new and improved version of ourselves. Hopefully, we will never reach the point where we are so callous that we experience no guilt when we do wrong. Warnings are good!

This unstable or immature phase in a Christian’s spiritual relationship with God is followed eventually (and hopefully soon) by a second phase of relative perfection or maturity signified in the Bible (especially the King James Version) by the phrase “walking with God”. Gen. 5:24 describes Enoch as a man who walked with God, and the apostle Paul described the goal of Christians (the fullness of Christ) as walking with God (Rom. 6:4, Gal. 5:16, Eph. 4:1, 1Thes. 4:1). Elsewhere the continually (ideally) Spirit-filled condition is referred to as walking: in light (1John 1:7), in love (Eph. 5:2), in a new life (Rom. 6:4), according to the Spirit (Rom. 8:4), and in good works (Col. 1:10). Some people call this living the surrendered life.
Click to expand...

I like that you mentioned the continually surrendered life. That being the foundation of saving faith.

What about sanctification, in rom 7: 14-21 Paul describes the sanctified condition. You didn't really acknowledge that when you talked about sin and how the Christian deals with it.
 
Watchman22 said:
I like that you mentioned the continually surrendered life. That being the foundation of saving faith.

What about sanctification, in rom 7: 14-21 Paul describes the sanctified condition. You didn't really acknowledge that when you talked about sin and how the Christian deals with it.
Click to expand...

Yes, "surrender" is what accepting Jesus as Lord means.
I acknowledge all of what Paul said about sanctification.
Rom. 7:14-21 acknowledges that saints are not sinless until heaven.
During earthly life spiritual warfare trains Christian soldiers to become better fighters.
 
GWH said:
Yes, "surrender" is what accepting Jesus as Lord means.
I acknowledge all of what Paul said about sanctification.
Rom. 7:14-21 acknowledges that saints are not sinless until heaven.
During earthly life spiritual warfare trains Christian soldiers to become better fighters.
Click to expand...

Jesus accepts us, our faith, our surrendered life. We don't accept Him.

We are always teathered to the sinful nature, but as long as we are living a continually surrendered life, it's not us doing it anymore, but sin dwelling in us doing it.

The better our surrender, the better soldiers we become.
 
Watchman22 said:
Jesus accepts us, our faith, our surrendered life. We don't accept Him.

We are always teathered to the sinful nature, but as long as we are living a continually surrendered life, it's not us doing it anymore, but sin dwelling in us doing it.

The better our surrender, the better soldiers we become.
Click to expand...

You may not accept Jesus as Lord in obedience to the condition for salvation preached by Paul (e.g., Acts 16:31), but I do.
 
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