BACKSLIDING OR FALLING FROM "GRACE"
The word “backslide” is not found in the NT. In any form; Neither is falling from grace.
The teaching of “falling away” from God and “the faith” is located in; Luke 8: 4. 2nd Thess.2:3 and Heb. 6:6.
Departing from the faith is found in 1st’ Tim.4:1-, 2nd’Cor.11:1-4.
Also the danger of following “false teachers” resulting in destruction is found in 2nd Peter 2:1-6.
First we must examine the doctrine of “foreknowledge” and or “predestination".
There is no place in the Bible that teaches that God predestinated anyone to either Heaven or Hell. The first time this word is used concerning the salvation of mankind is found in Romans 8:29-30. In this reference it is stated very plain that in the plan of God for Christians is that they were “predestinated to conform to the image of his Son. By being “Holy” and justified by Christ Jesus the Christian would also be glorified at the end of a faithful life.
The next reference is in Eph. 1:5-12. Notice: Paul is speaking about the fact that God is speaking about his plan to offer salvation to “whosoever will.” Read Matt.10: 32-33, 12:50, Luke 12:8-10, John 3:16-17, 4:13-14, 11:26, 12:46, Acts 2:21, 10:43-47, Rom. 10:13.
The first example of “falling away” or leaving God is the story of the lost son in Luke 15:11-32. The son had been in the father’s house since birth, he is now an adult; he decides to leave home; the father does not prevent his leaving. He wastes his life and all that his father had given him. In desperation he acknowledges he has made a horrible mistake. Notice; he decides “I will go back to “my father’s house” I will repent, I will be willing to be a servant. When he does this, he is welcomed home.
Jesus gives a parable in Luke 8:4-15 of a sower different ground and “good seed” verses 12 and 13 tells of seed that fall on a rock. They have not much earth, but for awhile they believe, but in time temptations come and they “fall away.”
2nd Thess.2: 2-7 Says: “The antichrist cannot come except there come a falling away first”.
1st Tim. 4:1-2. “The spirit speaketh in the latter times some shall depart from the faith”. Note in verse two that there is a possibility of having the conscience “seared” as with a hot iron. That simply means that when this occurs there is no more feeling or conscience of sin. If a person does not feel condemnation for sin or wrong doing; there can be no repentance and if there is no repentance that soul is eternally lost.
James 5: 19-29; Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins. Notice; James recognizes that brethren do err, and this error is sin and that this sinner must be converted [changed by repentance] and the person that has a part in this has “saved a soul from death. If it had not been possible for that brother to “die lost” this would not have been written.
Jesus addressees the problem of a brother trespassing or sinning against another brother in Matt. 18:15-18. He gives certain actions of the offended brother to take. If all fails that brother becomes as a “heathen man.” It is evident that “heathen people” are lost in sin.
Now we go to 1st John 5:16- 18; John writes: If any man sees his brother “sin a sin” which is "not unto death", he shall ask, [pray for] and he [Jesus the Son of God] shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. A person cannot be alive and dead at the same time. So this brother has again become “dead in trespasses and sins, and must be resurrected to life again. The next statement declares that “There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.”
The next verse explains the two types of sin: 1 John 5:17 “All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death.”
Paul writes to the Galatian Church: Gal. 5:19-21 and warns about seventeen works [or sins] of the flesh. He makes it very clear in verse 21 “that they that do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”
Now Hebrews 6:4-10 speaks about people that had once known the Lord and have “willfully” gone back into a life of sin.
4 “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
7 For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God:
8 But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.”
These were Christians who at one time had a very close relationship with God; and the writer says “if they fall away”, it is impossible to renew them again to a repented life. He gives the reason for this determination; they had crucified Jesus again, and by doing this they considered him as being just a man and not the Son of God.
The author of Hebrews in chapter ten, after a completing the teaching of the offering of the body of Jesus as the perfect sacrifice for sin warns of the danger of believers who with knowledge of God and his word and with willful intent go back in sin. By declaring by their actions; that the power of Jesus and his blood was not sufficient to keep them from sinning, The penalty for this is death by the vengeance of God. Hebrews 10: 25-31
There is a difference between willful or presumptuous sin and actions of sin by ignorance of or by not thinking properly.
There is one other way of sealing one’s eternal separation from God; and that is blaspheming or sinning against the Holy Ghost. Jesus teaches this in Matthew 12:25-32, Mark 3:22-30 and Luke 12:8-10. This came as a result of the religious leaders of the time, after he had cast devils out of people accused him of using “Beelzebub” the prince of devils to accomplish this.
They were saying that the Holy Ghost that descended on him when he was baptized was from Satan and not God, See Matt. 3:15- 17, Mark 1:9-11 and Luke 3:21-22.
Both the saved and the unsaved person can commit this sin.