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Dudley deliberated about participating in the audio interview. He was a bit hesitant but agreed to allow me to question him about his spiritual beliefs. Thank you Dudley.
I met Dudley siting on a bench in Pismo on Sunday afternoon. It was a beautiful day and he was waiting to go into Pierside Restaurant for fish & chips. When I first asked him about the interview and if he were a Christian, he indicated something about being a “backslider.”
Please pray for Dudley’s salvation.
Christian, you can do this!
I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Philippians4:12-13
Maybe verse 13 is ripped out of its context to often and smashed into life applications it shouldn’t be. But I ask you, do you think if your desire was to obey our Lord in sharing the Gospel, and your desire lined up with His desire for all to come to repentance, that He wouldn’t strengthen you to do this? You can do it Christian. Here is another passage for those of you who are timid, it’s from 1 John 4:4, “You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.” Don’t be afraid! If you need some training, get trained. If you know how to share the Gospel Biblically, do it! Don’t be afraid. Go for it! Do not fear, Our God is Great!
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By the way, have you ever thought much about what it means to be a “backslider?”
Can a true Christian “backslide”
Certainly true Christians can “backslide,” if by that you mean they can regress into a period of spiritual dullness or disobedience. Those who do incur God’s discipline (Heb. 12:6–11). Those who are not disciplined are not true sons (v. 8).
But if you are thinking of backsliding as a perpetual state of willful rebellion or ungodly indifference on the part of one who professes faith in Christ but does not love him, that is a sign of false profession (Matt. 7:21–23; 1 John 3:4–10). Sometimes the term backslider is used to describe one who has forsaken Christ and abandoned the faith. In that case it describes a person who was never truly saved (John 8:31; 1 Tim. 2:12; 1 John 2:19). The word backsliding is used two ways in Scripture. It is found only in Old Testament references to the nation of Israel (Jer. 3:22; 31:22; 49:4; Hos. 4:16; 11:7; 14:4 kjv). Sometimes it speaks of backsliding as the action of unregenerate people who turn stubbornly away from God (cf. Jer. 8:5). In that sense the Word cannot be used to describe true Christians.
Other times true believers are said to backslide (Jer. 14:7). All believers go through times when they do not grow or are set back in their growth by sin—they seem to be sliding backwards like a calf on a muddy slope (cf. Hos. 4:16 kjv). In that sense the word could apply to true believers. But it cannot be used to support the notion that true Christians might abandon the faith completely.(1)
(1)MacArthur, J., F. (1997, c1988). The Gospel according to Jesus : What does Jesus mean when he says "follow me". Includes index. (Electronic ed.). Grand Rapids, MI: Academic and Professional Books, Zondervan Pub. House.
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