064 | Transcending the Backslide
May 31, 2021
Minute of Transparency: Perseverance is Powerful
Today's Topic: Transcending the Backslide
In this episode:
Backsliding Means What Exactly?
Origins & Timing
Progress vs. Perfection
// 1. BACKSLIDING MEANS WHAT EXACTLY?
If you didn't grow up in a traditional Christian home - there's a chance you've never even heard this word used before.
Which makes sense...
Because when I looked it up on dictionary.com I found this definition:
"to relapse into bad habits, sinful behavior, or undesirable activities"
Sounds pretty churchy to me... Any time you start talking about behavior, and whether something is right or wrong, sinful or pure, good or bad, desirable or undesirable - there seems to be an element of church, spirituality, or religion involved somehow.
So it makes sense that I grew up with this word, but someone who grew up outside of a religious affiliation might have never heard the word.
For me - it was something I first learned in the Christian school I attended - probably in a textbook, or through Bible study. Not sure.
So to refresh my memory, I did a quick search on bible.com for the word "backsliding" (using the NKJV) and the results were pretty consistent.
In the Bible - the word "backsliding" is used most often to describe the condition of an entire people group - the Children of Israel - who God considered His people. These were the people He chose to bless by giving them His truth to carry.
And yet, even though they had the truth - and knew it well - they would begin "backsliding."
Now in practical terms that meant the following:
Moving away from the things they were taught
Moving toward the things of the world
Leaning on their own strength vs. God's strength
And dabbling with other little "g" gods - the idols and mythical gods of the nations around them
Jeremiah 3:6 (NKJV) is just one example of these verses:
"The Lord said also to me in the days of Josiah the king: “Have you seen what backsliding Israel has done? She has gone up on every high mountain and under every green tree, and there played the harlot."
Strange word pictures, I know - but it is simply saying that Israel was running around on God. The other religions of that day used high places (on the tops of mountains) and green, ornate gardens to worship their gods. So Israel was falling into this - instead of worshipping God the way He asked - they had started to worship the way the other religions did. And to God, this was similar to adultery - Israel was cheating on God.
And when that started happening, it was called backsliding:
God would reach out to the people through the leadership - the high priests and prophets
They would plead with the people to turn away from the things they were doing and return to God
Sometimes the people did, other times they didn't
And one of the hard things to understand is that it appears God's blessing changed based on their level of backsliding:
Now God never changes His position on the fact that He loves them
And He never stops wooing them - trying to get them to return to Him
But His blessing was a whole other thing - and it seemed to be removed when Israel chose to backslide
There were times when they were completely overtaken by a neighboring country or people group and lived in slavery or bondage to them
Then they would return to God and His blessing would return - and Israel would be restored
Unfortunately, this cycle happened over and over again throughout the years
So that's all well and good you say - but what does that have to do with me?
Great question...so let's bring it back to each of us personally.
In my search for Bible verses with the word "backsliding" in them - there was one interesting one that stood out - as it applied more to us than a people group.
Proverbs 14:14 (NKJV)
"The backslider in heart will be filled with his own ways, But a good man will be satisfied from above."
When we look at the word backsliding in this context, and try to apply it to our own lives, it starts to take shape.
A few concepts stood out to me:
"backslider in heart"
I believe this was added to the verse for a reason
Because it takes the focus off our behavior
And places it squarely on our heart - the part of us where real decisions are made
When you believe something very strongly - we say you believe it with all your heart
And that's why it is written in this verse the way it is
Backsliding begins in the heart - not with a behavior or an action
Our ways vs. God's ways
So in this definition of backsliding it has to do with control
The backsliding person wants control over their lives and wants to make decisions based on what they think is right
Whereas the good person allows God to make the decisions. They understand that God only has their best interest at heart - so following God's plan is the best way forward
Now for those of you listening who are Christians - this should all sound familiar.
If you're listening and you are not a Christian, or do not have a religious affiliation where backsliding is even a thing - don't worry!
I'm going to switch gears for a second and talk to you.
Let's take the spiritual element out of it all together.
Going back to the definition for backsliding:
"to relapse into bad habits, sinful behavior, or undesirable activities"
Let's simply remove the words that sound churchy and read it this way:
"to relapse into bad habits, old behaviors and things we decided weren't helpful."
Now this is something we can work with right?
Even an Atheist should be able to see that this concept has merit.
An Atheist believes there is no God - so it follows that if there is no God, there is no higher moral authority than ourselves. Nobody can tell us what is right or wrong, good or bad - because there is nobody higher than us. We have to decide those things for ourselves.
And this is why the concept of backsliding still applies.
An Atheist will still make choices, and decisions about the world around him or her. They choose behaviors not because they feel they are moral or immoral. But because they are helpful or not helpful to their existence. There are decisions and behaviors that help them get ahead in the world, and those that seem to get in the way of progress.
And after a while - all of those little decisions about the world, and their behavior add up to a world view - a belief system that they adhere to just as we adhere to the Christian worldview.
Now, if an Atheist - with their worldview - starts to go backward - doing things they at some point decided weren't helpful - they would be backsliding!
Now let's say you aren't a Christian or an Atheist. You're just an average person, somewhere in the middle - not 100% sure if you believe in God, or not.
I believe the same principle applies to you.
Maybe you listen to a lot of podcasts, and over time you resonate with some of the ideas you've heard. You've taken those ideas and incorporated them into your world view. Maybe even some of the Transcend Human concepts...
Now, if you believe some of those things to be true - and incorporate them into your world view - backsliding for you would be similar. It would be going back on the things you believe to be true. Reverting to older behavior that you know isn't good for you - or that won't help you in life.
// 2. ORIGINS & TIMING
This section is going to be pretty quick and to the point.
But it is very important information. And if you skip this step - you're choosing to go to battle without a weapon.
What am I talking about? Well, it's two things really. It's the origin of backsliding - or where it actually starts. And it is the timing - the length of time it takes to go from point B, back to point A.
So let's start with the Origin:
Like we already discussed - backsliding is a matter of the heart
So it must begin somewhere in there - as an idea, a thought, a feeling, an emotion
Something sparks doubt - and your mind takes that doubt and runs with it
It's important at this point to understand one thing:
We re made up of three components: Our thinking, our behaving and our feeling (Thoughts, Behaviors and Emotions)
We have 100% control over two of these - our thinking and our behaving
The other - our emotions - we have indirect control over
In other words...we are hit with feelings and emotions no matter what we do
But, depending on how we choose to think, and choose to behave - we can control the strength of the feelings and emotions
So in the case of backsliding - it may begin with a feeling or emotion
But ultimately - it's our thinking and behaving that take it from there
Next, let's talk Timing:
This is the crucial piece
An understanding that backsliding isn't something that just happens
It isn't a light switch - one minute on track, the next completely off track
People don't simply give up their beliefs, or their world view like that
There is time involved - it can be a short amount of time, or a very long amount of time - but not a one time decision
Short amount of time: Something bad happens: Maybe you were assaulted, fired from a job, a spouse filed for divorce, the doctor diagnosed cancer, you lost a child in an accident. Whatever the situation, your world view quickly changes, and over the next few months you grow farther and farther away from the life you were living
Long amount of time: This scenario can actually be more subtle and may not need an activating event. A person slowly - over time moves away from some of the beliefs they held to be true. They slowly move back into some of their old habits, and over time they begin to wonder why they ever held those beliefs in the first place
And whether it is a short, or long period of time - little by little the person moves from point B, back to point A
One change in thinking at a time. One change in behavior at a time
Small - seemingly unimportant decisions - all adding up to a larger direction or trajectory
And when you look back - you can see how all of those little decisions moved you from where you were to where you are
// 3. PROGRESS VS. PERFECTION
Now to wind things up I'll need to move back to the Christian world view.
Because that's what I know - and it's what guides me in this area. Being a Christian is the foundation for my beliefs - my world view.
Without it - I think life would be a little like a flag on a boat in the ocean - pushed around by the wind in whatever direction it happened to be blowing that day.
It is this belief system - this world view - that provides the direction. The morals. The values. The answers to my important questions.
It provides the path - and it's up to me if I want to be on that path, or if I want to take a different path - even one that leads back down the mountain.
Of course this is a slippery slope for Christians. Because all this talk about the path, doing the right things, having the right world view etc. can begin to sound legalistic. Like we are doing a bunch of things in order to stay right with God.
This is the grace vs. works debate - and there are people on both sides of it:
The grace alone camp suggests that we are saved by grace and there is no other conversation to be had. We should be able to go on living - even living poorly, and still be saved because of that original decision
The works camp suggests your behavior is all that matters - and that if you're behaving the right way - that is an indication that you actually do believe in God and have been saved
And the crazy thing is this: The Bible gives you firewood for both sides of the debate. If you are on the grace side you live in Romans. If you're on the works side you live in the book of James - but cases can easily be made for both - which is why it's a debate...
But Transcend Human suggests we should meet in the middle. We need the "both-and" approach. An understanding that grace is the only way we can get to Heaven. But that works are an expected part of the growth process. That we are called to "follow" Jesus and not just "believe" in Him.
This is why there are two big churchy words we use all the time: Justification and Sanctification:
Justification is being saved by God's grace - His death on the cross
Sanctification is the work God does in us moving forward - growing us up so to speak
This idea is as Biblical as you can get. Jesus often asked people to follow Him first. Not to believe in Him.
Think about the disciples - He asked them to follow Him - and the belief part actually came later for most of them.
Now it's important when talking about the sanctification part NOT to make it part of the "saving" process. As this suggests we can do something to gain God's favor and ensure we are saved.
No - that is 100% on Jesus. And the only way we access the saving part is to admit we need Jesus, and accept the free gift He offers us through His death on the cross.
Which is actually good news for us. Because none of us is perfect. And none of us will attain perfection. Even if a person got close - like 98% there - they would still have sins in their past that would disqualify them from living a perfect life.
Again - good news for us. Because:
“Perfection is not the goal. Progress is the goal. ”
Perfection is a target we'll never reach.
But Progress is something we can make each and every day of our life.
Let me illustrate...
Do you expect your child to be perfect when they turn 18? They've learned all they need to learn. They have all the information. They can simply coast for the rest of their life?
No - of course not! We understand that even though they are considered an adult - capable of living their own lives - they will continue to make mistakes, learn things the hard way and grow and mature into more functional versions of themselves.
So why would our Heavenly Parent look at us any different?
He understands that we will keep growing throughout our lives - even after we intellectually decide to believe in Him.
This is the Journey He calls us to a life above. It's Transcending Human. It's rising above the Human Condition each and every day - based on the knowledge we have and the new things we are learning.
Back to the whole Timing thing we talked about before. We discussed it in the negative - but the same things applies in the positive:
Short amount of time: Something bad happens: Maybe you were assaulted, fired from a job, a spouse filed for divorce, the doctor diagnosed cancer, you lost a child in an accident. Whatever the situation, your world view changes, and you are drawn even close to your beliefs - your world view. Over the next few months you actually take larger steps of faith - toward the life you know God wants for you
Long amount of time: This scenario is just as effective. And there may be no activating event. A person slowly - over time moves closer and closer to the beliefs they hold to be true. They shed some of their old habits, create new positive ones, and over time can look back and see how far they've come
I guess a simple way to sum it all up is this:
When you say, "I believe," and you become part of the Christian family, you have three choices:
You can continue to live the way you're living and make little to no changes in your life
You can backslide - and go back to some of the old behaviors you thought you were going to stay away from
Or you can look at the rest of your life as the best of your life:
You can keep putting one foot in front of the other - walking up the path toward the life God is showing you
It won't be a perfect life. You'll still make mistakes. Bad things will still happen from time to time
But this life He's calling you to is SO much better than what the world is offering
The world sets the bar so low. It's easy to hit, and yet you wind up unfulfilled on so many levels
Let’s Land the Plane:
This week - chew on these questions:
Based on our definition - are there areas in your life where you are backsliding?
If so, have there been consequences?
And what are your next steps to get back on track?
We talked about backsliding as a process - not an immediate thing
Can you identify small decisions you're making that may be leading you away from the life you know you should be living?
Can you identify small decisions you're making that are leading you closer to the life you know you should be living?
And finally, what have you chosen to do with your life?
Stay stagnant?
Backslide?
Or keep making progress?
Not toward perfection - just making little decisions each and every day to bring your life closer to the life God planned for you
And that's where we'll call it for today.
Thank you so much for hanging out with us. As always tell your friends about Transcend Human. And if you find time - a rating and review on Apple Podcasts will go a long way to help improve the visibility of the show.
Have a great week, keep taking steps in that direction, and keep Transcending Human!