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Helping a Backslidden Believer Return to God Biblically

"Backsliding" refers to a departure or apostasy in religious matters, which can be partial or complete, and may involve both doctrinal and moral aspects [1]. The prophet Jeremiah records God's call to "backsliding children" to return, promising to heal their backslidings [2].

Biblically, backsliding is characterized by turning away from God, leaving one's "first love," and departing from the simplicity of the gospel [3]. This can manifest as forgetting God's covenant, works, benefits, or word [5]. Such a departure displeases God and carries consequences, including bringing its own punishment [3]. A haughty spirit can lead to backsliding, and there is a proneness for it to continue and increase [3].

However, the biblical narrative also emphasizes God's readiness to receive and restore those who return. John Gill notes that even God's own children may backslide, yet the relationship continues, highlighting God's "marvellous grace" [12]. The psalmist affirms, "He restoreth my soul" [8]. The book of Hosea, in particular, concludes with "gracious promises to repenting sinners, to returning backsliders" [9]. God's response to returning Israel is one of peace, meeting those who return to him in duty with mercy [6]. God promises to heal backsliding with "gratuitous, unmerited, and abundant love" [7].

Returning to God involves repentance and reformation, abandoning idols and false ways, and cleaving to the Lord with full purpose of heart [11]. Access to God is made possible through Christ, by the Holy Spirit, and is obtained through faith [4, 10]. This access follows reconciliation to God and is a privilege granted to repenting sinners [4]. Matthew Henry observes that God's readiness to pardon sin and receive returning sinners is a core gospel truth [13].

Sources

  1. Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Backslide — To draw back or apostatize in matters of religion (Acts 21:21; 2 Thess. 2:3; 1 Tim. 4:1). This may be either partial (Prov. 14:14) or complete (Heb. 6:4-6; 10:38, 39). The apostasy may be both doctrinal and moral.”
  2. Jeremiah “Jeremiah 3:22 (KJV) — Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we come unto thee; for thou art the Lord our God.”
  3. Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Backsliding — Is turning from God -- 1Ki 11:9. Is leaving the first love -- Re 2:4. Is departing form the simplicity of the gospel -- 2Co 11:3; Ga 3:1-3; 5:4,7. God is displeased at -- Ps 78:57,59. Warnings against -- Ps 85:8; 1Co 10:12. Guilt and consequences of -- Nu 14:43; Ps 125:5; Isa 59:2,9-11; Jer 5:6; 8:5,13; 15:6; Lu 9:62. Brings its own punishment -- Pr 14:14; Jer 2:19. A haughty spirit leads to -- Pr 16:18. Proneness to -- Pr 24:16; Ho 11:7. Liable to continue and increase -- Jer 8:5; 14:7. Exhortations to return from -- 2Ch 30:6; Isa 31:6; Jer 3:12,14,22;”
  4. Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Access to God — Is of God -- Ps 65:4. Is by Christ -- Joh 10:7, 9; 14:6; Ro 5:2; Eph 2:13; 3:12; Heb 7:9, 25; 10:19; 1Pe 3:18. Is by the Holy Spirit -- Eph 2:18. Obtained through faith -- Ac 14:27; Ro 5:2; Eph 3:12; Heb 11:6. Follows upon reconciliation to God -- Col 1:21,22. In Prayer -- See Prayer. De 4:7; Mt 6:6; 1Pe 1:17. In his temple -- Ps 15:1; 27:4; 43:3; 65:4. To obtain mercy and grace -- Heb 4:16. A privilege of saints -- De 4:7; Ps 15:1; 23:6; 24:3,4. Saints have, with confidence -- Eph 3:12; Heb 4:16; 10:19,20. Vouchsafed to repenting sinners -- See Repen”
  5. Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Forgetting God — A characteristic of the wicked -- Pr 2:17; Isa 65:11. Backsliders are guilty of -- Jer 3:21,22. Is forgetting his Covenant. -- De 4:23; 2Ki 17:38. Works. -- Ps 78:7,11; 106:13. Benefits. -- Ps 103:2; 106:7. Word. -- Heb 12:5; Jas 1:25. Law. -- Ps 119:153,176; Ho 4:6. Past deliverance. -- Jdj 8:34; Ps 78:42. Power to deliver. -- Isa 51:13-15. Encouraged by false teachers -- Jer 23:27. Prosperity often leads to -- De 8:12-14; Ho 13:6. Trials should not lead to -- Ps 44:17-20. Resolve against -- Ps 119:16,93. Cautions against -- De 6:12; 8:11. Exhortati”
  6. Hosea (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Hosea 14:4: We have here an answer of peace to the prayers of returning Israel. They seek God's face, and they shall not seek in vain. God will be sure to meet those in a way of mercy who return to him in a way of duty. If we speak to God in good prayers, God will speak to us in good promises, as he answered the angel with good words and comfortable words, Zac 1:13. If we take with us the foregoing words in our coming to God, we may take home with us these following words for our faith to feast upon; and see how these answer those. I. Do they dread and deprecate God's displeas”
  7. Hosea (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Hosea 14:4: God's gracious reply to their self-condemning prayer. backsliding--apostasy: not merely occasional backslidings. God can heal the most desperate sinfulness [CALVIN]. freely--with a gratuitous, unmerited, and abundant love (Eze 16:60-63). So as to the spiritual Israel (Joh 15:16; Rom 3:24; Rom 5:8; Jo1 4:10).”
  8. Psalms (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Psalms 23:3: He restoreth my soul,.... Either when backslidden, and brings it back again when led or driven away, and heals its backslidings; or rather, when fainting, swooning, and ready to die away, he fetches it back again, relieves, refreshes, and comforts with the discoveries of his love, with the promises of his word, and with the consolations of his Spirit, and such like reviving cordials; see Gill on Psa 19:7; he leadeth, he in the paths of righteousness; in the plain paths of truth and holiness, in which men, though fools, shall not err; in right ones, though they somet”
  9. Hosea (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Hosea 14 (introduction): INTRODUCTION TO HOSEA 14 This chapter concludes the book, with gracious promises to repenting sinners, to returning backsliders. It begins with an exhortation to Israel to return to the Lord, seeing he was their God, and they had fallen by sin from prosperity into adversity, temporal and spiritual, Hos 14:1; and they are directed what to say to the Lord, upon their return to him, both by way of petition, and of promise and of resolution how to behave for the future, encouraged by his grace and mercy, Hos 14:2; and they are told what the Lord, by way of a”
  10. Ephesians (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Ephesians 2:13: 2:13 Only by being united with Christ Jesus through trust in him can a person be reconciled to God (see Rom 5:10-12; 2 Cor 5:18-21). The blood of Christ—his sacrificial death—makes this possible (see Eph 1:7; Rom 3:24-25; 5:9; Col 1:20; cp. Heb 9:12-15; 1 Pet 1:19; 1 Jn 1:7; Rev 1:5; 5:9).”
  11. Hosea (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Hosea 14:1: O Israel, return unto the Lord thy God,.... From whom they had revolted and backslidden; whose worship and service they had forsaken, and whose word and ordinances they had slighted and neglected, and had served idols, and had given into idolatry, superstition, and will worship; and are here exhorted to turn again to the Lord by repentance and reformation, to abandon their idols, and every false way, and cleave to the Lord with full purpose of heart; and the rather, since he was their God; not only their Creator, Preserver, and kind Benefactor, but their God, by his sp”
  12. Jeremiah (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Jeremiah 3:14: Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord,.... All of them were children by national adoption, and some by special grace, and yet "backsliders", O monstrous ingratitude! "backsliders", and yet "children", still the relation continues, O marvellous grace! God's own children may backslide, and often do; either in heart, when love waxes cold, faith declines, zeal wanting; when they get into a carnal sleepy frame of spirit, and have not that quick sense of sin, and of duty, as heretofore: or in practice, when private prayer is restrained; public worship is neglected;”
  13. Jeremiah (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Jeremiah 3:12: Here is a great deal of gospel in these verses, both that which was always gospel, God's readiness to pardon sin and to receive and entertain returning repenting sinners, and those blessings which were in a special manner reserved for gospel times, the forming and founding of the gospel church by bringing into it the children of God that were scattered abroad, the superseding of the ceremonial law, and the uniting of Jews and Gentiles, typified by the uniting of Israel and Judah in their return out of captivity. The prophet is directed to proclaim these words to”
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