REASONS WHY THE FAITH OF BELIEVERS GROW COLD AND BACKSLIDE
Matt 24:10-12 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.
In these Bible verses, the Lord Jesus Christ prophesied that many will be offended and that their love will grow cold. Has this been fulfilled? This is an important question requiring a thorough study.
Although today’s church believers are steadfast in their faith, some become weary and lost on the heavenly path. These were once zealous worshipers of God who prayed to Him fervently after having undergone the baptism of water and of the Holy Spirit. They did not, however, have a strong foundation in the Word of God and lacked spiritual maturity, so they fell spiritually, failing to curb their fleshly desires and the entanglement of sin.
The Lord Jesus Christ bestows upon believers the gift of the Holy Spirit, who enables them to be steadfast in the Word; nevertheless, some still transgress the truth and fall from His grace. Did they not diligently improve themselves? God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Ultimately it is the believers who give up on themselves and backslide.
What Are The Reasons For Believers To Grow Cold In Faith After Being Called By God?
i. Believers Fail To Sanctify Themselves With The Truth
John 17:19 And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.
In the Lord Jesus Christ’s prayer to the Heavenly Father He said: “And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.” (John 17:19) “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.” (John 15:3) He also said: “Your word is truth.” (John 17:17LP)
God’s Word is the truth; therefore, we need to be sanctified by the truth. He tells us plainly that we are already clean because of the words that He has spoken to us.
1Pet 2:1-3 Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, 2as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, 3if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
A person who does not hear God’s words regularly will not be spiritually sanctified. Being unsanctified, evil—like a black film—will cling to his heart and stop the Truth from entering. If he keeps dozing off while listening to sermons, he will lack the will to walk in the Word, his faith will grow cold, and he will eventually stumble. This is because he did not sanctify himself with the words of God after having undergone baptism of water and of the Holy Spirit. For that reason, Peter said: “Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby”.
Jas 1:21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
This Bible verse teaches us that since our sins have been washed away through water baptism, we should desire the pure milk of the Word and pursue spiritual food, which is able to fill us spiritually. This enables us to shun lusts and environmental obstacles to overcome the world.
Though it is difficult for us to keep the words of God, we must endure to the end by keeping ourselves pure spiritually. We must not be stained with filth if we do not want to lose the hope of eternal life. If we are stained with all filthiness and wickedness, how can we receive with meekness the implanted word that is able to save our souls?
Heb 3:12-13 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; 13but exhort one another daily, while it is called "Today," lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
The deceitfulness of sin will harden the hearts of believers who fail to receive the truth. Such believers will grow cold in faith and backslide, for they fail to sanctify themselves with His truth after being called through His grace.
ii. Believers Receive Seed Among Thorns
Matt 13:22 Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.
Believers will become stunted in their spiritual growth if they fail to pursue spiritual knowledge after having undergone water baptism. Gradually, cares for the riches and lusts of the world will choke the words of God and will cause them to become unfruitful.
Num 33:55 But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall be that those whom you let remain shall be irritants in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall harass you in the land where you dwell.
Believers become unfruitful when they fail to curb the lusts in their hearts and to grow spiritually. After the Israelites have left Egypt, God instructed them to drive out the aborigines of the land of Canaan. This was to avoid the risk of the original inhabitants becoming irritants in the Israelites’ eyes and thorns in their sides. Unfortunately, the Israelites did not obey the instruction of God and, in the end, the inhabitants harassed them.
Jas 1:15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.
This Bible verse states that believers who are unable to rid themselves of fleshly desires despite having undergone the baptism of water and of the Holy Spirit will again be entangled by sins. Elder James said: “Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.”
Heb 6:1 Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,
Brothers and sisters, we must not let our faith grow cold. We must neither stumble in the Word, nor be at a standstill on the elementary principles of Christ. Rather, we must go on until we reach perfection.
Gal 5:16-17 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.
We must rely on the Holy Spirit to put to death fleshly desires. Then, we will not be ashamed, but will rejoice in the Lord when He comes again.
iii. Believers Fail To Build A Strong Foundation In The Faith
Col 2:6-7 As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.
Believers should learn the words of God and strive to understand them after receiving His grace. They must do so while they are strong in faith for Paul said: “As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.”
Col 1:23 if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.
Eph 4:14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting
Believers must walk in the words of truth after receiving them if they want to build a firm foundation in the Lord. They may have faith, yet they will backslide eventually if they do not grow and mix their faith with the words of truth. Believers must build a firm foundation so that they will not be removed from the hope of the gospel.
Matt 7:24-25 "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
1Cor 3:11-15 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. 14If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
What happens to faith without foundation?
Believers who have faith but fail to establish a firm foundation in Christ will be lured away by philosophy and vain deceits after the traditions of man, the rudiments of the world, and strange doctrines. They will be tossed and carried about with every wind of doctrine, and they will stumble and fall away from grace.
What is considered a firm foundation?
A firm foundation is one that is established on the Rock (i.e. the Lord Jesus Christ); therefore, we should build on this foundation with gold, silver, and precious stones. When God tests us repeatedly, our works will not be burned.
Eph 2:20-22 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone, 21in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
God chooses us in the Lord, for He wants us to be built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with the Lord Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone. Being joined together as one with Him, we form the spiritual building and the holy temple of God—the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit.
1Pet 2:4-5 Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, 5you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
God is a living stone. Hence, believers become living stones before Him. They are built up to form the spiritual house and the holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through the Lord Jesus Christ.
Conclusion
We hope all spiritual brethren who have been called by the grace of the Lord will not grow cold in faith and backslide. Rather, we must wait patiently for the Lord Jesus Christ to come again and reward us with the gift that He has prepared for us, a heavenly inheritance that will neither corrupt nor fade away.
May all glory be to the Lord Jesus Christ, Hallelujah! Amen.
(The Holy Spirit Times - 31 March 1933)