Backslide
Encyclopedia
Backsliding is a term used within Christianity
to describe a process by which an individual who has converted to Christianity reverts to pre-conversion habits and/or lapses or falls into sin
, when a person turns from God to pursue their own desire. Within churches which teach Arminianism
, backsliding is a state in which any free willed being can adopt, which is a doctrine rejected by Calvinists
. Historically, backsliding was considered a trait of the Biblical Israel
which would turn from the Abrahamic God to follow idols
. In the New Testament
church (see Acts of the Apostles
and Christianity in the 1st century
), the story of the Prodigal Son has become a representation of a backslider.
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
to describe a process by which an individual who has converted to Christianity reverts to pre-conversion habits and/or lapses or falls into sin
Sin
In religion, sin is the violation or deviation of an eternal divine law or standard. The term sin may also refer to the state of having committed such a violation. Christians believe the moral code of conduct is decreed by God In religion, sin (also called peccancy) is the violation or deviation...
, when a person turns from God to pursue their own desire. Within churches which teach Arminianism
Arminianism
Arminianism is a school of soteriological thought within Protestant Christianity based on the theological ideas of the Dutch Reformed theologian Jacobus Arminius and his historic followers, the Remonstrants...
, backsliding is a state in which any free willed being can adopt, which is a doctrine rejected by Calvinists
Calvinism
Calvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
. Historically, backsliding was considered a trait of the Biblical Israel
History of ancient Israel and Judah
Israel and Judah were related Iron Age kingdoms of ancient Palestine. The earliest known reference to the name Israel in archaeological records is in the Merneptah stele, an Egyptian record of c. 1209 BCE. By the 9th century BCE the Kingdom of Israel had emerged as an important local power before...
which would turn from the Abrahamic God to follow idols
Idolatry
Idolatry is a pejorative term for the worship of an idol, a physical object such as a cult image, as a god, or practices believed to verge on worship, such as giving undue honour and regard to created forms other than God. In all the Abrahamic religions idolatry is strongly forbidden, although...
. In the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
church (see Acts of the Apostles
Acts of the Apostles
The Acts of the Apostles , usually referred to simply as Acts, is the fifth book of the New Testament; Acts outlines the history of the Apostolic Age...
and Christianity in the 1st century
Christianity in the 1st century
The earliest followers of Jesus composed an apocalyptic, Jewish sect, which historians refer to as Jewish Christianity. The Apostles and others following the Great Commission's decree to spread the teachings of Jesus to "all nations," had great success spreading the religion to gentiles. Peter,...
), the story of the Prodigal Son has become a representation of a backslider.