Backsliders

Remember therefore from where you have fallen, and repent and do the first works; or else I am coming to you swiftly, and will move your lamp stand out of its place, unless you repent.

But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the Kingdom of God.”

For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after knowing it, to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them.

The unfaithful will be repaid for his own ways; likewise a good man will be rewarded for his ways.

For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more a sacrifice for sins, — read the full passage →

But I have this against you, that you left your first love.

Brothers, even if a man is caught in some fault, you who are spiritual must restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; looking to yourself so that you also aren’t tempted.

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

Return, you backsliding children, I will heal your backsliding. “Behold, we have come to you; for you are Yahweh our God.

But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, why do you turn back again to the weak and miserable elemental principles, to which you desire to be in bondage all over again?

Though our iniquities testify against us, work for your name’s sake, Yahweh; for our rebellions are many; we have sinned against you.

For if, after they have escaped the defilement of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in it and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. — read the full passage →

To him therefore who knows to do good, and doesn’t do it, to him it is sin.

You were running well! Who interfered with you that you should not obey the truth?

But the righteous will live by faith. If he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.” — read the full passage →

But I have this against you, that you left your first love. — read the full passage →

“I will heal their waywardness. I will love them freely; for my anger is turned away from him.

Remember therefore how you have received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If therefore you won’t watch, I will come as a thief, and you won’t know what hour I will come upon you.

From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my ordinances, and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says Yahweh of Armies. “But you say, ‘How shall we return?’

Wake up, and keep the things that remain, which you were about to throw away, for I have found no works of yours perfected before my God.

For if, after they have escaped the defilement of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in it and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first.

For concerning those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, — read the full passage →

But when the righteous turns away from his righteousness, and commits iniquity, and does according to all the abominations that the wicked man does, shall he live? None of his righteous deeds that he has done shall be remembered: in his trespass that he has trespassed, and in his sin that he has sinned, in them shall he die.

holding faith and a good conscience; which some having thrust away made a shipwreck concerning the faith;

if my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

He said, “A certain man had two sons. — read the full passage →

that again when I come my God would humble me before you, and I would mourn for many of those who have sinned before now, and not repented of the uncleanness and sexual immorality and lustfulness which they committed.

Brothers, if any among you wanders from the truth and someone turns him back, — read the full passage →

My people are determined to turn from me. Though they call to the Most High, he certainly won’t exalt them.

“When the strong man, fully armed, guards his own dwelling, his goods are safe. — read the full passage →

As a dog that returns to his vomit, so is a fool who repeats his folly.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

For concerning those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, — read the full passage →

If a man doesn’t remain in me, he is thrown out as a branch, and is withered; and they gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned.

for Demas left me, having loved this present world, and went to Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia.

If we endure, we will also reign with him. If we deny him, he also will deny us.

I marvel that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ to a different “good news”;

Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, with what will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”

But the Spirit says expressly that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons,

For you have forgotten the God of your salvation, and have not remembered the rock of your strength. Therefore you plant pleasant plants, and set out foreign seedlings.

and there isn’t another “good news.” Only there are some who trouble you, and want to pervert the Good News of Christ.

looking carefully lest there be any man who falls short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and many be defiled by it;

Now I would not have you ignorant, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; — read the full passage →

For already some have turned aside after Satan.

Return to him from whom you have deeply revolted, children of Israel.

It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles, that one has his father’s wife. — read the full passage →

Foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you not to obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was openly portrayed among you as crucified?

Then he said to Thomas, “Reach here your finger, and see my hands. Reach here your hand, and put it into my side. Don’t be unbelieving, but believing.” — read the full passage →

Then he goes, and takes with himself seven other spirits more evil than he is, and they enter in and dwell there. The last state of that man becomes worse than the first. Even so will it be also to this evil generation.”

Then Jonah prayed to Yahweh, his God, out of the fish’s belly. — read the full passage →

For I am afraid that by any means, when I come, I might find you not the way I want to, and that I might be found by you as you don’t desire; that by any means there would be strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions, slander, whisperings, proud thoughts, riots;

In the day of your planting, you hedge it in. In the morning, you make your seed blossom, but the harvest flees away in the day of grief and of desperate sorrow.

But the righteous will live by faith. If he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.”

Remember Lot’s wife!

For Israel has behaved extremely stubbornly, like a stubborn heifer. Then how will Yahweh feed them like a lamb in a meadow.

Jerusalem, wash your heart from wickedness, that you may be saved. How long shall your evil thoughts lodge within you?

“Haven’t you procured this to yourself, in that you have forsaken Yahweh your God, when he led you by the way?

But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, why do you turn back again to the weak and miserable elemental principles, to which you desire to be in bondage all over again? — read the full passage →

Peter remembered the word which Jesus had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” He went out and wept bitterly.

Don’t rejoice, Israel, to jubilation like the nations; for you were unfaithful to your God. You love the wages of a prostitute at every grain threshing floor. — read the full passage →

of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I delivered to Satan, that they might be taught not to blaspheme.

Therefore let him who thinks he stands be careful that he doesn’t fall.

“You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has lost its flavor, with what will it be salted? It is then good for nothing, but to be cast out and trodden under the feet of men.

Afterward the children of Israel shall return, and seek Yahweh their God, and David their king, and shall come with trembling to Yahweh and to his blessings in the last days.

“Your own wickedness shall correct you, and your backsliding shall reprove you. Know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and a bitter, that you have forsaken Yahweh your God, and that my fear is not in you,” says the Lord, Yahweh of Armies.

Timothy, guard that which is committed to you, turning away from the empty chatter and oppositions of the knowledge which is falsely so called;

Beginning from Moses and from all the prophets, he explained to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

Thus says Yahweh: “For three transgressions of Judah, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment; because they have rejected Yahweh’s law, and have not kept his statutes, and their lies have led them astray, after which their fathers walked;

“How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I make you like Zeboiim? My heart is turned within me, my compassion is aroused.

“If you will return, Israel,” says Yahweh, “if you will return to me, and if you will put away your abominations out of my sight; then you shall not be removed;

I have spread out my hands all the day to a rebellious people, who walk in a way that is not good, after their own thoughts;

Ah sinful nation, a people loaded with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children who deal corruptly! They have forsaken Yahweh. They have despised the Holy One of Israel. They are estranged and backward.

For, behold, those who are far from you shall perish. You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to you.

About him we have many words to say, and hard to interpret, seeing you have become dull of hearing.

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision amounts to anything, nor uncircumcision, but faith working through love.

At this, many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.

Thus says Yahweh, “Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, ‘Where is the good way?’ and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’

Some men came down from Judea and taught the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised after the custom of Moses, you can’t be saved.” — read the full passage →

Because iniquity will be multiplied, the love of many will grow cold.

When the righteous man turns away from his righteousness, and commits iniquity, and dies therein; in his iniquity that he has done shall he die.

For the children of Israel and the children of Judah have done only that which was evil in my sight from their youth; for the children of Israel have only provoked me to anger with the work of their hands, says Yahweh.

You hope of Israel, its Savior in the time of trouble, why should you be as a foreigner in the land, and as a wayfaring man who turns aside to stay for a night? — read the full passage →

Yahweh said to me, A conspiracy is found among the men of Judah, and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem. — read the full passage →

“Return, backsliding children,” says Yahweh; “for I am a husband to you. I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion.

and they burn to Yahweh every morning and every evening burnt offerings and sweet incense. They also set the show bread in order on the pure table; and the lamp stand of gold with its lamps, to burn every evening: for we keep the instruction of Yahweh our God; but you have forsaken him.

“When your people Israel are struck down before the enemy, because they have sinned against you; if they turn again to you, and confess your name, and pray and make supplication to you in this house: — read the full passage →

Why then have the people of Jerusalem fallen back by a perpetual backsliding? They cling to deceit, they refuse to return.

Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a right spirit within me. — read the full passage →

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some have been led astray from the faith in their greed, and have pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

You are alienated from Christ, you who desire to be justified by the law. You have fallen away from grace.

Follow after love, and earnestly desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. — read the full passage →

Therefore tell them: Thus says Yahweh of Armies: ‘Return to me,’ says Yahweh of Armies, ‘and I will return to you,’ says Yahweh of Armies.

Yahweh’s word came to me, saying, — read the full passage →

a people who provoke me to my face continually, sacrificing in gardens, and burning incense on bricks;

Seek Yahweh while he may be found; call you on him while he is near: — read the full passage →

Yet you have not called on me, Jacob; but you have been weary of me, Israel.

but gave in to craving in the desert, and tested God in the wasteland.

Behold, God is my helper. The Lord is the one who sustains my soul. — read the full passage →

shall we again break your commandments, and join in affinity with the peoples that do these abominations? Wouldn’t you be angry with us until you had consumed us, so that there should be no remnant, nor any to escape?

and he went out to meet Asa, and said to him, “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin! Yahweh is with you, while you are with him; and if you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. — read the full passage →