These days, any news about high-profile individuals disavowing their Christian faith is likely to break the internet. Yet, the idea of “backsliding” or falling away from faith isn’t a new phenomenon. The scriptures, such as John’s account of Jesus’s disciples leaving due to their offense at his teachings (John 6:66) or Paul’s warnings about people abandoning their faith (1 Tim 4:12; 2 Thess 2:3), have highlighted this trend for centuries.
What prompts these shifts away from faith? Interestingly, many who “backslide” may never have genuinely embraced faith in the first place. Their retreat merely reveals their lack of authentic belief. Consider those who trailed alongside Jesus in Judea but weren’t truly following him; they weren’t seeking a genuine connection with Jesus. Jesus himself pointed this out when he said, “You are not looking for me because you saw the miracles, but because you ate all the food you wanted” (John 6:26). Some were drawn by miracles, others by narrow political agendas. It’s feasible to identify as a Christian, engage in church activities, and even hold positions of authority without truly knowing or following Jesus. Judas, among the handpicked twelve apostles and the group’s treasurer, was still deemed a devil by Jesus (John 6:70).
As many of his disciples walked away, Jesus turned to the twelve and asked if they intended to leave as well (John 6:6). Peter’s response echoes a fundamental distinction: “Lord, to whom would we go? You alone have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68). Peter and the apostles weren’t just following; they were committed to Jesus and experienced the eternal life he promised. This divergence between the professing disciples and the apostles underscores a critical point: some merely accompanied Jesus for the benefits, not seeking a genuine relationship with him (Matt. 11:28-30; John 7:37). They were disciples in name but aligned with motives contradictory to Jesus’s teachings.
So, the question beckons: Are you genuinely following Jesus, or are you merely professing Christianity? We would all do well to heed Paul’s counsel to “Examine yourself to see if your faith is genuine” (2 Cor 13:5 NLT).
by David Vital