Can a Christian Backslide?

I always remember a sermon I heard once that frustrated the heck out of me, talking about how once you become a Christian you step over a line. Supposedly the more you read your bible and pray, the more you walk away from that line, and when you don't you start to walk backwards or "backslide" towards that line, until eventually you step back over it and stop being a Christian.

Unfortunately, this is commonplace thinking in many Arminian churches. Because they assert (sometimes unknowingly) that our free will played more of a part in our salvation than God did, so they therefore assert that our free will can in effect cause us to lose our salvation. If there is no assurance of faith, one must beg the question; is there real faith?

I am seriously coming to the conclusion that Arminian churches will use a creative speech, rather than inerrant, God-breathed scripture to motivate a Christian lifestyle. Something I feel we forget sometimes is that there is more wisdom in that perfect gift called the bible than in our disgusting, sinful and depraved minds... anyway I'm getting off track aren't I?

Many people affirm that Christians can backslide, but some do so to a point of accepting their sin, and this is where I want to focus on.

What is backsliding?

No one, including Christians, can ever keep God's law perfectly.

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

1 John 1:8-10

So everyone disobeys God's law, if not by deed then by heart motive, we all fall short. However just two chapters later we see this horrifying news.

No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.

1 John 3:6-10

Ok, breathe easy now all you sinful Christians out there, this is talking about making a "practice of sinning", rather than stuffing up. But point is, the Christian lifestyle is not one of practicing sin, it just simply does not happen. So how is it the case that a Christian, who is unable to practice sin, is able to backslide to a loss of salvation?

That was rhetorical, they can't.

Christians can regress into a period of spiritual dullness/ disobedience, but that is entirely different to willful rebellion.

There is a key difference between the fake and true Christian; when the fake Christian sins, they don't care and think they are forgiven, but when the true Christian sins, they hate what they have done, are sorrowful towards God, and although may be scared of God's discipline, should accept it.

As Psalm 119:176 shows, a Christian does go astray, but acknowledges where he is, admits his need of help, and cries out for God to save him!