To meet the great need of the saints being kept from going off into paths of sin, God has graciously undertaken for us in the high priestly service of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is presently “an High Priest over the house of God” (Heb. 10:2121And having an high priest over the house of God; (Hebrews 10:21)). By His death and resurrection, He has “justified” us, and “reconciled” us to God. But in His life now on high as our High Priest, He is presently saving us in a practical way through His mighty intercession. Thus, Scripture says, “We shall be saved by His life” (Rom. 5:8-108But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 10For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. (Romans 5:8‑10)). Romans 8:3434Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. (Romans 8:34) says, “It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, Who is even at the right hand of God, Who also maketh intercession for us.” As our High Priest, the Lord sympathizes with our infirmities, and helps us in times of temptation, so that we are kept from falling into sin (Heb. 4:14-1614Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. 15For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 16Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:14‑16)).
You might ask, “If Christ’s mighty intercession is what holds the believer on course, how is it that any believer fails?” This is a good question. R. F Kingscote (who wrote that book, “Christ as Seen in the Offerings”) asked this in a letter to J. N. Darby. His answer was very solemn. He said that we fall because it is part of the Lord’s dealings with us governmentally. He wants us to be responsibly exercised in the matter of our being kept; and if we’re not, and we forget our weakness and His grace, it may be that we’ll need to have a fall to learn the lesson that we could have learned on our knees. Mr. Darby said that there came a point with Peter when the Lord ceased to ask that he would be kept. He prayed that Peter’s “faith” would not fail when he was sifted, but He didn’t pray that he wouldn’t fail! (Luke 22:31-3231And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: 32But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. (Luke 22:31‑32))
In His perfect wisdom, the Lord saw that Peter was not learning the important lesson of dependence in his life, so He allowed him to fall. The result was that Peter learned through the fall what he should have learned at Jesus’ feet. In that incidence, the Lord did not “save” Peter from falling. I’m sure that He could have, but Peter wouldn’t have learned that needed lesson. This is very solemn indeed. It means that there may come a time in the Lord’s ways with us when He ceases to intercede for our keeping in a particular matter. However, let’s not get the idea that if we fail, we can blame the Lord, because we’re ultimately responsible for our own actions.
You see, there are two sides to our being kept. There is God’s sovereign side, which is seen in the exercise of Christ’s faithful priestly intercession, and there is also the believer’s responsibility side. While our keeping is the Lord’s work, He would have each one of us to be responsibly exercised about it. We are preserved only when both sides are in exercise. Hebrews 7:2525Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. (Hebrews 7:25) shows this. It says, “He is able also to save them to the uttermost [completely] that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them.” We have both sides of it here in this one verse. There is Christ’s “intercession,” but there is also our responsibility to “come unto God by Him.” That is, we have to express our dependence by coming to the Lord in prayer and asking Him to preserve us. When we do that, He’ll save us “completely” from every practical danger in the path.
We are dependent creatures, and we need to express it to the Lord every day of our lives. We need to pray, “Preserve me, O God: for in Thee do I put my trust” (Psa. 16:11<<Michtam of David.>> Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust. (Psalm 16:1)). Without such dependence, we’ll surely veer off course and make shipwreck of our Christian lives. Those who realize it cast themselves on the Lord and are preserved. Those who don’t, and are self-confident or careless, have to learn the lesson the hard way by failing in the school of hard knocks.
What Is the Cause Of Backsliding?
There are three main things—earmarks if you want to call them that—that appear in every departure (backsliding) from God. They are: defection in heart, a breakdown in separation, and the refusal to judge oneself.
1) Defection in Heart
Let’s turn to Proverbs 14:1414The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways: and a good man shall be satisfied from himself. (Proverbs 14:14): “The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways.” This verse shows us that backsliding starts in the heart—in the place of our affections. The simple fact is that a person backslides because something becomes defective in his or her heart. This defection in heart is always a result of something displacing (or diverting) our affection for Christ. The human heart cannot exist in a vacuum. It must have an object for its affections. If it is not Christ, it will be something else. What I’m saying here then is that backsliding results from our affections going out after something other than Christ, and this results in our affection for Him growing cold. If it is not judged, then our feet will be turned onto a course away from God.
Another passage of Scripture that would show that backsliding begins with the affections declining is Revelation 2:44Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. (Revelation 2:4); “Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.” In Revelation 2-3 we have the Lord’s addresses to the seven churches, which give us seven moral pictures depicting the successive stages through which the Church would pass in time, from the apostles’ days to the Lord’s coming. It’s a sad history, and mostly downward. The first step in that downward slide was that they left their “first love!” It was decay in the hearts’ affections that started the downward slide.
This means that we have to be especially careful to guard our hearts at all times, and not let our affections get drawn away by something other than Christ. That’s why we are warned, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life” (Prov. 4:2323Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. (Proverbs 4:23)). To this end, the Christian has been given a specific piece of armour to protect his heart. It’s called “the Breastplate of Righteousness” (Eph. 6:1414Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; (Ephesians 6:14)). A breastplate, you know, covers the breast, where the heart is—the place of the affections. It’s called the Breastplate of Righteousness because we are to be careful not to allow our hearts to go out after anything that is not characterized by righteousness. We hear people saying, “Oh, I just love that ... ” I know that it’s just an expression, but let’s be careful of what we allow ourselves to love. Is it something that is characterized by righteousness?
The scary thing about our hearts is that they are incredibly deceptive. When the affections begin to wane, we don’t realize it! Jeremiah said, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jer. 17:99The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9)). Ephraim (the ten tribes) illustrates this. They had gone after idols—in fact they were joined to them! (Hos. 4:1717Ephraim is joined to idols: let him alone. (Hosea 4:17)) As a result, “Gray hairs are here and there upon him, yet he knoweth not” (Hos. 7:99Strangers have devoured his strength, and he knoweth it not: yea, gray hairs are here and there upon him, yet he knoweth not. (Hosea 7:9)). Grey hair speaks of decline—aging. It refers to the decline in the people’s state of soul, but they didn’t know it!
Samson is another example. Delilah had stolen his heart away, and he didn’t even realize that, by it, he had become as any other man. He said, “I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself.” But it says, “And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him” (Jud. 16:20). The people that lived in Malachi’s day were in a similar state. When the prophet pointed out their sin and failure, they said, “Wherein” have we done this or that? They didn’t know what he was talking about. They honestly didn’t see it. This shows us that when the heart’s affections have gone after something we become insensible. The plain fact is that sin has a blinding effect on the soul—and that is a very sobering thing indeed.
Let’s turn now to Job 15:1212Why doth thine heart carry thee away? and what do thy eyes wink at, (Job 15:12) for another verse; “Why doth thine heart carry thee away? And what do thy eyes wink at ... ?” Job was being accused of backsliding, which was not the case, but the questions Eliphaz the Temanite asked are good for the backslider. Here again, we see that it’s something defective in the heart that causes one to be led away. Notice also, Eliphaz asked Job if there was something in his life that he was winking at. Winking in Scripture refers to passing over something (Acts 17:3030And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: (Acts 17:30)). His question is very good for us. Is there something that we excuse in our lives—something that we “wink at,” and unrighteously pass over? Maybe the Lord has been speaking to us about that thing, but we just excuse it. And low and behold, it is the very thing that is affecting our heart and causing us to grow cold!
It may be some simple thing. Perhaps it’s a recreation, or a sport—maybe a hobby, or maybe our business. You know, the devil’s ABC’s are ANYTHING BUT CHRIST. He will use anything he can to draw our hearts away from the Lord. It works like this: we might get interested in some innocent looking thing, and, as we enjoy it, more and more it begins to fascinate us. We become intrigued by it and give it more and more of our time, until it displaces the Lord in our affections—and we don’t even realize it!
Now I know that God has given us all things to richly enjoy (1 Tim. 6:1717Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; (1 Timothy 6:17)), but I’m not talking about that; I’m talking about when it crosses that line, and we become infatuated with it. Of course, if a person becomes infatuated with something, they’ll never admit it, for the very reason we’ve been speaking—our hearts get deceived! Nevertheless, what starts out as an innocent little thing grows in our affections until it is an idol in our lives. That is why the Apostle John closed his epistle with the warning, “Little children, keep yourselves from idols” (1 John 5:2121Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen. (1 John 5:21)). An idol, you know, is anything that comes between our hearts and the Lord. It displaces affection for Him, and essentially turns us into backsliders.
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The first tell-tale sign that an idol may be in a person’s life is that he talks enthusiastically about it when it comes up in conversation. You know what I mean; the pitch of his voice goes up a few notches. Furthermore, it always seems to come up in conversation with him or her! Whatever you happen to be talking about, sooner or later, if the discussion swings anywhere near the person’s pet subject, they’ll bring it up, and you have a hard time getting them off it. The old saying, “All roads lead to Rome,” kind of applies here—everything tends to go there with that person. It’s an obvious sign that that thing has captured his affections. The Bible says, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh” (Matt. 12:3434O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. (Matthew 12:34)). Since it’s in his heart, it’s never very far away from his thoughts, so naturally it comes up in conversation all the time.
Another indication that something has captured a person’s affections is that it begins to take an inordinate amount of time and money.
A third indicator is that you’ll find the person arguing for that thing, and defending it. If someone speaks out against it, he can quickly bring up the other side of it—whereby it is excused.
Now let’s soberly ask ourselves, “Do we have something in our lives that is demanding a lot of our attention? Has it been given some place in our affections, and is displacing Christ? Does it occupy a lot of time and money that could be otherwise used? Do we defend and excuse it, if somebody speaks out about it?” Let’s be honest with ourselves in this, and ask the Lord to search our hearts, and see if there be any wicked way in us, as the Psalmist did who said: “Search me, O God ... and see if there be any wicked way in me” (Psa. 139:23-2423Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: 24And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalm 139:23‑24)).
2) A Breakdown in Separation
Another thing that seems to mark every backslider is a breakdown in separation in his life. A backslider, as a rule, is usually careless about his or her associations, and it works to draw them away from the Lord.
Let’s turn to Hosea 7:8-118Ephraim, he hath mixed himself among the people; Ephraim is a cake not turned. 9Strangers have devoured his strength, and he knoweth it not: yea, gray hairs are here and there upon him, yet he knoweth not. 10And the pride of Israel testifieth to his face: and they do not return to the Lord their God, nor seek him for all this. 11Ephraim also is like a silly dove without heart: they call to Egypt, they go to Assyria. (Hosea 7:8‑11); “Ephraim, he hath mixed himself among the people [peoples]; Ephraim is a cake not turned. Strangers have devoured his strength, and he knoweth it not: yea, gray hairs are here and there upon him, yet he knoweth not. And the pride of Israel testifieth to his face: and they do not return to the LORD their God, nor seek Him for all this. Ephraim also is like a silly dove without heart: they call to Egypt, they go to Assyria.”
Here we have a classic example of what the lack of separation from the world will do. Ephraim “mixed himself” with “the peoples.” As a rule, when Scripture says “the people,” it’s referring to Israel. But when it says, “the peoples” (plural—a different word altogether in the original Hebrew) it’s the Gentile nations. The lament of the prophet here is that the ten tribes (called “Ephraim”) had mixed themselves with the Gentile nations (“the peoples”) who didn’t know the Lord. They didn’t keep separate from the Gentiles, and they turned their hearts away from the Lord. Ephraim is likened to a “cake not turned,” because they hadn’t allowed the fire of self-judgment to work in them thoroughly. There was a loss of their spiritual “strength,” and they were insensible to it. There was spiritual decay (“gray hairs”), and they didn’t know it (vs. 9). They refused to repent and “return to the LORD” (vs. 10). Moreover, their hearts had been stolen away, and they were like a “silly dove without heart” (vs. 11). All this can be traced to the breakdown of separation.
In Deuteronomy 7:1-41When the Lord thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou; 2And when the Lord thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor show mercy unto them: 3Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. 4For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the Lord be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly. (Deuteronomy 7:1‑4) it says, “When the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee,the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou; and when the LORD thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them: neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. For they will turn away thy son from following Me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly.”
God’s people were told very clearly to keep themselves separate from the Gentile nations, because they would corrupt them and turn them away from the Lord. It’s the very thing Israel didn’t do, and it led to their downfall. The Lord’s desire today for the Christian is no different. It is imperative that we walk in separation from the world, or we will be corrupted by it and turned away from following the Lord. Separation is for our preservation.
It is important to see that there are two parts to our separation; there is separation to the Lord, and there is separation from the world. Separation to the Lord should lead to separation from the things of the world. If our hearts go out to the Lord, they quite naturally will go away from the world. A true-hearted Christian wouldn’t want to entertain something that would displease the Lord Whom his heart goes out to! These two aspects of separation run throughout Scripture. For example, the Nazarite was to separate himself “unto the LORD,” but he was also to separate himself “from wine and strong drink,” etc. (Num. 6:2-32Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When either man or woman shall separate themselves to vow a vow of a Nazarite, to separate themselves unto the Lord: 3He shall separate himself from wine and strong drink, and shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat moist grapes, or dried. (Numbers 6:2‑3)). You see it again in the clothing the “virtuous woman” made for her family. She clothed her household in “double garments” (Prov. 31:2121She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet. (Proverbs 31:21) – margin). It speaks of an inner separation to God, and an outer separation from the world. The result was that she was not afraid of “the snow”—the cold elements of the world—because her children were well insulated from it.
The danger of worldliness is that it has a way of restricting the heart’s affections toward the Lord and His people, which connects with our first point—defection in heart. 2 Corinthians 6:11-1411O ye Corinthians, our mouth is open unto you, our heart is enlarged. 12Ye are not straitened in us, but ye are straitened in your own bowels. 13Now for a recompence in the same, (I speak as unto my children,) be ye also enlarged. 14Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? (2 Corinthians 6:11‑14) says, “O ye Corinthians, our mouth is open unto you, our heart is enlarged. Ye are not straitened in us, but ye are straitened in your own bowels [affections]. Now for a recompence in the same, (I speak as unto my children,) be ye also enlarged. Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers ... ” The Apostle Paul was saying that he and the other Christian workers with him had enlarged affections toward the Corinthians, but the Corinthians’ affections were hindered. Paul traces the cause of it to being “yoked together with unbelievers”—in other words, the world. A deterioration of affection for the Lord and His people is usually connected with the breakdown of separation from the world. It’s a plain fact that what restricts the heart’s affections for the Lord and His people is the world. You see a person getting cold in his soul, and you’ll see a parallel thing happening as well—he gets cold toward his brethren too. The world has a way of narrowing our heart’s affections; it’s as simple as that.
Another effect of worldliness is carelessness in the things of God. You’ll find that ones who do not walk in a very separated path are usually careless about the Lord’s things—in other words, they don’t read their Bibles much. God would have us to “apply” ourselves to divine things and prove the blessing of it (Prov. 2:1-9; 22:17-211My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; 2So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; 3Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; 4If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; 5Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. 6For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. 7He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly. 8He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints. 9Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path. (Proverbs 2:1‑9)
17Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thine heart unto my knowledge. 18For it is a pleasant thing if thou keep them within thee; they shall withal be fitted in thy lips. 19That thy trust may be in the Lord, I have made known to thee this day, even to thee. 20Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge, 21That I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee? (Proverbs 22:17‑21)). If we don’t, we’ll get into sin! Rehoboam is a striking example of this. “He did evil, because he prepared [applied] not his heart to seek the LORD” (2 Chron. 12:1414And he did evil, because he prepared not his heart to seek the Lord. (2 Chronicles 12:14)). Friends, I want to speak to you as clearly as possible. If your life is such that you’re distracted with worldly things, and you don’t apply yourself much to divine things, you have the formula for shipwreck! It’s a fact.
3) The Refusal to Judge Oneself
The third thing that you’ll see in a backslider is the refusal to judge himself, if and when he fails. Let’s turn to a verse in Proverbs 24, verse 16, “A just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again.” This verse shows that failure is not so much falling down as it is staying down! “A just man” is not someone who never sins, but one who has an honest heart and judges himself, if he sins. He confesses it to the Lord and rises again to walk in the path of faith (1 John 1:99If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)).
The opposite of this is falling and not rising again. Staying down is a refusal to get up and judge oneself! The main reason why people refuse to judge themselves is that they like what they’ve gotten into, and don’t want to get out of it. That’s when a person goes seriously off track. If it can be arrested at the point of the initial fall, the fluctuation of our state will be minimal. But if we don’t judge ourselves, there is no telling how far we may go from God.
What I’m saying here is that the real danger in backsliding lies in the unwillingness to judge sin, if and when it occurs. It is not so much that a believer sins that leads him into a course of backsliding, grievous as that is; it is, rather, the refusal to judge the sin and confess it to the Lord. Mr. Darby said that it is not the sin so much as it is the state that produced it that is the alarming thing. The worst possible state to be in is to have a will that is opposed to judging itself. It will take you far from God.
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Therefore, if a person is backsliding it is likely that these three things are at the bottom of it. To prevent backsliding in our lives we must watch against these things creeping in. We need to express our dependence on the Lord in prayer daily, asking that we would be preserved through His high priestly care. We also need to be exercised about keeping our hearts’ affections bright in the Lord, and not allowing anything to absorb our attention in an inordinate way. Furthermore, we must be careful to walk in separation, and to be quick to judge ourselves and confess any known sin to the Lord—be it in thought, word, or deed.
The Example of Peter’s Backsliding
God has recorded the failures of some of His people in the Scriptures so that we might learn from their mistakes. In the book of Proverbs this is called “the instruction of wisdom” (Prov. 1:3; 7:6-7; 24:30-343To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity; (Proverbs 1:3)
6For at the window of my house I looked through my casement, 7And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding, (Proverbs 7:6‑7)
30I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; 31And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down. 32Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction. 33Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: 34So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man. (Proverbs 24:30‑34)). Essentially, it’s learning through the unhappy experiences and failures of others. Someone put it this way, “Happy is the man who learns from his mistakes, but happier still is the man who learns from other people’s mistakes. But the happiest of all, is he who learns from the principles of the Word of God.” You don’t want to learn the lessons of life through failure. If you do that, you can make a mess out of your life pretty quickly. Instead, you can learn by looking at other people’s lives; but best of all, you can learn from the Word of God. If we sit at the Lord’s feet, and hear His Word, as Mary of Bethany did, we can learn all that we need for the path of faith. That’s the happiest of all!
With this in mind, I would like to look at Peter’s fall in the Word of God, and let the Lord teach us some valuable lessons from it. As we look at this, we don’t want to denigrate or criticize Peter, but learn from his mistakes. We want to read about his failures, putting our hand on our own hearts, realizing that we could have done the same thing.
We learn from Luke 22:31-3231And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: 32But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. (Luke 22:31‑32) that Satan sought to “sift” Peter. To “sift” something is to draw it out from the rest that it is mixed with. In Peter’s case, Satan wanted to get Peter out of the fold of the disciples. And that’s exactly what happened. It wasn’t long after he had been in the upper room with the Lord and the other disciples, eating the Lord’s Supper, that he got off by himself. And then he got into bad company where he denied his faith in the Lord.
Dear fellow Christian, Satan wants to sift you too! One of the things that we’ll see here, which is usually the case in every fall, is that it was preceded by a course of things that led to it. Brother Percy Clark used to tell us that in Mark 14 there are seven discernable steps downward in Peter’s case that led to his eventual denial of the Lord. We can also see those three distinguishing marks of a backslider, as well. I’d like to point these seven things:
1) Pride and Self-confidence
Picking up the narrative at Mark 14:2727And Jesus saith unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered. (Mark 14:27), the Lord announced to His disciples that they would be “offended” that night because of Him—and offended sheep would become “scattered” sheep. Peter replied by saying, “Although all shall be offended, yet will not I” (vs. 29). He thought that he was the Lord’s best disciple and boasted of it! He didn’t doubt the Lord’s words about the others failing, but he couldn’t see himself doing it. He didn’t esteem the others better than himself, as we are told to do (Phil. 2:33Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. (Philippians 2:3)). It was pride that was behind his self-confidence. And the Bible says, “Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Prov. 16:1818Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. (Proverbs 16:18)). This was what started Peter on a course of backsliding. W. T. P. Wolston said that this is the point where Peter actually fell; it was where communion with God was broken. If he had judged himself here, it would have been the end of it. The things that we are going to look at that follow this only prove that he didn’t judge the pride of his heart. In the end, his denying the Lord manifested the poor state that he was in all along.
The problem was that he trusted in his own heart and he underestimated the power of the flesh. The Bible warns, “He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool” (Prov. 28:2626He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered. (Proverbs 28:26)). He had become occupied with himself and his perceived strength, rather than the Lord, and he was deceived. It was defection in heart, even though he thought it was superior love for the Lord! This shows just how deceptive our hearts can be. Peter was on a slide, and he didn’t know it!
Now what can we learn from this? Well, we can be concerned that there might be secret pride and self- confidence in our hearts that we are unaware of. And, we can ask the Lord to search our hearts, and expose any wicked way in us, that we may judge it, before we get on a slide that takes us away from the Lord.
2) Refusing Correction
Let’s read on. “And Jesus saith unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this day, even in this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny Me thrice. But he spake the more vehemently, If I should die with Thee, I will not deny Thee in any wise” (Mark 14:30-3130And Jesus saith unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this day, even in this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. 31But he spake the more vehemently, If I should die with thee, I will not deny thee in any wise. Likewise also said they all. (Mark 14:30‑31)). Upon hearing Peter’s boast of not being offended, the Lord sought to reach him by telling him that he was already on a course that would lead to denying Him. This should have alarmed Peter and caused him to realize that he was off the mark. But he disregarded the warning and insisted otherwise. He as much as told the Lord that He was mistaken in thinking that he, His best disciple, would do that. Peter didn’t hear the Lord’s warning, and Proverbs says, “The poor heareth not rebuke” (Prov. 13:88The ransom of a man's life are his riches: but the poor heareth not rebuke. (Proverbs 13:8)).
The fact that the Lord said that it would happen that very night, only shows how fast we can get away from Him in our souls!
3) Losing Interest
Now let’s read on from verse 32, “And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and He saith to His disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray. And He taketh with Him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy; and saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch. And He went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And He said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto Thee; take away this cup from Me: nevertheless not what I will, but what Thou wilt. And He cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? Couldest not thou watch one hour? Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak” (Mark 14:32-3832And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray. 33And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy; 34And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch. 35And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. 36And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt. 37And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour? 38Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak. (Mark 14:32‑38)).
To arrest Peter’s downward slide the Lord brings him, with the other disciples, to Gethsemane. It’s the place, we know, where the Lord anticipated the cross and its sufferings. He was exceedingly sorrowful and “oppressed in spirit” (J. N. Darby Trans.), and He asked Peter to watch with Him in His hour of “agony” (Luke 22:4444And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. (Luke 22:44)). You would think that looking on the Lord’s sufferings like this would have touched Peter’s heart and caused him to search his soul. But Peter had lost interest; he fell asleep! The Lord woke him and told him to “pray” so that he would be preserved from “temptation,” because “the power of darkness” was present in the garden (Luke 22:5353When I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me: but this is your hour, and the power of darkness. (Luke 22:53)). Satan was there with all his emissaries seeking to press upon the Lord what it would cost to go forward and do the will of His Father at the cross (John 14:3030Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me. (John 14:30); Psa. 18:44The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid. (Psalm 18:4) – margin; Psa. 22:2121Save me from the lion's mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns. (Psalm 22:21)). He was certainly working to keep Peter on the downward course that he was on.
Now what about us here this afternoon? Are we losing interest in the Lord’s things? What has our attention been like in the meetings here today?
4) Fighting
Now let’s read verses 46-47, “And they laid their hands on Him, and took Him. And one of them that stood by drew a sword, and smote a servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.” Matthew, Mark, and Luke do not tell us who it was that drew the sword. It teaches us that, as fellow disciples, we should not expose one another’s failures unnecessarily. John, however, tells us that it was Peter (John 18:1010Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus. (John 18:10)). Perhaps it was more of a confession, because he felt somewhat responsible for Peter’s downfall, having helped him to get into the palace of the high priest, where he denied the Lord (John 18:1616But Peter stood at the door without. Then went out that other disciple, which was known unto the high priest, and spake unto her that kept the door, and brought in Peter. (John 18:16)).
We can see from this what getting out of communion, without knowing it, can do. It leads to wrong actions. Sin makes one insensible. Peter didn’t realize that he was on a slide. He thought that he was doing something good—he was going to protect the Lord! Peter may have thought that since he was fighting for the right side, that he was justified in what he did. He’s not alone in thinking this. If a difference among the saints arises over some issue, we have heard of brethren who think that because they are on the right side (and it may only be in their minds) that they are justified in fighting with their brethren and behaving in a fleshly way. They probably wouldn’t see it that way; they’d probably call it righteous indignation, or something like that, but really, it’s just the flesh. Well, it’s the same thing, in principle, as what Peter was doing here.
Friends, there is such a thing as standing for a right thing in a wrong way. Peter did not accomplish anything positive here. All he did was “cut off” somebody’s ear with his sword. The “sword” speaks of the Word of God (Heb. 4:1212For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12); Eph. 6:1717And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: (Ephesians 6:17)). To get aggressive with the sword, as Peter did, only hinders the work of God in a soul. If we get aggressive with the truth of the Word we can cut off a person’s “right ear” (Luke 22:5050And one of them smote the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear. (Luke 22:50)) in a spiritual sense, so that he won’t hear us. We don’t want to do that.
5) Separation Breaks Down
Now let’s read verse 54. “And Peter followed Him afar off, even into the palace of the high priest: and he sat with the servants and warmed himself at the fire.” We see here that Peter began to follow the Lord “afar off.” Moses said, “The beloved of the LORD shall dwell in safety by Him” (Deut. 33:1212And of Benjamin he said, The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by him; and the Lord shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders. (Deuteronomy 33:12)). But there is no promise of safety if we are at a distance in our souls from the Lord.
You know, it says in Psalm 1, “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.” But that was the very thing Peter was not doing! In Matthew 26:57-5857And they that had laid hold on Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled. 58But Peter followed him afar off unto the high priest's palace, and went in, and sat with the servants, to see the end. (Matthew 26:57‑58) we see Peter walking along with the scribes, elders and the others, as they led the Lord away. Then in John 18:1818And the servants and officers stood there, who had made a fire of coals; for it was cold: and they warmed themselves: and Peter stood with them, and warmed himself. (John 18:18) we read that he stood with them. And then, here Peter is sitting with them (Mark 14:5454And Peter followed him afar off, even into the palace of the high priest: and he sat with the servants, and warmed himself at the fire. (Mark 14:54)). This is very sad; Peter had gotten into bad company. And it’s in their company that he did things that he never thought he would do.
This is the second of those three marks of a backslider, mentioned earlier—separation from the world breaks down. It’s then that a person’s downward slide hastens like a snowball running downhill; it picks up momentum.
6) Lying
Now let’s read verses 66-68. “And as Peter was beneath in the palace, there cometh one of the maids of the high priest: and when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked upon him, and said, And thou also wast with Jesus of Nazareth. But he denied, saying, I know not, neither understand I what thou sayest. And he went out into the porch; and the cock crew.” Here we have a further step down in Peter’s slide; he lies about his identity. Under the peer pressure of the situation, he tries to hide his association with the Lord. He did not want to be identified with the Lord Jesus! What a change had come over him! The very one who boasted that he was ready to die for the Lord is now unwilling to be identified with him.
It says, “the cock crew.” The Lord had said that the cock would crow “twice;” this was the first time. It was one of those red lights the Lord puts in our pathway to warn us not to continue any further in a certain course. But Peter didn’t hear it. He was on a slide. When that cock crew the first time, Peter should have woken up and realized what he was doing and gotten out of there. Instead, we see Peter ignoring the need to judge himself. This is that third mark of a backslider that we mentioned earlier—the refusal to judge oneself and turn to the Lord. Oh how this speaks to our hearts, for we all know that the Lord has spoken to us in a similar way.
This kind of peer pressure is born of seeking acceptance with the wrong people. He failed to identify himself as being one of the Lord’s disciples when he was in front of that girl. Let me ask you, “Are there situations in your life where, in certain company, you have difficulty in confessing Christ, for fear of what they’ll think?” If it’s so, then it’s probably because you’re in the company of people that you shouldn’t be with. You know, Proverbs 29:2525The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe. (Proverbs 29:25) says, “The fear of man bringeth a snare.”
7) Denying the Lord with Oaths and Curses
Let’s read verses 70-72: “ ... And a little after, they that stood by said again to Peter, Surely thou art one of them: for thou art a Galilaean, and thy speech agreeth thereto. But he began to curse and to swear, saying, I know not this Man of whom ye speak. And the second time the cock crew. And Peter called to mind the word that Jesus said unto him, Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny Me thrice.” Here Peter falls deeper yet; he denies the Lord with oaths and curses. Should we be surprised that he would get to this? No, because once a course of backsliding begins there is no telling how far one might go. He never thought he would get this far away that fast. It’s solemn. Peter had to get to the bottom before there would be a turn around, and God let him go.
Life in the “Far Country”
We have a description of life away from God in the “far country” in the story of the Prodigal son (Luke 15:11-1711And he said, A certain man had two sons: 12And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. 13And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. 14And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. 15And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. 17And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! (Luke 15:11‑17)). What a sorrowful condition he was in, and it was of his own making!
First of all, he was not living in fellowship with his father. He had gone out from his father’s house and was living at a distance from him in “a far country” (vs. 13). This would speak of the loss of joy and communion. Friend, if the enjoyment of the love of Christ and the fellowship of God your Father has passed away in your heart, you are indeed in a miserable state. You’ve lost the best thing you could have in life!
He had also “wasted his substance” (money) on things that hadn’t satisfied him, and it left him broke—“in want.” Friend, is that what you’re doing? Are you spending your money and time on things, going here and there, but the net result is that you’re not satisfied—you’re “in want?” The Prodigal son was anything but happy. You know, having known the Lord, you’ll never be happy in the world because you’ve touched something higher. Every one of us has either learned, or is going to learn, that this world can’t satisfy. The sooner you realize it the better.
Furthermore, he was linked with a person (“a citizen of that country”) who wasn’t treating him very well. He experienced the coldness of the world. He learned that this world wants you for what it can get from you; and when you’ve got nothing left, it doesn’t want you anymore. They left him feeding on “the husks that the swine” eat! The best friends you could ever have are those of the Lord’s people who are going on with Him. He was on a hamster wheel going around and around but going nowhere. He was thoroughly disillusioned with life; however, he had to reach the bottom before he would look up. My friend, if you’re walking carelessly in the world, what is it going to take to get you to wake up? There is no food for your soul, no peace, no rest, when your heart is away from the Lord. I really don’t have to say that to you; you probably know it very well.
The following are some sad results that occur when a person departs in heart from the Lord. It’s really a cross-section of life in the “far country.”
These are very serious things indeed! If this describes your life, you need restoration. Nothing will be right until you get right with the Lord.
How Is a Backslider Restored?
Now I’d like to look at how a backslider is restored. At the beginning of this meeting we said that we can’t save ourselves, and we can’t keep ourselves, and if we fail, we can’t restore ourselves. How true this is. If a backslider is to be restored, it is the Lord who does it. He is to get all the credit. It’s true that the backslider must be duly exercised if restoration is to take place, because, just as there are two sides to our being kept, there are two sides to being restored—the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man. If we have failed, we can’t just take the position of saying, “It’s up to the Lord whether I get restored. I’m just waiting for Him to do it.” No, He wants us to be responsibly exercised about it.
The Advocacy of Christ
As mentioned, on one side we are helpless when it comes to our restoration. We are shut up to God. If anyone turns back to God it is a testament to His faithfulness to bring us back. Let’s read 1 John 1:99If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)–2:1-2: “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 that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His Word is not in us. My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: and He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for [the sins of] the whole world.” Simply put, we are restored because of the advocacy of Christ.
Now we might ask, “What exactly is the advocacy of Christ?” It is the work that Christ carries on to restore his people to communion if they have failed. He intercedes for us as our High Priest that we might be kept from falling, but He also intercedes for us as our Advocate, if we fall. He goes to the Father about our sad state, and, so to speak, points to His propitiatory work on the cross, and says, “I paid for those sins.” That’s why it says here, “He is the propitiation for our sins.” At the same time, the Spirit of God goes to our conscience, bringing to mind the sin (Gen. 42:21-2221And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us. 22And Reuben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? therefore, behold, also his blood is required. (Genesis 42:21‑22); Lev. 5:4-54Or if a soul swear, pronouncing with his lips to do evil, or to do good, whatsoever it be that a man shall pronounce with an oath, and it be hid from him; when he knoweth of it, then he shall be guilty in one of these. 5And it shall be, when he shall be guilty in one of these things, that he shall confess that he hath sinned in that thing: (Leviticus 5:4‑5)), and the love of Christ (Luke 22:6161And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. (Luke 22:61)). He will use the Word of God to exercise us too (Eph. 5:2626That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, (Ephesians 5:26)), occupying us with our state and the goodness of God (Rom. 2:44Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? (Romans 2:4)). He will also use discipline (Heb. 12:5-115And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: 6For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 7If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? 8But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. 9Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? 10For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. 11Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. (Hebrews 12:5‑11)). These things will produce repentance and confession that will lead to restoration (1 John 1:99If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)).
Now if you look at this passage as a whole, you’ll see that a person turns to God and confesses his sins (1 John 1:99If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)) because of the work of Christ as an Advocate (1 John 2:1-21My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 2And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:1‑2)). It’s unfortunate that men have put the chapter break in the middle of the subject. The first verse of chapter 2 indicates that Christ’s work as an Advocate goes into action “if any man sin.” This happens immediately upon the person sinning. The Lord starts the work of restoration in the soul. It doesn’t say, “If any man turns to Him and confesses his sin, He acts as our Advocate.” If He waited for us to turn to Him and confess our sin before He acted as our Advocate, we would never get restored, because left to ourselves, we will never turn to Him, for we can’t restore ourselves.
In the time of sin and failure, we do not go to Him without Him first working in us. You’ll notice that there is no exhortation in the Bible that says, “Restore thyself.” There is, however, something we are to do. It is to repent and confess our sin, but that only happens when the Lord, as our Advocate, has worked in us by the Spirit to cause us to turn. Christ’s work as our Advocate is not like a modern day lawyer. The lawyer works only when his client turns to him and engages his service. Christ as our Advocate works for our good before we turn to Him!
I remember a brother who returned to the meeting after several years of being away, having backslidden terribly, saying, “I’ve turned back to the Lord. I’m back!” But really what had happened was that the Lord had turned him back. This brother was taking the credit for turning back, not realizing that if the Lord hadn’t worked, he would not have returned to Him. He didn’t understand the helpless condition he was in, being totally shut up to God.
I would also point out that the word “little” is not really in the original text, because it’s not just little children who sin. It should read, “My children ... ” This shows that any one of the children of God can sin and get away from the Lord. An older one can fail as well as a younger one. In fact, if an older one sins, it is often more serious, because he or she can influence others in that path. Dave Whitaker used to say, “I’ve never yet seen a young person lead a division amongst the saints gathered to the Lord’s Name; it’s always older men”—and that’s quite true.
Notice also, it says, “If any man sin ... ” It doesn’t say, “When any man sin ... ” “If” indicates the possibility of sinning, but “when” suggests that sinning is a normal order of things in the life of the believer. However, sinning is not normal in Christianity; it is something abnormal. There is no need for any one of us to sin, but “if” one does, there is a provision so that that person can be restored. Sometimes we get the idea that in certain circumstances we just have to sin, but there is no truth to that. There is never a time when a child of God is justified in sinning.
Furthermore, it says that our “Advocate” is “with the Father.” This indicates that if a believer sins, he still has a relationship with God as his Father. It shows that he has not lost his salvation, as some mistakenly think. If it were so, then God would no longer be his Father. Nor would he need an Advocate; he would need a Saviour!
All of this points to the faithfulness of our God to restore His erring people. He is jealous of our affections; and will not let us continue in the paths of unrighteousness forever. Cost what it may, God will bring back the backslider!
Ten Differences Between the Priesthood of Christ and the Advocacy of Christ