Backsliding

From Backsliding:

The unity of His Body is a matter of great concern to Jesus Christ. The entire prayer of John seventeen focuses on this. Many of the Apostolic letters plead for unity. Clear biblical guidelines have been laid down for its preservation and its restoration when broken. Every individual with a heart in tune with God is deeply concerned about the unity of the Church. This unity cannot be broken without grief to the believer. The godly person will do nothing to break the unity, nor will he remain silent while others are destroying it.

Not so with the backslider. What does the unity of the Church mean to him? He finds no problem in splitting a church over insignificant issues. If no doctorinal difference is available over which to divide the "One Body," the backslider is content to divide it over personalities. He feels no great grief when the fellowship of believers is broken any more than he feels joy when the fellowship is preserved in unity. Personal concerns are always of greater importance to him than overwhelming biblical truth. Like the apostates Jude renounced, backsliders separate themselves for sensual reasons (verse 19) While Jesus pronounced His blessing upon the peacemaker, the backslider is content to find his blessing elsewhere.