Having been born again eight years ago and in ministry for not less than four years, I’ve seen several people who caught the fire of the Lord at an early stage of their spiritual walk; yet dwindled in the faith. Some even stopped church totally for reasons known to only them. The question is this: “How do people dwindle from the faith?” and how can we bring them back into spiritual stability stronger than ever before?
What causes people to err from the truth
1. Wrong association
The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 15:33 (NKJV) that,
Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.”
From the scripture above, when a Christian has his close friends as unbelievers, they pose a threat to his stability in his walk of faith; because they’ll influence him negatively, especially if he’s not well-vested in the knowledge of God’s Word to manage relationships well.
Indeed, there’s no friendship without influence. And since many of us believers see ourselves during church gatherings alone, the potential of having wrong associations with people is high. I believe this is one thing we can control with the help of the Spirit. That is, to build the right associations with like-minded people in Christ, whom we can relate to frequently.
2. Wrong decisions
James 5:19-20, which appears to be the central scripture I got the theme of this article from, says something about how to bring back the erring one into the faith and a reason why they err from the truth.
[19] “Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, [20] let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.”
James 5:19-20 NKJV (boldface mine)
The bolded part of the scripture shows that some people go astray in the Lord because of a wrong way of life they live.
How you think affects how you live. In fact, your future depends on the day-to-day decision you make.
Now if right decisions and associations are paramount in ensuring a believer stays consistent in his walk with God, guess what will help him bring back those who err from the truth? Isn’t it the same thing? Yes. But you see, foreseeing the result of what you do empowers you to do it better. So restoring a person who has dwindled in his race of faith has positive effects, both on the doer and the wanderer.
How you think affects how you live. In fact, your future depends on the day-to-day decision you make.
#1 – The wanderer’s soul will be saved from death
Maybe you’ll ask, “Can the soul of a man die?” Yes, it’s obvious in scripture.
[20] “let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.”
James 5:20 NKJV (boldface mine)
The word “death” in the Bible verse above means two things.
- Physical death of the one who has erred from the faith, overseen by God Himself to prevent a harsher punishment on his life when he commits future sins.
- Unresponsiveness to God’s voice, hence losing direction in life due to heavy involvement in evil acts.
When you take the pains to bring back the erring one to the faith, you save him from encountering premature death and lack of direction in life. He might not see the importance of your love and work in his life. But be encouraged. Do it as God leads you, and He will reward you.
#2 – You’ll cover a multitude of sins
The Word says in 1 Peter 4:8 (NKJV) that,
And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.”
God’s love seeks the good of whoever it’s made manifest to. That is why He loves you despite your faults. So if God, who’s love, dwells in you who’s standing firm in the faith, then you have the grace to express that love to those backsliding by encouraging them to come to Jesus.
Some of these wanderers don’t see the importance of pursuing a deeper intimacy with God. That’s why they usually do what they do. Help them to stop their evil acts by praying for them and teaching them God’s Word consistently. Because of a truth, if you help them become strong spiritually, you’ll cover a multitude of sins they would have engaged in later in the future.
I hope this article was a blessing to you.