Luke 9:62

Q: Does the verse Luke 9:62 talk about backsliders in the tense of they
were never saved?

A: Luke 9:62 states, "And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand
to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."

Though the emphasis here seems to be on discipleship, the phrase about
not being fir for the kingdom of God may put it in a different light. The
New Testament deals with a class of people that is often ignored today.
These are the people who seem to believe but quickly and permanently
return to their old ways. The Bible teaches that these people were
probably never saved.

1John 2:19 states, "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for
if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but
they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of
us." This verse is very clear. There are some who identify the absence of
true faith in their lives by their ability to go back to the world.
2Peter 2:20-22 compares them to a sow that returns to the mire; or, as we
might say, the pig returns to the pig pen. But notice, the pig never
became a sheep--it was still a pig. It just acted like a sheep for a
period of time.

This is not to say that all backsliders are false professors of the
faith. True backsliding can be done only by those who have truly gone
forward. In other words, a backslider is someone who truly knows God.
Yet, God tells us that a child of His is always His child and will be
treated as His child. This means that a true child of God who backslides
will be chastened as a child. God will scourge every son He receives
(Hebrews 12:6). He who does not receive chastisement is not a true son,
but is illegitimate (Hebrews 12:8).

How can we tell whether someone is backslidden or if he is not a true
believer? We cannot always tell. However, I see two indications of true
belief in one who has gone away from the Lord. First, he does not get
away with it. That is, God will chasten him in order to bring him back to
Himself. Second, he retains a desire to get right with God in his heart.
Paul talked about this desire to do right even though he kept doing wrong
in practice (Romans 7:15-25). This will be the experience of true
believers who get away from God. They will never have the same enjoyment
of sin that they once had. They will deal with greater guilt than before
and will have greater internal struggles. The Spirit of the Lord is in
them and they cannot go back to "business as usual" in the world.

I hope these comments help. May the Lord bless you.

Till He comes,

Pastor David Reagan

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