21 Bible Verses about Backsliding

Jesus said unto him, "No man that putteth his hand to the plough, and looketh back, is apt to the kingdom of God."

Wherefore a lion out of the wood shall hurt them, and a wolf in the evening shall destroy them. The cat of the mountain shall lie lurking by their cities, to tare in pieces all them that come thereout. For their offenses are many, and their departing away is great.

For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and ye will fall upon the sword: because ye are turned away from the LORD, and therefore the LORD will not be with you."

As for such as turn back unto their own wickedness, the LORD shall lead them forth with the evil doers; but peace shall be upon Israel.

But your misdeeds have separated you from your God, and your sins hide his face from you, that he heareth you not.

And the messengers went with letters of the hand of the king and of his lords throughout all Israel and Judah, at the commandment of the king; which said, "Children of Israel, turn again unto the LORD God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, and so will he turn to the remnant of you that are escaped out of the hands of the king of Assyria.

Therefore, O ye children of Israel, turn again from that infidelity wherein you drowned yourselves.

and therefore go preach these words toward the north, and say, 'Thou shrinking Israel, turn again, sayeth the LORD; and I will not turn my face from you, for I am merciful, sayeth the LORD. And I will not always bear displeasure against thee:

O ye shrinking children, turn again, sayeth the LORD: and I will be married with you. For I will take one out of the city, and two out of one generation from among you, and bring you out of Zion:

"O ye shrinking children, turn again, saying, "Lo, we are thine, for thou art the LORD our God!" And so shall I heal your backturnings.

Ye did run well. Who was a let unto you, that ye should not obey the truth?

But I fear, lest as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, even so your wits should be corrupt from the singleness that is in Christ.

O foolish Galatians: who hath bewitched you, that ye should not believe the truth, to whom Jesus Christ was described before the eyes, and among you crucified? This only would I learn of you: Received ye the spirit by the deeds of the law? Or else by preaching of the faith? Are ye so unwise, that after ye have begun in the spirit, ye would now end in the flesh?

Ye are gone quite from Christ as many as are justified by the law, and are fallen from grace.

Upon this complaint, I thought thus by myself: Is not Ephraim my dear son? Is he not the child, with whom I have had all mirth and pastime? For since the time that I first communed with him, I have him ever in remembrance: therefore my very heart driveth me unto him; gladly and lovingly will I have mercy upon him, sayeth the LORD.

and therefore go preach these words toward the north, and say, 'Thou shrinking Israel, turn again, sayeth the LORD; and I will not turn my face from you, for I am merciful, sayeth the LORD. And I will not always bear displeasure against thee:

Yet if my people that are named after my name, shall humble themselves and pray and seek my presence, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and be merciful to their sins, and will heal their land.

That when the house of Judah heareth of the plague, which I have devised for them, they may peradventure turn, every man from his wicked way, that I may forgive their offenses and sins."

Alas for this sinful nation, which are expert in blasphemies; a seed of ungracious people, corrupt in their ways. They have forsaken the LORD; they have provoked the holy one of Israel unto anger, and are gone backward.

An unfaithful person shall be filled with his own ways; but a good man will beware of such.

"Doubtless our own wickedness reward us: But LORD do thou according to thy name, though our transgressions and sins be many.

My people hath no lust to turn unto me, their prophets lay the yoke upon them, but they ease them not of their burden.

Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their backs, and slew thy prophets, which exhorted them so earnestly, that they should convert unto thee, and did great blasphemies.

have marred all: they are turned at once out of the way which I commanded them, and have made them a calf of molten metal, and have worshipped it and have offered thereto and have said, 'This is thy God thou Israel, which hath brought thee out of the land of Egypt.'"

And the LORD said unto me, "The shrinking Israel is more righteous than the unfaithful Judah:

For Israel is gone back like a wanton cow. The LORD therefore shall make her feed, as the lamb that goeth astray.

For our offenses are many before thee, and our sins testify against us. Yea, we must confess that we offend, and acknowledge that we do amiss: Namely transgress and dissemble against the LORD, and fall away from our God: using presumptuous and traitorous imaginations, and casting false matters in our hearts. And therefore is equity gone aside, and righteousness standeth far off; truth is fallen down in the street, and the thing that is plain and open, may not be showed.

but on this condition, that thou know thy great blasphemy: Namely, that thou hast unfaithfully forsaken the LORD thy God, and hast made thyself partaker of strange gods under all green trees, but hast had no will to hear my voice, sayeth the LORD.

"Doubtless our own wickedness reward us: But LORD do thou according to thy name, though our transgressions and sins be many. For thou art the comfort and help of Israel in the time of trouble. Why wilt thou be as a stranger in the Land, and as one that goeth over the field, and cometh in only to remain for a night? Why wilt thou make thyself a coward, and as it were a giant that yet may not help? For thou art ours, O LORD, and we bear thy name; therefore forsake us not."

Turn us again, O God: show the light of thy countenance, and we shall be whole.

Turn us then, O God our Saviour, and let thine anger cease from us.

O LORD, turn thou us unto thee: and so shall we be turned. Renew our days as in old time,

I will hearken what the LORD God will say concerning me; for he shall speak peace unto his people, and to his saints, that they turn not themselves unto foolishness.

Wherefore, let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall.

Well is him that standeth always in awe; as for him that hardeneth his heart, he shall fall into mischief.

And thou, which art the doer and hast the matter in hand: shall provide for peace, even the peace that men hope for in thee. Hope still in the LORD, for in the LORD God is everlasting strength.

An unfaithful person shall be filled with his own ways; but a good man will beware of such.

Thine own wickedness shall reprove thee, and thy turning away shall condemn thee: that thou mayest know and understand, how evil and hurtful a thing it is, that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, and not feared him, sayeth the LORD God of Hosts.

Whoso leadeth the righteous in to an evil way, shall fall into his own pit; but the just shall have the good in possession.

But whosoever offend one of these little ones, which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

Brethren, if any man be fallen by chance into any fault, ye which are spiritual, help to amend him, in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.

Brethren if any of you err from the truth, and another convert him, let the same know, that he which converted the sinner from going astray out of his way, shall save a soul from death, and shall hide the multitude of sins. {Here ends the General Epistle of James}

But the just shall live by faith. And if he withdraw himself, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.

For if they, after they have escaped from the filthiness of the world through the knowledge of the Lord, and of the saviour Jesus Christ, they are yet tangled again therein and overcome: then is the latter end worse with them than the beginning.

Wherefore then is this people and Jerusalem gone so far back, that they turn not again? They are ever the longer, the more obstinate, and will not be converted.

"Doubtless our own wickedness reward us: But LORD do thou according to thy name, though our transgressions and sins be many.

"Ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and since the time of your forefathers have ye not kept them. Turn you now unto me, and I will turn me unto you, sayeth the LORD of Hosts. Ye say, 'Wherein shall we turn?' Should a man use falsity and deceit with God, as ye use falsity and deceit with me? Yet ye say, 'Wherein use we deceit with thee?' In tithes and heave offerings. Therefore are ye cursed with penury, because ye dissemble with me, all the sort of you. read more.
Bring every tithe into my barn, that there may be meat in mine house: and prove me withal, sayeth the LORD of Hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven unto you, and pour you out a blessing with plenteousness.

Though he fall, he shall not be hurt, for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.

For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again; but the ungodly fall into wickedness.

My people hath no lust to turn unto me, their prophets lay the yoke upon them, but they ease them not of their burden.

For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again; but the ungodly fall into wickedness.

"O ye shrinking children, turn again, saying, "Lo, we are thine, for thou art the LORD our God!" And so shall I heal your backturnings.

I will heal their obedience and will love them of mine own accord: for my wrath is ceased from them.

Jesus said unto him, "No man that putteth his hand to the plough, and looketh back, is apt to the kingdom of God."

I marvel that ye are so soon turned from him that called you in the grace of Christ, unto another gospel:

But turned their backs, and fell away like their forefathers, starting aside like a broken bow.

When God heard this, he was wroth, and took sore displeasure at Israel,

But he denied before them all saying, "I know not what thou sayest." When he was gone out into the porch, another wench saw him, and said unto them that were there, "This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth." And again he denied with an oath that he knew the man. read more.
And after a while, came unto him they that stood by, and said unto Peter, "Surely thou art even one of them, for thy speech betrayeth thee." Then began he to curse and to swear, that he knew not the man. And immediately the cock crew.

"It repenteth me that I have made Saul king. For he is turned from me and hath not performed my commandments." Wherefore Samuel was evil apaid and cried unto the LORD all night.

Nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee, for thou hast left thy first love.

An unfaithful person shall be filled with his own ways; but a good man will beware of such.

Pride goeth before destruction; and after a proud stomach there followeth a fall.

Nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee, for thou hast left thy first love.

And because iniquity shall have the upper hand, the love of many shall abate.

But now, seeing ye know God - yea rather are known of God - how is it that ye turn again unto the weak and beggarly ceremonies, whereunto again ye desire afresh to be in bondage?

Thine own wickedness shall reprove thee, and thy turning away shall condemn thee: that thou mayest know and understand, how evil and hurtful a thing it is, that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, and not feared him, sayeth the LORD God of Hosts.

Then was the LORD angry with Solomon because his heart turned from the LORD God of Israel which appeared unto him twice,

I will take no wicked thing in hand. I hate the sin of unfaithfulness; it shall not cleave unto me.

I will go, and return to my place, till they wax faint, and seek me.

I will take no wicked thing in hand. I hate the sin of unfaithfulness; it shall not cleave unto me.

But and if ye shall go back and cleave unto the rest of these nations that remain with you and shall make marriages with them, and shall go to them and they come to you: be sure that the LORD your God will not cast out all these nations before you. But they shall be snares and traps unto you, and scourges for your sides, and pricks in your eyes, until ye perish from off this good land which the LORD your God hath given you.