19 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, 20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
In John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, Christian and Hopeful discuss a character called Temporary. Temporary represents those who at some point show strong interest in the things of the Lord but later backslide and turn away. In this discussion, Bunyan not only explains why some are temporary in their Christian walk but then he also presents downward steps which gradually reveal that they have never been genuinely converted by the Lord.
1. As much as they can, they avoid thoughts of God, death, and future judgment.
2. Bit by bit, they avoid private spiritual duties such as reading Scripture, praying, fighting temptation, and confessing sin.
3. They begin avoiding the company of earnest Christians.
4. Gradually, they drift away from public Christian duties such as public worship and Bible study and corporate prayer meetings.
5. They start to find as much fault as they can in the lives of Christians as an excuse to throw off their own profession of faith.
6. They begin to closely associate with the wicked.
7. They begin to give way to sinful and wicked talk in secret.
8. They begin to play with little sins openly.
9. Eventually, they become very hardened and publicly show themselves for what they really are.
These are very bad signs. Notwithstanding their previous confession, these backsliders are actually unrepentant and unconverted. Unless God intervenes by a miracle of grace in order to rescue them, they will go to hell! They literally don't have a prayer ... except the prayer of repentance. Do you see yourself in this description? Then cry out to God for mercy in Christ. Do you see a fellow church member following that path? Then it is your duty to seek to reclaim and restore him! Remember that "…if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins."
Click here for background on the author of Are You For Real?: Meditations in the Epistle of James for Secret or Family Worship.
© 2025 The Orthodox Presbyterian Church
