The First Step Down

How does someone who once claimed to follow Christ get to the point where they say, “I’m no longer a Christian”?

It’s a series of steps and compromises that always lead to a statement like that. You just don’t wake up one morning and say, “I’m going to deny my faith and turn from God today.” No one falls away all at once.

For instance, the Devil might say to you in effect, “I never wanted you to become a Christian, but come on now. Be practical. You can still have a little fun.” He knows that’s the way he can gain a foothold in your life.

Sometimes I hear Christians asking, “Can I do this thing and still technically be a Christian?”

But is that really the best question they could be asking? I think a better one is this: “Because I’m a Christian, what can I do to get closer to God? What can I do to grow more spiritually?”

We all know about Simon Peter’s open denial of Christ. But where did it start? It started in the Upper Room, when Jesus told His disciples that one of them would betray Him, He would be crucified, and they all would desert Him.

But Peter said, “Even if everyone else deserts you, I never will” (Mark 14:29 NLT). He thought, “No way!”

So Jesus essentially told him, “Well, since you brought it up, Peter, you’re going to deny me three times.”

The Bible tells us, “Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18 NLT). Peter’s first step down started with a prideful attitude.

Don’t ever think that you can’t fall. Every Christian is capable of falling to the worst sins imaginable. We want to keep as much distance from evil as possible because it’s the small steps that lead to spiritual ruin.