"Gurnall's work is peerless and priceless; every line is full of wisdom; every sentence is suggestive. The whole book has been preached over scores of times, and is, in our judgment, the best thought-breeder in all our library."
Hearty praise!
What I want to do today is lay out three warnings Gurnall gives as symptoms for spiritual backsliding. I will do a follow-up post on How to Recover in the near future.
So, what are symptoms of declining grace? (The headings and quotes are Gurnall's words)
1. A Careless Attitude Toward Temptation -
"Has your conscience become so inattentive and drowsy that you give little thought to the devil's snares?" In other words, are you aware that temptation is real, and that we have a great enemy prowling around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8)? "When a person's conscience is numb to temptation, his graces are in critical condition." A drowsy conscience is a lazy conscience. What situations arise during your day that tempts you to complain? Be lazy? Lust? Think through those and be on guard! If you're unconcerned about them, this is a symptom of spiritual sickness.
But what about if you do recognize temptations? If you're not fighting against them, you're still in danger. "If your conscience is alert to temptation but heartless to fight against it, your graces must still be listed as very ill. A man who lets temptation loiter along the borders of his conscience proves himself a poor guardian of his godliness. If you do not take up arms against your enemy and seek God earnestly and fervently for deliverance, you may be sure that lust will soon gain the advantage over grace."
Sin is not something to be trifled with. Don't put yourself at risk. Don't see how far you can go in this or that scenario without sinning. Be alert that slothfulness, lust, anger, pride, and a litany of other sins are crouching at the door and ready to pounce if we exhibit carelessness toward them!
It's also important to note that the motivation for resisting temptation should be "God's reputation" as "He is the one most offended by your sin." In other words, it's not "God's grace in you" to resist temptation "if all you care about is your own reputation." Recognize and fight temptation for the glory of God and the good our your soul.
2. An Inantentive Attitude in Worship and Service -
We all go through seasons where corporate worship and personal time with the Lord are especially sweet. Gurnall warns us of the dangers of declining grace when "you find yourself going about your spiritual tasks out of habit rather than love."
"To hunger and thirst after righteousness is a sign of health, for a craving soul is a thriving soul. On the other hand, the soul that does not constantly cry out to God for spiritual food will grow weaker by the day." Man shall not live by bread alone (Deut. 8:3)! Are you in the Scriptures regularly because of your love for Christ?
Believers need a regular intake of God's Word and regular time alone with God. Furthermore, we need regular time with other Believers in the local church. When we begin to merely go through the motions of these duties or neglect them altogether, it is a symptom of 'declining grace.' As a pastor, one of the telltale indicators that something is spiritually out of sorts with a congregant is when they miss a few worship gatherings. The sobering reality is that the missing of corporate worship is a fruit issue of whatever is going on. In other words, the Christian can fade for some time before actually missing church. So, the point is to be aware enough of our spiritual state to know when it is "time to repair your armor."
I would also note that because of the depravity of the human heart, we need other mature Believers regularly speaking into our lives as a way to help us avoid 'backsliding' (see Heb. 3:12-13 for example). My sinful eyes aren't quite enough to watch over my own soul. I need others willing to help me, and so do you.
3. An Obsessive Attitude Toward your Work -
"How easy it is to let the responsibilities of job and family leave us in a less spiritual frame of mind than we once possessed. If we let them, the cares of this world will follow us into our prayer closets and cleave to our spirits, giving a stale, earthly odor to our prayers and meditation."
Concern for good things can become a problem when it is obsessive. When we take our eyes off of Christ and begin to "put too much stock in our worldly estate" we are in danger spiritual decline.
"If you will labor less to promote your earthly account and pray harder to improve your fund of grace, you will soon find your soul at peace with God's providence."
What do you think of Gurnall's warnings? Sadly, we often posit a view of the Christian life that is way too passive. As if we just pray this prayer one time, and then continue on in life unconcerned about our walk with the Lord until we die and go to heaven. The reality is, the Christian life is a battle. While all true Believers will endure to the end, this doesn't mean that spiritual decline won't result in dire consequences for us and those around us (the quickest example I can think of off the top of my head is David's sin with Bathsheba).
We often use the excuse of "everybody sins" to justify our bad habits or even sinful practices. But Gurnall warns us to take note of our spiritual state and to strive to "stand firm" in grace so that we might not be maimed by the continual onslaught the devil throws our way and so that we may be wary of the snares he lays before us regularly.
Take account of your walk with the Lord. Are any of the above symptoms noticeable in your life? If so, don't stay in such a dreadful state! Go to Christ, go to Scripture, and consult with mature Christians that you may be a Christian in complete armor.
A follow-up post will elaborate more on How to Recover from Declining Grace
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