Falling Forward: What to Do When You Fail on the Highway
Drawn from the teaching of Professor Gary S. Maxey · 2 min read
Every believer fails. The question is what he does next. Professor Gary Maxey says clear teaching about failure on the journey is urgently needed in the church. He draws on his own painful story.
His own failure
In his book on the Highway of Holiness, Professor Maxey shares that after entering the Highway he went through a prolonged struggle. It lasted about two years. He says the first cause was that he did not understand temptation. He thought it meant he had failed. He says temptation is normal for believers and unbelievers alike, and even Jesus was severely tempted.
The second cause was a failure to see how tenacious God's love is. He fell back into an old picture of a God who was angry with him and ready to abandon him. Satan whispers that because you have been tempted, you have already failed, so you may as well sin boldly.
He now says that this was a lie. He recalls being out of fellowship with God needlessly for long periods.
Backsliding defined
Professor Maxey also corrects a common confusion. A backslider, he writes, is not someone who has fallen to a temporary temptation. A backslider is a person who has deliberately set his face against God and decided to leave the faith. A struggling pilgrim is different.
Fall forward
His advice to anyone overwhelmed by temptation who momentarily falls is to fall forward. Run immediately back to a loving Savior who is more than ready to receive you. John wrote so that we would not sin, and added that if anyone sins we have an Advocate with the Father (1 John 2:1). Professor Maxey says there is absolutely no reason to wait.
He also reminds readers that God provides a way of escape (1 Corinthians 10:13) and never lets a believer be tempted beyond what he can bear.
Peter fell too
He points to Peter, who failed after Pentecost by drawing back from Gentile believers at Antioch (Galatians 2). A transformed saint can still stumble.
Restoring others
Professor Maxey says one of the church's greatest duties is restoring fallen believers. Paul says those who are spiritual should restore such a person in a spirit of gentleness (Galatians 6:1).
What to do now
If you failed recently, do not carry it another day. Confess it, accept forgiveness, and tell one trusted person. If you know someone who failed, go to him gently this week.
Drawn from the teaching of Professor Gary S. Maxey.
