They Went Back and Walked with Him No More
“From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. “ (John 6:66) This is certainly one of the most depressing passages within the New Testament. To think these disciples had been fed to the full via His miracle, then followed Him to the other side of the sea and heard Him prove He was the bread of eternal life, only to reject Him and walk with Him no more is devastating! The passage doesn’t mean these followers would later change their minds and return to walking with Him. It means they would never return to walking with Him: they believed Him to be a fraud, even after they had benefitted from His graciousness. Surely it was as hurtful to Jesus as those who would literally spit in His face! To us, it would undoubtedly feel as if those we had tried desperately to help were despising our efforts and hated us for trying to help them!
Unfortunately, there are souls today doing exactly the same thing! After they have heard the gospel of Christ and obeyed it, they return to the weak and beggarly elements of this world, just as hogs that are washed return to wallowing in the mud, or dogs vomiting and returning to eat the vomit. (Galatians 4:9; 2 Peter 2:22). Peter says of such souls, “For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.” (2 Peter 2:21) How shameful to see souls toss away their hope of salvation as if it was no big deal.
Of these who go back, many are determined to live their lives as they choose rather than the way Christ’s word teaches them to live (1 Petr 2:21 – 25). After being carefully advised of God’s word regarding their error, they still believe they are “better off” without Christ than with Him. Remember, we are talking about those who once knew the Lord and obeyed Him. The Hebrew writer says of these souls, “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.” (Hebrews 6: 4 – 6) These souls are so arrogant in their thinking that they believe they can control every situation and correct every problem of their lives without the guidance of Christ Jesus. Let Christ answer such foolish thinking: “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” (John 15:5)
When souls (both men and women) permit themselves to think they can be just as righteous without Christ as they can be with Him, they are proving their ignorance (pronounced either ig NOR ance or IG nor ance). Either way, they are conducting their lives like the condemned Pharisees, who would say and do not (Matthew 23:3). They are the present personification of souls during the time of the judges, Of them, the writing says, “In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” (Judges 17:6; 21:25). The only difference is Christ is King! These refuse to accept this fact; a fact they once proclaimed. They have returned to godlessness! (Romans 1:21 – 25)
The eternal destiny of these souls is well known, even to themselves! Still, their hatred for the requirements of salvation that they once embraced overwhelms their lives in favor of their riotous living. While they know the wages of sin is death, they nonetheless request those wages in exchange for the gift of God. How eternally foolish!
There is an alternative for them; an alternative that can and will grant them forgiveness for their sins, hope again of eternal life, and a God who will not leave nor forsake them! That alternative is REPENTANCE! Some will ask for forgiveness first, thinking they can “work on the repentance later.” But note 1 John 1:5 – 10. “This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” Did you notice the emboldened, underlined phrase? What must precede forgiveness? – CONFESS YOUR SINS! Identifying them leads to CHANGING YOUR WAYS regarding those confessed sins. THEN, you ask forgiveness, having shown “fruits meet for repentance” (i.e., works showing your repentance from sin.) (Acts 26:20)
Why many go back and walk no more with Christ is still somewhat of a mystery to me. Having known truth and righteousness, why some reject it in favor of an abundance of sin seems absolutely irrational to me, because it is! Yet, every soul has a “choice” with their eternity: they can obey the gospel and live faithfully unto death and receive eternal life (Revelation 2:10) or they can live as wickedly as they desire and eventually hear Jesus say, “Depart from Me ye cursed. I never knew you.” Though that doesn’t sound like a “choice” to me, it is and God will allow you to toss aside every blessing in Christ you wish to reject (Ephesians 1:3). Just remember, with every choice comes consequence. “You get what you pay for,” is an old adage that remains very true. You give your life to Christ and let Him keep it, you have eternal life. You give it to Him and then take it back, thinking you can do a better job with it than He can, you lose it all for eternity!
Let each of us walk WITH Him, never away from Him! Let us prove our love for Him daily as we eagerly long for eternity with Him!