I have not written thus far on the latest sad case of a Christian leader and his very public fall, partly because I likely would not say much of anything different from past articles that I penned discussing Christian leaders and pastors who had sinned in a similar fashion. The same biblical principles apply, although individual circumstances will of course vary.
I do not know all the details about this latest case, and in some ways, I do not really want to know. But the very first reaction of any real deal Christian upon hearing about a well-known Christian who has a sexual – or other – fall should be one of prayer: pray for the one who has fallen and all those adversely affected by it.
It should not in any way be a reaction of ‘I knew it’ or some sort of glee in pointing out his sins and rejoicing in any way in his fall. These things should sadden us greatly, and they should send us straight to our knees, praying not just for the latest situation, but indeed, praying for ourselves.
So we all now should be praying for Steve Lawson. The 73-year-old preacher at Trinity Bible Church in Dallas, and President of OnePassion Ministries, and a major figure in the Reformed world, has stepped down due to an “inappropriate relationship” with a woman.
He is well known as an able expositor of Scripture. He was mentored by R. C. Sproul and has taught at Ligonier Ministries, and he was also associated with John MacArthur and his Masters Seminary in California. I just looked it up, and I own seven of his books.
Speaking of which, when Ravi Zacharias also sadly started to go off the rails toward the end of his ministry, his publishers and Christian booksellers pulled his books. I have all of his books, and will still hold on to them, with so much value found in them. The same with Lawson’s books.
But let me repeat a few basic principles that always must be kept in mind in such situations. Two vital biblical texts MUST be kept in mind always at times like this. The first is 1 Corinthians 10:12 which says: “Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.”
And the second passage actually follows immediately from the first. First Corinthians 10:13 says this: “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation, he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”
While other passages can be mentioned here – and I will share a few more in a moment – these two pretty well cover how we should look at these matters. The most important thing to do is simply remember who we are. And we are all frail, fallen and fallible creatures – even as Christians.
Verse 10 gives us the exact attitude that we all should have. If you are looking down at Lawson right now and viewing him with disgust, then you need to remember what Paul has written here. The one standing, looking down on a fallen brother, is a prime candidate for falling as well. ‘Pride goes before the fall’ (Proverbs 16:18).
None of this is to make excuses for sin, nor is it to pretend what happened was no big deal. Sin can never be excused, sin is always horrific, and sin always has terrible consequences. And there is not a Christian on the planet who has not fallen in so many ways. It may not be this sort of sin, but many other sins nonetheless have occurred.
Moreover, we are foolish in the extreme if we go around bragging, ‘Well, I am better than him – I never committed adultery.’ Um, go back to the words of Jesus please: “But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:28). I am pretty sure that includes all believers everywhere.
Some real humility is essential here. In this case, an often-misused saying is still relevant: “There, but for the grace of God go I.” Again, this is NOT to minimise sin nor make any justification for it. It is simply to keep us from adding more sin in this case – the sin of pride.
At this point let me mention something that occurred a few days ago. I had been asked by a terrific Christian leader to give a short devotional on sexual integrity to an online prayer group. After some thought and prayer, I decided to speak on 1 Peter 4:17 which tells us that judgment must begin in the household of God.
I told the group that we must keep an eye on ourselves and our churches. That does NOT mean we can never speak to sins in the world until the church is perfect, for the simple reason that the church never will be perfect, since no Christian ever will be perfect in this life.
I then actually mentioned both Zacharias and Lawson as examples of this. I then finished by quoting two other American Christian leaders. I had just come upon both these quotes in the past few days, and they seemed to be God-sent – not just coincidences!
Voddie Baucham had said this: “The wisest man in the Bible fell into sexual sin, the strongest man in the Bible fell to sexual sin, and the godliest man in the Bible fell to sexual sin. For me to think I’m above falling into this sin is to think that I’m wiser than Solomon, stronger than Samson, and godlier than King David.”
And John Piper said this in a moving sermon:
Some of you might say, ‘Wait, there are as many PhDs in theology who commit adultery as less-educated people.’ To which I would say, ‘Probably more.’ Why is it that people with PhDs in theology commit adultery? They don’t know God. You can read theology ten hours a day for forty years and not know God as beautiful and all-satisfying — as the highest treasure of your life. Who cares about knowing God the way the devil knows God? He hates everybody. His knowledge of God helps him hate people.
You can listen to that here:
I closed my remarks by saying that there are just 18 inches between heaven and hell, between a godly life and a carnal life: that is the distance from the head to heart. We all can have plenty of head knowledge about what is right and good. But it has to pierce our very soul; it has to capture our heart.
When I finished, the organiser said that was not what he had originally wanted me to speak on, but he said it was what we needed to hear. I guess the older I get, the more I am aware of my daily and hourly need for grace. I need it every moment.
Sure, I will still call out sin, still deal with the culture wars, and still seek to be salt and light. But the more I know who God is, and the more I know myself, the more I know how weak and fragile I am, and how much I need God every second of my life. As I just wrote in a piece yesterday:
It was John Calvin in his Institutes of the Christian Religion who famously spoke of the need for a proper basis of all true knowledge: the knowledge of God and knowledge of ourselves. And in that order. As we begin to know God as he really is, that cannot but help impact us and help us to see ourselves more truly and more accurately. As we get more and more genuine knowledge and understanding of God and self, the only real result should be for us to be humbled.
Another very important passage worth highlighting in this regard is Galatians 6:1-3: “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.”
That is a crucial word to keep in mind. But let me wrap things up by sharing just a bit from some others. Many articles and podcasts have already come out over the past week on this case. Let me briefly mention a few, and just share a few quotes or thoughts that I found to be helpful from each one.
Albert Mohler has a 13-minute talk on this. He said that none of us should look at this with any sense of moral superiority, and he said that “no man at any age is beyond temptation and the risk of falling.” And he mentioned something a pastor had told him: ‘You will not have sex with a woman not your wife if you are never alone with a woman not your wife.’
James White also spoke to this for around 13 minutes. Two quick quotes from him: “You cannot ground your faith in men.” “All of your favourite people are going to disappoint you at some time or another. Maybe not on this level, but…”
Alley Beth Stuckey spent some 48 minutes on this. One quote: “Satan is loving this … Sin makes you stupid. That’s what Satan does: he exaggerates the pleasures of sin and minimises its consequences.” She says that yes, we all sin, as did King David, but we must not minimise sin.
Speaking of David, one last commentator, Tim Meshginpoosh, wrote a piece on this. He looks at King David and his sins, and all the many consequences that followed this, even though he was forgiven. He said this is what leaders who fall need to do:
You need to be honest about what you did. This was not an “oopsie.” You cut corners on integrity at various stages in your life. You put your gratification before the vows you made to your wife, God, and the Church.
If you’re going to use King David as an example, then look to how he sought to make it right with Bathsheba. He chose their son Solomon as his successor. Likewise, you need to take ownership of that baggage and work—as far as it depends on you—to settle matters with those you have wronged.
While your sins are forgivable—thank God that God forgives all manner of sin—you must accept your consequences, which may include permanent disqualification from church office. The Church doesn’t owe you a job.
While it is fair to grieve that such ministers—some of whom have been helpful for us at key times in our lives—have failed terribly, we should also grieve for their victims, demanding full accountability, honesty, and transparency. And while we should all want their restoration to the Body of Christ, we also need to hold the line for Biblical requirements for church office. In other words, your pastor is not King David.
Afterword
The online prayer group that I mentioned above is well worth joining. And the month of October will be devoted to the issue of sexual integrity.
