Sexual sin is a serious problem in the modern church. It is worse when committed by those who are entrusted with the spiritual care of God’s flock (1 Tim. 5:17-20; Jam. 3:1). When church leaders or church congregations try to play it down, mitigate it, cover it up, and then as soon as possible move on as if nothing ever happened, a great disservice is done to the Lord and His precious Bride, the Church.

The internet is aflame with commentary on the recent revelation of the removal of Dr. Steve Lawson as pastor of Trinity Bible Church of Dallas due to an “inappropriate relationship.” The statement from the elders declares in part that they were “informed by Steve Lawson” of the issue. The details are sketchy, and I hope the elders will provide more clarity soon.
The elders’ statement includes the warning that we should all “be mindful of the words of 1 Corinthians 10:12, ‘Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.’” Indeed, a wise warning, particularly to those of us entrusted with the sacred duty of preaching God’s Word to His people.
Let me say in unambiguous terms that the revelation of this situation is heartbreaking. Dr. Lawson has a wide influence in the church at large and this has brought reproach on himself, his family, his church, and most importantly the cause of Christ. Forgiveness is available and can be received on the genuine repentance of the guilty individuals. Prayers for Dr. Lawson and his family are most appropriate. It should be our desire to see him fully restored in his relationship with Christ and with his wife and family. I pray this will be so and that the conviction of the Holy Spirit will be received and properly responded to. Restoration to the ministry is another matter.
Some seem to forget that sexual sin takes two. In the moral morass of the “MeToo” movement, the assumptions made often place the woman in an automatic “not guilty” position. This is unwise. The Lord was clear in his condemnation of sexual sin and left no doubt about the guilt of a woman when she is a willing participant (John 8:1-12). Our prayers should certainly extend to the woman, for her repentance and full restoration to fellowship with the Lord, her family, and her church.
The intent of this piece is not to throw stones but rather to act in the spirit of Galatians 6:1-3, as we must “consider ourselves lest we also be tempted.” It is more of an earnest plea to my fellow pastors and the church at large to guard yourselves against this subtle and dangerous temptation and to take the appropriate steps of church discipline when such events do arise.
The Ease of Repentance When You Are Caught
It seems to me that many of these circumstances, far too frequent in evangelicalism, bring out a crowd that is quick to call for the restoration of one so entangled and ensnared. There are some sins that disqualify one from pastoral ministry. An excellent article on the subject by Dr. John MacArthur speaks clearly to this issue:
Where did we get the idea that a year’s leave of absence and some counseling can restore integrity to someone who has squandered his reputation and destroyed people’s trust? Certainly not from the Bible. Trust forfeited is not so easily regained. Once purity is sacrificed, the ability to lead by example is lost forever. As my friend Chuck Swindoll once commented when referring to this issue—it takes only one pin to burst a balloon.
What about forgiveness? Shouldn’t we be eager to restore our fallen brethren? To fellowship, yes. But not to leadership. It is not an act of love to return a disqualified man to public ministry; it is an act of disobedience. [1]
Repentance is key a component of the doctrine of salvation and a necessary element of the forgiveness being sought in this situation. Repentance should be a continual, daily process for the child of God, in our efforts to keep short accounts with God. But it seems to me that many are quicker to repent when they are caught or about to be exposed. The genuineness of repentance can be more effectively identified when confession precedes exposure. Whether this is the case with Dr. Lawson or not is not the point. It seems to me that in most cases involving sexual sin among ministry leaders it catches up with them and the charade begins to unravel. Honestly, they are left with little option other than saying they are repentant.
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The Christian faith is an intimate relationship of the heart and mind, yet we live in a physical world that requires our bodies being brought into subjection and being yielded to the lordship of Christ. The Christian life is a war, and that war must be waged in our bodies (Eph. 6:10-18; 2 Cor. 10:3-6; 1 Pet. 5:8-10). It would help us to understand the basics of spiritual warfare; otherwise, we will be rendered useless in the area of service through our spiritual gifts. The Bible teaches us that there is a battle going on for control of our soul. The center of our being is our soul. Your body, which houses the soul and spirit, becomes subject to temptation of the world and the devil.

That belief predicates behavior is an axiom of truth I learned early on in my ministry. It was a favorite phrase of my mentor. The concept behind the thought is thoroughly biblical. Proverbs 23:7 says, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” Clearly, from a scriptural point of view, what we believe determines the way in which we behave. It therefore greatly behooves us to believe correctly in order to behave correctly.
Justifying Sin
The Scriptures are explicit in their declaration that the properly attuned mind is critical to living the Christian life in a manner that would please God. Sadly, we are living in days where in order to justify certain sins the mindset of some professing Christian leaders has been to dismiss any reasonable responsibility for the way one thinks.
We should consider that within the ranks of the evangelical church there have been a number of leading pastors and theologians who have come to the false conclusion that sexual orientation (a state of mind) is something that individuals cannot control. In other words, they believe that a person who has same sex attraction (SSA) is born with that as an orientation. If this is so then it means that they should not be held accountable for thinking in accordance with their alleged orientation.
Thinking Like Christ
This needs to be examined in light of Scripture which clearly contradicts that conclusion. For example, we know that if we are to follow Christ, we must strive to be more like Him. The key to acting like Christ is thinking like Christ which is one of Paul’s main points in the book of Philippians. He says, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” (2:5).
Paul was admonishing us to think like Jesus and to develop the same type of attitude that He had. Another version translates the verse, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus” (NIV). Bob Utley frames it this way: ““have this attitude in yourself” – This is a PRESENT ACTIVE IMPERATIVE. Believers are commanded to continue to think (phroneō) like Christ. The goal of Christianity is Christlikeness in thought and deed” (emphasis mine).
Renewing Our Minds
The only way we can have the transformation necessary to live in a Christ honoring manner is to renew our minds (Rom. 12:1-2). This is the only way we can fulfill the will of God for our lives.  Paul tells believers here not to be conformed (suschematizesthe) to a worldly standard but rather to be transformed (metamorphousthe) by that renewal.  In Second Corinthians, Paul clarifies that the renewal of the inner man should take place, “day by day” (4:16).
We know that thought precedes action and that is why Paul was insistent on this point: you can never live the life of a Christian until you genuinely have the mind of a Christian. How we think is critical to our success in living the way Paul instructs us to live. The truth is, the only One to ever measure up fully to the standard was Christ Himself, so Paul sets forth the mind of Christ as our supreme example (Phil. 2:1-17). He will follow this instruction by using Timothy and Epaphroditus as examples, showing us that we, too, can live godly lives that honor the Lord (Phil 2:19-30). The excuse that many have is, “Well, I’m not Jesus.” No, you are not, but with the help of the Holy Spirit you can grow to be more like Him. We should never lose sight of the goal, being “conformed to the image of His Son” (Romans 8:29).
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