Written by Dr. David S. Steele |
Friday, February 25, 2022
“O Sovereign LORD, you are God! Your words are trustworthy, and you have promised good things to your servant” (2 Sam. 7:28). God’s Word is the anchor of truth for believers who live in a world that balks at the notion of truth. It is the firm foundation where believers may confidently rest, knowing that the sacred Scriptures will never disappoint for they are utterly reliable and trustworthy. 

As we embark on yet another year, the challenges before us may seem daunting. We live in a culture that relies heavily on hunches, intuitions, and feelings. The emphasis on the subjective has led many to deny biblical Christianity and reject any notion of truth. The witty British writer, G.K. Chesterton poetically described the plight of postmodern culture: “Once people stop believing in God, the problem is not that they will believe nothing; rather the problem is that they will believe anything.”
Given the dismal postmodern attitude toward authority, where are we to turn? Perhaps more than ever, we as disciples of Jesus need a solid rock to stand on or the waves of syncretism, pluralism and false teaching may sweep us away. We must, therefore, begin and end with the Bible as the source of divine revelation from God.
The Word of God is our highest authority. Therefore, we also need to become acquainted with the supreme value of Scripture and the benefits it brings to our daily lives. Understanding the transcendent worth of God’s Word not only helps us grow more deeply in love with the Savior; it helps point our generation to the truth that can be found in Jesus Christ alone. Consider a few valuable qualities of God’s Word found in Psalm 19:7.
God’s Authoritative Word
First, the Word of God is perfect. Psalm 19:7 plainly says, “The law of the LORD is perfect.” The Hebrew word translated perfect means “complete, whole or sound.” It is in accord with what is true. So we can confidently approach God’s Word with the full assurance that the truth presented corresponds to reality.
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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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Written by Jeffrey A. Tucker |
Wednesday, January 19, 2022
The very existence of this [OSHA vaccine mandates] case in the Supreme Court reveals that something is fundamentally broken about our presumptions about the relationship between the individual and the state. It must be fixed. It won’t finally be fixed by a court but rather a dramatic cultural change that embraces certain fundamental propositions about liberty itself. 

This morning I listened to the oral arguments in the case of the Biden administration’s vaccine mandates as enforced by OSHA. It was a demoralizing experience.
I heard some crazy things, such as a claim that “750 million” Americans just got Covid yesterday, and that 100,000 kids with Covid are in the hospital, many on ventilators. The correct number is 3,300 with positive tests, but not necessarily suffering from Covid. I further heard strong claims that the vaccines block disease spread, despite every bit of evidence to the contrary.
It was my first time hearing oral arguments in the Supreme Court. I might have thought that facts on the ground would actually matter to people who are holding the fate of human liberty in their hands. I might have thought that they would be getting their information from somewhere other than their political intuition, mixed with wildly inaccurate claims from bloggers and media pundits.
I was wrong. And that is deeply alarming. Or maybe it is a wake up call to us all. We have learned today that these people are no smarter than our neighbors, no more qualified to address complicated questions than our friends, and arguably far less informed than the Twittersphere about basic issues of Covid and public health.
The backdrop of today’s arguments is that 74% of Americans of all ages have had at least one shot. Meanwhile, case numbers are up 500% in many places, and 721,000 new cases have been logged throughout the country, and that’s obviously a large underestimate because it does not count at-home tests which are selling out in stores around the country.
The extremely obvious point—the most basic observation one can make about this data—is that the vaccinations are not controlling the spread. This has been granted already by the CDC and every other authority.
No matter what people say in retrospect, I seriously doubt that anyone would have predicted a future in which the pandemic highs would be reached following mass vaccination. It’s not only true in the US but also all over the world. However much they help with mitigating severe outcomes of the disease, at least for a time, they have not been successful in stopping the spread of the virus. They will not end the pandemic.
And yet, so far as I can understand this, that is the whole point of the vaccine mandate. It is to protect workers from getting Covid. There is no zero evidence that this is possible with mass mandates in the workforce. People can get and are getting Covid anywhere and everywhere, among which surely means the workplace too. The vaccine is not stopping that. What will bring this pandemic to an end will not be the vaccines but the adaptation of human immune systems, exposed and then developing resilience.
Apparently there was not one mention of natural immunity during the oral arguments, which is truly astounding. From what I could hear, there was a strangely truncated environment in which no one was willing to say certain obvious truths, almost as if a pre-set orthodoxy had been defined at the outset. There were certain givens that simply were not questioned; namely that this is a disease without precedent, that the state can stop it, that vaccines are the best ticket we have, that the unvaccinated have absolutely no good reason to remain that way.
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