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"Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it."
(1 Corinthians 10:12-13)
This is a sobering and difficult devotional to write, but I feel it must be written. I hope it brings enlightenment to the subject and warnings that help protect you. I am not a person with stones in my hand to throw at those who have had moral failures and have become disqualified from the Gospel ministry. I am simply a pastor about to turn 60 in a couple of months, and I am trying to stay close to Jesus and walk with purity and a clear conscience. A pastor from New Mexico called me one day and asked that I mentor him. I responded that we do not know each other, so why was he asking me? His answer stunned me. He said he just did not know many men in their 50s who were finishing well.
I remember where I was and the impact it had on me when I heard that a former colleague at one of our SBC seminaries had a moral failure and resigned his teaching position. I literally felt like I was punched in the stomach, and I was terribly disappointed. My friend was one of many who I am calling "fallen saints", those who profess to know Christ but sin against the Lord and His Church in such an egregious manner that life will never again be the same for them.
Just recently, we have heard news in this category about Tony Evans, Robert Morris, and a couple years ago, Ravi Zacharias. This news causes multiple reactions. The lost world scorns us and calls everyone in the church a hypocrite based on the actions of a prominent few. The cause of Christ is hurt, no doubt. Families and churches are negatively impacted. When someone falls in this way, it sets in motion many heartaches and difficulties for those who are innocent. Integrity matters. Sin is not an isolated event. It has multiple repercussions. For example, when I was writing a chapter for a book this month, I used as a resource a book co-authored by two men I personally know and held in high regard. The editor informed me I could not use that resource because it had been linked with plagiarism. It gave me an extra day of work to edit and rewrite the sections where I quoted or referenced that book. That is a small example. Some people's hurts go much deeper. A friend told me recently about a man who claimed to be a Christian and would even walk around in public with a Bible under his arm. But he was one of the most unethical men you could meet. He left his wife in a 15,000 square foot home with $100. It hurts to hear of stories like this, and the wound is much deeper when it happens to those who are spiritual influencers and leaders.
Tomorrow, I will write more on this topic of fallen saints. But for today, let us pause and pray for those who have fallen and for the great many who experienced hurt, pain, and suffering because of the moral failures of those leaders. Pray for God to bring healing and peace and that our witness for Christ to a broken world would continue with much zeal and fervor. Our Lord Jesus is worthy of our best efforts, and His Gospel must be proclaimed, for He is the only hope we have for an abundant and eternal life.
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