Should preachers be able to continue to preach in sin? Should we continue to support preachers in their adulterous relationship?

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I'll go even further than just these renegade huckster pastors who have fallen into adultery, and the answer is for them just to repent and then after some time (who decides the time, him?) they are being "restored". Restored to what? I say forgive them and sit them down..FOREVER! There are consequences to sin and there have been oaths and vows taken by these leaders who are called to a higher level of accountability as the under sheppard. I'll let Pastor John MacArthur speak to this. I'm too tired to write.....

It has always saddened me over the years as I’ve watched church leaders bring a reproach on the church of Jesus Christ. What’s shocking to me is how frequently Christian leaders sin grossly, then step back into leadership almost as soon as the publicity dies away.

Some time ago I received a cassette tape that disturbed me greatly. It was a recording of the recommissioning service of a pastor who had made national news by confessing to an adulterous affair. After little more than a year of “counseling and rehabilitation,” this man was returning to public ministry with his church’s blessing.

That is happening everywhere. Restoration teams—equipped with manuals to instruct the church on how to reinstate their fallen pastor—wait like tow-truck drivers on the side of the highway, anticipating the next leadership “accident”. Our church has received inquiries wondering if we have written guidelines or a workbook to help restore fallen pastors to leadership. Many no doubt expect that a church the size of ours would have a systematic rehabilitation program for sinning leaders.


Gross sin among Christian leaders is a signal that something is seriously wrong with the church. But an even greater problem is the lowering of standards to accommodate a leader’s sin. That the church is so eager to bring these men back into leadership is a symptom of rottenness at the core.

Some have claimed that a leader’s failure makes him more effective in shepherding fallen people. That is ludicrous. Should we drag the bottom of sin’s cesspool for the most heinous sinners to lead the church? Are they better able to understand the sinner? Certainly not! Our pattern for ministry is the sinless Son of God. The church is to be like Him and her leaders are to be our models of Christlikeness.

We must recognize that leadership in the church cannot be regarded lightly. The foremost requirement of a church leader is that he be above reproach (1 Timothy 3:2, 10; Titus 1:7). That is a difficult prerequisite, and not everyone can meet it.

There are some sins that irreparably shatter a man’s reputation and disqualify him from a ministry of leadership forever. Even Paul, man of God that he was, said he feared such a possibility. In 1 Corinthians 9:27 he says, “I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.”

When referring to his body, Paul obviously had sexual immorality in view. In 1 Corinthians 6:18 he describes it as a sin against one’s own body—sexual sin is in its own category. Certainly it disqualifies a man from church leadership since he permanently forfeits a blameless reputation as a one-woman man (Proverbs 6:33; 1 Timothy 3:2).

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.

By all means we should be forgiving. But we cannot erase the consequences of sin. I am not advocating that we “shoot our wounded.” I’m simply saying that we shouldn’t rush them back to the front lines, and we should not put them in charge of other soldiers. The church should do everything possible to minister to those who have sinned and repented. But that does not include restoring the mantle of leadership to a man who has disqualified himself and forfeited the right to lead. Doing so is unbiblical and lowers the standard God has set.

So why is the contemporary church so eager to be tolerant? I’m certain a major reason is the sin and unbelief that pervade the church. If casual Christians can lower the expectations on their leadership, they will be much more comfortable with their own sin. With lower moral standards, the church becomes more tolerant of sin and less tolerant of holiness. The “sinner-friendly” church is intolerable to God—that is a frightening condition.

Conservative Christians have for most of the previous century focused on the battle for doctrinal purity. And that is good. But we are losing the battle for moral purity. Some of the worst defeats have occurred among our more visible leaders. The church cannot lower the standard to accommodate them. We should hold it higher so we can regain purity. If we lose here, we have utterly failed, no matter how orthodox our confession of faith. We can’t win if we compromise the biblical standard of moral purity.

What should you do in the current crisis? Pray for your church’s leaders. Keep them accountable. Encourage them. Let them know you are following their godly example. Understand that they are not perfect, but continue nonetheless to call them to the highest level of godliness and purity. The church must have leaders who are genuinely above reproach. Anything less is an abomination.
AMEN AMEN AMEN
i hear you=when i first became saved and did not know the word---i felt that i would follow and support my pastor even if he was caught flat out==i would even help the MAN OF GOD TO COVER UP HIS SIN==this was my response to a young lady that was talking about fallen pastors when i first became saved====but after reading the bible and comparing what i heard to what i read-BE HOLY---this was the word====accountability====a good word should not be a person taking the WORD AND MAKING IT ENTERTAINING=====IMMATURITY IN THE WORD====being feed and not ever reading for youself is the problem====if you read the Word---you won't know what God says about it-------but what will happen is someone will tell you what the feel or want GOD TO HAVE SAID ABOUT IT. When i remember my answer to that young lady =i shake my head and pray that some other person new to the faith will be enlightened before this thought settles into their spirit==========hungry people will eat==whatever they can get===yes we must pray for church leaders====but also there has to be accountibility===not perfection===but a perfecting of what we accept===gloss over==allow====it is still GOD'S WILL NOT OURS
There are those that will accuse you of not being forgiving if you say no. I still say no. You may forgive them but this type of behavior is what has to stop if we plan on being a raptured church.

God says WOE UNTO YOU PASTORS WHO SCATTER MY SHEEP. I have seen too many church leaders caught in sex scandals, Menage Trios, Homosexual Tryst and so on and so on. Then they are back up preaching within a month as if nothing has happened. I would not sit under that type of leadership.

Again, this has nothing to do with us forgiving them but the Standards of holiness we must all live by.
LOL yes I know..Its ok, I have already considered the cost.

Revelation 18:22 And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee;
23 And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; (torch of the statue of Liberty?) and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived

Lately I have been meditating about the state of America and what it has done as far as exporting this garbage now all over the world, the gospel of prosperity to the nations such as in Africa, India and in the remote places of the world. In Papua New Guinea where most don't even have a Bible in their language and you can see in the churches there as you look out that only a handful will even have a Bible out of a thousand people maybe 10 will have a bible in their language. And to see the likes of Creflo (dolla bill) Dollar come and exploit these beautiful peole really incenses me as they are being regarded as the chief priests from America. You can see their influence as they continually pervert the Gospel in these very poor and oppressed lands, Igs all for vanity and popularity. And the sad thing is that its going unchecked with impunity.

Starting to think God has given America over to our own reprobate mind if we are not careful of the plagues to come. It is still a terrible thing to come under the wrath of a living Gold.
You Said: Starting to think God has given America over to our own reprobate mind if we are not careful of the plagues to come. It is still a terrible thing to come under the wrath of a living Gold.

This sounds about right brother. It's frightening to see where this Country is headed. While all the Christian folk are hip hopping around the church they are ignoring the obvious. So many are asleep and completely oblivious to what is happening or should I say, what is about to happen to this country.

Many will be caught off guard when disaster unfolds and God's wrath is poured out on a large scale. My direction is up. Praise God.
This kind of behavior is happening in a lot of Churchs as well as having a preacher on the DL People are so busy over looking the sin and saying well he or she is anointed and he or she does preach a good word why mess with it God will work it out. I have heard this said that it just disgusts me to see a church compromise God's HOLINESS for this kind of NONSENSE. This is a matter of pleasing man and not God that's why when God steps in and expose it's always big So in saying all that I don't think a preacher should be preaching while caught up in adultery he should sit down and reevaluate if even that was his true calling I say if God say let him Pastor again let him only if God says.
AS true as it is your correct this has been going on in churches long enough and when will the body of Christ awaken from their sleep and realize that God isn't playing with them no more. People God has given us a wake up call look at all these earthquakes around us. Take heed its holiness or nothing. The church has compromise a long time ago with this gospel rap mess then this comtemporary Gospel, this is why the churches are closing now because people don' t know wheter to praise God or do the two step.
This is the kind of thinking AND tolerance that keep Pastors comfortable in adultery. They depend on members such as your self to apply a spiritual band-aid and disregard their sins. Moses did much less yet God wouldn't let him go to the promised land. If a brother is sleeping with other women and he has a wife, why not restore her broken spirit and forget about his feelings.

Would you want someone who has open sores all over their hands preparing your food daily? Well a Pastor who is in adultery needs to go and get spiritual healing from his sins and sit down. He doesn't need people coddling, and protecting him while making his wife and children feel worthless for not going along with his MESS.

His words or ministering are not so great as to have him continue on in his mess. People like yourself need to count up the cost because the Pastor is hurting others when he engages in this type of behavior. God is love but HE ALSO HATES SIN. WOE UNTO YOU PASTORS WHO SCATTER MY SHEEP. NO EXCUSE FOR THIS TYPE OF BEHAVIOR IN LEADERSHIP
God's word "BE HOLY FOR I THE LORD YOUR GOD AM HOLY. in accordance with the bible ===in the bible holiness was important==yes if a drunk comes with a word and that word is in keeping with the Word of God do not dismiss him===but a drunk is not a pastor---he is not in a leadership position===obviously you know something about the word of God so to say you came to hear a word from someone that is not in keeping with the will of God===there is a problem===the problem now is that we have people responding to the gymnastic----theatrics and the cunninig issergessics from word masters that know how to twist the word of God to make it more palaple to ears attuned to hearing a "GOOD WORD" which breaks down to what they want to hear---- but God said---BE HOLY====yes there is forgiveness in the body of Christ ===repentence is an option til the last breathe===yes this true===no man know the time ---yes this true====but leadership should be held to a higher accountibility===if you sin ---there is forgiveness=====fornicating preachers that preach a good Word should be sat down==not kicked out sat down out of a leadership position====preachers ==preach hell and damnation to disciples---about sin what message is being sent by the constant recommissioning a fornicator==adulterer to the pulpit====I have heard numerous pastors say===i woulod not want someone who has not been through something to preach to me---and the congreation applauded===the premise is if you have tried to not fornicate or take or sold drugs you do not have a testimony---we all fall short===but to those that are sinning while preaching the reasoning is that in order to preach you have had to experiencee the worst in life===and i say again we all fall short===and like somewho fall will say "i am not Perfect===but i feel to be a spiritual leader---you cannot get a free pass on being Holy---because of how smooth you preach a word--- or move a crowd -then all you are is an entertainer
I believe that these individuals should not be allowed to preach about "how to not sin" but yet he/she are sinning? We as leaders must lead by example, as Christ was and still is our great example. If must talk the talk we must walk the walk. There are by no means two set of Godly laws-it's only the biblical laws of God that must be followed.
These people should, first sit down, seek God, repent from this sin, seek counsel and trust God to move within their hearts and spirit to love God to the millionth power that he/she would not want to do anything that is out of line with the Lord and His word. In other words, being in love with God and His word should be so high that because of the in-love status, one should not even desire to do want the bible strictly tells us not to do. That might be the issue-when you love a thing/person, it might be easy to justify an indiscretion BUT when you are "in love" with the Lord, you would not want to deliberately, knowingly and intentionally want to cause any hurt, harm or shame to that person/thing. How can the church tell the world about a righteous and loving Savior, when the leaders are not reflecting this same message that Christ set. This behavior makes a total mockery of the church and of the message and should not be tolerated by no means. I can agree with all those who have responded to this discussion because it goes on a little bit too often within the body of Christ. Let us not forget that this not only happens with the preachers but also other church leaders i.e.-deacons, evangelist and other officers, within the church live a double standard lifestyle that is out of line with the Lord. EW Ministries, I agree 100% with yur biblical remark, "Woe unto the shepherds who scatter the flock", they're going to have to answer to this. Maybe they need to not just read Ezekiel 34th Chapter but let it minister to their hearts, mind and spirits. One thing for sure is that they might can fool some peope but they are not fooling God. They can so-call run but they 'll never be hidden from God's eye or from His wrath. Let us pray for the people who are under these treacherous ministries. They are the ones who are in need of strength, direction and Godly insight.
Are you serious?

Let us think about what we are saying before we actually say them. First of all, we are talking about preachers who are in sin still preaching. We all know that is wrong. A person should not be in a position of leadership if they are struggling with sins. No one said put them out of the church. But if you want to be technical Paul did say it in 1 Corinthians 5:
1It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his father's wife. 2And you are proud! Shouldn't you rather have been filled with grief and have put out of your fellowship the man who did this? 3Even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. And I have already passed judgment on the one who did this, just as if I were present. 4When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, 5hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature[a] may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord. 6Your boasting is not good. Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough? 7Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth. 9I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. 11But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat. 12What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? 13God will judge those outside. "Expel the wicked man from among you."
Preachers nor members are excluded. But when you are in the lime light like a preacher, you will be scrutinized publicly. They embarrass themselves and put themselves out there because of their actions.
A police officer brings order and protects. But if that police officer stopped doing his job and act disorderly, you would have a problem with it especially if it was serious. You would even try to get him fired. What is the difference with a preacher. I am not saying people can not be forgiven or cant be redeemed. I believe they can but to be put in leadership position while they are in sin, no I do not agree. If they repent they still should be sit down.
Well I will say this briefly and be done with it, The bible says that all have sin and fallen short of the glory of god. This lets me know that no one is tax exempt from sinning, but i agree with brother cheeks that if it is open and apparent then, NO, i dont believe that they should be able to minister or operate in their call until repentance has come about. I believe from a Pastor or any leader there is no excuse for this behavior. We have nothing to do with their salvation true enough, but we have to be mindful who we allow to speak over us and feed us , because the bible says whats in you will come out, and if you have adultery in your heart then the bible tells you, out the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks, and i personally believe we are in a day and age where God is showing these men and woman of God up for their sinful lives, and he's doing that because the bible says"Woe unto the pastors who scatter the sheep". Meaning you are leading his sheep astray by preaching one thing and living another which will make them believe that its okay for them to do so as well. So as far as open sin, i have a problem with that, but closet sin, i dont feel as strongly about because when you look at it everyone has something in thier lives that no one knows about but it is to us to know how to keep it there and no exposse it openly for the sake of our ministries. Because no one is exempt from sinning knowingly or unknowingly, otherwise the bible wouldn't have told us to die daily, because if that were the case then we wouldn't have to die to our own sinful nature if this were true. I even understand some say well i can't hid it from god, no you cannot. However, it isn't appropriate to broadcast it neither, See i have learned not to allow people to see my weakness as a man of god, in other words i dont expose my weakness, because once people see your weakness, they know what you deal with. And everyone has a weak area. So i suggest preachers, get your houses in order, and make an attempt for repentance because, God will show you up. So i suggest to deal with your sin privately and cautiously.

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