Steven Lawson: a cautionary tale for how we all can fall
This morning the unfortunate news broke that famed pastor, author, and preacher Steven J Lawson was removed from his ministerial duties due to an "inappropriate relationship with a woman". The official announcement gave no additional details about the sin itself. Still, it did indicate that Lawson wasn't "caught" but that he himself made the Trinity Bible Church elders aware of the sin. What a gut punch for Lawson’s family, the church, and the name of Christ.
Jack, Grayson, and I have had several conversations recently about the seeming increase in cases of adultery being revealed. We actually did a three part podcast series on sexual sin that can be found here (S02E16 The One Where We Talk About Lust and Disparage 'Friends'' (youtube.com) What is frightening is that when one examines these cases, there is rarely a single defining trigger. Adultery isn't confined to rich or poor, male or female, black or white, young or old, or any other category. It would be so much easier if all of these cases involved people we deemed spiritually immature. Then we could say, "Oh, well, that makes sense. They weren't very godly to begin with."
Yet, it seems that church members, young and old, backsliders, the carnal and immature, and those who we perceive as the godliest among us are dropping left and right.
However, If we look carefully, there are some poisonous threads that run through every case of sexual sin that we need to be aware of. The following are a few thoughts that I hope you find helpful:
I. You Are More Sinful, Dumb, and Susceptible Than You Think You Are
Every year, two to three people fall into the Grand Canyon and die. That may not seem like an impressive number unless you are the one plummeting to your death or one of the ones that are given the task of removing the broken and bloodied bodies from the canyon floor. No doubt, each of those individuals said, “I won’t fall in.” as they climbed out on ledges for an impressive Instagram photo.
Brothers and Sisters, you do not want to be a heart-breaking statistic, but you need to remember – you could be.
Too many Christians fall into sexual sin while standing on the cliff edge of "I would never do that." The reality is, but for the grace of God, you would.
To paraphrase Voddie Baucham, King David, the man after God's own heart; Solomon, the wisest man to ever live; Samson, the strongest man ever to live all dove into sexual sin. It is foolish pride that makes the Christian say, “I would never.” We are called to “take care lest we fall” (1 Cor 10:12). Those who do not watch and pray will inevitably crumble on the day of testing (Matthew 26:41).
Because you are not as strong as you think you are, some extreme measures should be taken.
II. You Need to Take Extreme Measures
When cases like Lawson’s break, the “how did this happen?” conversation always comes to the forefront. Though we don’t know the details, I guarantee there were at least a couple of factors at play
1. Unprotected time with someone of the opposite gender – You should not be alone with someone of the opposite gender unless it’s your spouse or blood family. It’s foolish. You (men) do not need female friends. You should not counsel women alone. You should not go on visitation, meet for coffee, text or allow even the smallest foothold for emotional intimacy (which leads to physical intimacy). Ladies, the same goes for you. I cannot tell you how many dozens of cases of adultery I’ve encountered in 10 years of pastoral ministry, and it ALWAYS begins with unprotected time.
Does that sound extreme? Not really. Ask yourself, is coffee with that coworker worth the destruction that might grow from those fertile beds of temptation? If your answer is "yes," there is already a problem.
How do you avoid the harlot? Don’t walk by her house (Prov 5:7)
2. An Undisciplined Heart – "Train yourself for godliness," The Apostle Paul tells Timothy (1 Tim 4:7-8). Many Christians lack discipline in mind, body, and spirit. They entertain themselves with things they should not; they overeat, stuff themselves with stimulants, forego sleep, scroll social media mindlessly, and dismiss any flares of conviction with a big rubber stamp labeled "normalcy." Strangely, a lack of discipline has made some of the most remarkable men and women go astray. When you go where you ought not to go, you end up like Samson. When you compromise godly standards, you end up like Solomon. When you do not guard your eyes and heart, you end up like David. I wonder if being spread over too many areas makes one weak and undisciplined. A man only has so much time, energy, and focus. Perhaps there should be a recentering on what is most important.
Maybe we should retract our desire to "do great things for the Lord" and begin asking the Lord to work greatly through a quiet and disciplined life. Instead of stuffing ourselves with social events, social media, entertainment, etc., we should dedicate ourselves to our God and our families.
What are your responsibilities? To love God, love others as yourself, and then die.
3. A failure to mortify the flesh – As John Owen once wrote, "Be killing sin, or sin will be killing you." Does sin have a clear path into your life? Cut it off, starve it out, bring it down. Let a greater love for Christ drive out lesser loves. "I love Christ more than ___________" is a good statement to run through your mind again and again. "Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.” (Romans 13:11-14)
III. Remember The Devil Hates You
I've said this before, you don't have to be looking for trouble because trouble is looking for you. The enemy walks about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. Satan is a master of looking for the smallest footholds in your life. We need to take this seriously. Our battle is not against flesh and blood but against demonic forces and a world system that wants to see you, Christian, shipwrecked.
Read more about the “devils delights” here: The Devil’s Delights — The Chorus In The Chaos
Sin is not your friend. Sin will not satisfy (Isa 55:2). Sin will destroy your life (Prov 13:6). sin will invite the disciplining hand of God (Gal 6:7). Flee from it (1 Cor 6:18)! Joseph doesn't try to talk things out with Potiphar's wife (Gen 39) – he runs!
May God give us grace and fortitude so that we do not become sad and shameful statistics.