There is so much violence today; wars, disease, natural disasters, so why does God allow all this suffering in the world?
Above Reproach
[1]Many churches welcome back pastors who have committed adultery and/or fornication, but is this biblical? To begin with, pastors are held to a higher standard by God and will be more accountable for their life and teachings. In speaking of the character of a pastor, the Apostle Paul says, “The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach” (1 Tim 3:1-2). It didn’t say the pastor has to be perfect, because no one would qualify, but it does say the man (not a woman) “must be above reproach” and “the husband of one wife,” or as some translations say, “a one-woman man.” That means he is faithful to his one and only wife. He must also live a life that is above reproach before the church and before the community. Paul says “he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil” (1 Tim 3:7). A pastor who has or is committing sexual immorality will certainly fall into disgrace before outsiders and those in the church, which means the man is no longer qualified (according to Titus 1 and 1 Tim 3) to pastor a church or be a church leader (elder, deacon or teacher).
Preaching on Marriage
What if you knew that your pastor was teaching on the sanctity of marriage but had committed the act of adultery or sexual fornication (sex outside marriage)? Would you still consider him worthy to teach about loyalty and faithfulness and sexual purity? You’d probably think, “Hey, this guy is preaching to us to remain sexually pure when he couldn’t.” I know that seems judgmental, but their credibility is lost when they teach against one thing while they did the very same thing (Rom 2). To teach, “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife” (Ex 20:17), and then do exactly that, rings hollow in the ears of the students. Imagine someone who has been channeling money from a business they work for and sending it into their own personal bank account (financial fraud) and that same person teaching you at a Bible study on stewardship or holiness. No one’s perfect, but you see my point…hopefully.
[2]
Sanctification
Growing in holiness is called sanctification and it’s the long-term work of the Holy Spirit, reading/studying the Bible and biblical preaching and teaching. The church is admonished that “among you, as is proper among the saints, there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed” (Eph 5:3), so how much more for a pastor called by God to teach about the holiness of God that there “not even be a hint of sexual immorality?” If God commands His church to be holy, how much more does it apply to those who speak the Word of God, for God?!
Selecting Leaders
The Apostle Paul gave us instructions about who does and who doesn’t qualify to be a pastor in 1 Timothy 3, but also in Titus 1. Paul wants Titus to use these guidelines in selecting church leaders, not just pastors, so Paul leaves instructions “that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you” (Titus 1:1). So what is part of the requirement for church leadership? Paul says the man is qualified to be an elder/pastor if and only “if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination” (Titus 1:6). Once more Paul says the man must be “the husband of one wife.” This doesn’t mean you must be married to be a pastor. It means he must remain faithful to his wife and remain sexually pure as would a single pastor keep himself from sexual immorality.
[3]Paul also says that the man should not be “open to the charge of debauchery,” debauchery is defined as “an extreme indulgence in bodily pleasures and especially sexual pleasures with behaviors involving sex.” Remember that “there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed” (Eph 5:3), and even more so for the pastor who is to live a life above reproach.
Deacons Qualification
Pastor and elders are expected to live a life above reproach, but so are deacons. Paul says to “Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well” (1 Tim 3:12). Again, deacons, like elders, must be faithful to their wives and one wife only, not other wives. This is because “those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus” (1 Tim 3:13). The deacons are to live a respectable life and in “good standing” before the church and before the community. A church leader, even a Sunday school teacher can lose a lot by getting involved in sexual immorality. That sin has brought down many mighty men of God who can no longer preach behind the pulpit, being disqualified, and for those churches that allow disqualified pastors to preach again, you will be held accountable, not only to Word of God (i.e., 1 Titus 3 and 2 Tim 3), but before God Himself.
Conclusion
A man or woman who has committed grievous sin can be restored to the church and have fellowship with the Body of Christ once more. It’s simply that a man who has committed adultery can no longer be a leader in the church, even though they can (if they repent) be restored to the church.
I pray you have put your trust in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. If that has not happened yet, my friend, you are in real danger of hell fire. And I mean, in immediate danger. You’re one breath, one heartbeat…one accident away from eternity when it will be too late to repent. Today is the best day to believe (2 Cor 6:2) since tomorrow is no guarantee. If Jesus Christ came today, here is your fate (Matt 7:21-23). This is why I plead with you as you read this, repent today…and I mean right now. Put your trust in Jesus Christ. If you do not, you will face God’s judgment after death guaranteed (Heb 9:27) or at Jesus Christ’s appearance (Rev 20:12-15), which could happen at any moment.
Here is some related reading for you: What Are Five Important Qualifications of a Pastor That a Search Committee Should Look For? [4]
Resource – Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), Crossway Bibles. (2007). ESV: Study Bible: English standard version. Wheaton, Ill: Crossway Bibles. Used by permission. All rights reserved.