The reformed evangelical world has been rocked this week with news of Steve Lawson’s “inappropriate relationship that he has had with a woman.” (You can read the statement from the elders at Trinity Bible Church here or his own One Passion Ministries here.)
The response was immediate. He was removed from his church. Ministries like Ligonier and The Master’s Seminary removed him from his position and took down all his content. There is consensus that Steve Lawson has permanently disqualified himself from ministry. I’m hard-pressed to think of an example of someone so influential and well-connected in the reformed evangelical world that has fallen to the extent of Steve Lawson.
What’s worse, as details continue to come forth, it seems as if the deception and sin was greater than what many initially thought—and hoped. The “inappropriate relationship” spanned years and there was no noble confession, but it was found out, forcing an admission.
It is overwhelming to consider his wife of 40 years, children, grandchildren, and those who were close to him. Their trust was betrayed. They need our prayers and support.
It is heartbreaking to consider what this has done for Trinity Bible Church. As a minister of a congregation, I can testify of the relationship that develops between a preacher and the people. People have such respect for the messenger of a life-giving message. That admiration of Steve Lawson as one who taught the word of God, makes this news crushing to that congregation. They need our prayers such that the work does not come to ruin.
My heart is also heavy for John MacArthur who trusted Steve Lawson with a prominent role in his ministry to train men. It is through the ministries of RC Sproul and John MacArthur that Steve Lawson became a trusted voice for expositional preaching in our generation. MacArthur, Ligonier ministries, and all those who supported Steve Lawson need our prayers and encouragement.
The damage to the wider body of Christ from Steve Lawson’s sin is incalculable. He had great influence for good in the body of Christ, but that influence comes with possibility of great harm—a possibility now realized. The sin of a child in a home has consequences, how much more the sin of a father? The sin of a citizen in a country has consequences, how much more the sin of the leader of that nation? Steve Lawson’s sin, not unique among men, has great consequence because of the position of trust and influence given to him.
We even experience the effects of his sin in Calgary. I’m currently enrolled in the Doctor of Ministry program at The Master’s Seminary having spent the last two years under Lawson’s teaching. I was expecting to receive my degree from him next May. He came to Calgary last October for our King and Kingdom conference and many in our church have benefited from his teaching. Leaders do sin, but this one hurts.
How ought we to process all this? Let me offer the following reflections:
- We should mourn. As mentioned already, we should grieve with those who grieve (Romans 12:15) and pray for those close to Steve Lawson who have been devastated by his sin. We should also pray for Steve Lawson. We should pray for his full repentance, humility, and that he would find mercy in Jesus Christ.
- We should hate sin. Sin is evil. Sin is destructive. Sin is ugly. Sin is foolish. We especially should hate the sin of adultery. Proverbs 6:32–33 says, “He who commits adultery lacks sense; he who does it destroys himself. He will get wounds and dishonor, and his disgrace will not be wiped away.” Sin is shameful. Sin sent Christ to the cross and is the scourge of God’s creation. We should loath sin in all its forms.
- We should flee sin. As we hate the sin and fallout of Steve Lawson’s actions, we should run from any hint of sin in our lives. A sin like adultery involves 1000 other sins. There is lust, deception, hypocrisy, running from accountability, neglecting wife and family, lack of confession, and so forth. I imagine that most men or women don’t set out to commit adultery, but they run through smaller sins, excusing them, rather than confessing them and bringing them to light. Are there “small” sins in your life? Are there “respectable” sins? Are there “hidden” sins? Do not let them fester. Come to the light! Find forgiveness in Jesus today before more hooks from the evil one sink into your flesh and drag you into a banquet in the grave (Proverbs 9:18).
- We should fear. As Proverbs 9 warns about Lady Folly and her seductive ways, we are called to listen to Wisdom. It says in Proverbs 9:10, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” When something like this happens, we need to get back to basics, back to the beginning. We need to fear the Lord. This fear is a reverence and awe for God. It is a trust in God. But it is also a real fear or terror of God.
In 1 Timothy 5:20, Paul addresses elders who are caught in sin. We read, “As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear.” When a man like Steve Lawson is exposed, we, the church, should stand in fear. Our God is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29). He does not look lightly upon sin. May we stand in fear and be driven to the refuge of Jesus Christ. - We should recalibrate our understanding of greatness. In our communication age, those with gifts of communication are exalted to places of influence and authority. In the kingdom of God, however, the greatest are those who are obedient to the law of God (Matthew 5:19). We live in an evangelical culture that values ministry giftedness over godliness. We value ability over humility. We value status over sanctification. We love Puritan doctrine but not so much Puritan piety.[1] We value grace but generally see it as antithetical to law.
We need to love the law of God (Psalm 119). We need to love holiness. Fathers, do you want to be a great husband and father? Be holy. Pastors, do you want to be a great shepherd to the flock? Be holy. Do you want to be a blessing to the Lord and those around you? Be holy. M’Cheyne said, “The greatest need of my people is my personal holiness.” - We should be on guard against pride. Proverbs 16:18 says, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” I have no doubt that pride is at work long before adultery takes place. Preachers especially are in danger of this sin. We are esteemed, upheld, and set before watching eyes and waiting ears. No wonder the Scriptures give warnings to elders to be mature in the faith, men of humility and Christ-like character.
The conference speaker—even more than the local church pastor—can be seen as the expert, the man of God, and the one whom God is using to bring blessing. A sense of superiority and invincibility can arise. A sense that God approves of them, even in sin, because they have been exalted among believers. Oh, how we need to guard against pride and cultivate humility. Sexual sin especially is rooted in pride. We need to take the axe to the root of any manifestation of pride. Be killing pride or it will be killing you. Here is a call for self-watchfulness. - We should value the local church and the family. I’m even more persuaded than previously that itinerant ministry or the conference circuit speaker is unhealthy. I can think of cases where husband and wife travel together, ministering together, and it is a beautiful thing. However, we must value the local church and the family far above the big names and dynamic conference speakers. We need to be wholeheartedly committed to a family of faith. The preacher-man should be a family-man (1 Timothy 3:4–5). The shepherd should smell like sheep. We need people who know our strengths and our weaknesses. We need people, lots of people, around us who know we’re nothing special. We need real accountability.
- We should be infatuated with our spouse. Sex is not sinful. Sexual desire is not perverted. But sex and sexual desire has only one place in God’s created order—inside the covenant of marriage between one man and one woman. Intimacy with your spouse is both an indicator and a cultivator of health in your relationship. Proverbs 5:18–19 says, “Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth, a lovely deer, a graceful doe. Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight; be intoxicated always in her love.” These aren’t my words. These aren’t dirty words. These are God’s words. These words were given as a warning against adultery (cf. Proverbs 5). If there are problems of intimacy in your marriage, they need to be fixed asap.
- We should value prayer like we value the word. Reformed evangelicals have a reverence for the word, and therefore for the preached word and those who preach that word. We must admit that while we’ve seen a recovery in preaching, we need a revival in prayer. M’Cheyne said, “Study universal holiness of life. Your whole usefulness depends on this, for your sermons last but an hour or two; your life preaches all the week. If Satan can only make a covetous minister a lover of praise, of pleasure, of good eating, he has ruined your ministry. Give yourself to prayer, and get your texts, your thoughts, your words from God. Luther spent his best three hours in prayer.”
Ministers are those who devote themselves “to prayer and to the ministry of the word” (Acts 6:4). Seminaries, conferences, workshops, and podcasts are devoted to the latter rather than the former. Is the order of these words in Acts 6 important? Is repentance called for here? Clearly, a fallen man can be a man of the word. Can a fallen man be a man of prayer? Is it not in prayer that the root of hypocrisy is revealed? Is not prayer the barometer of godliness? Oh, may this drive us to our knees in prayer. - We should be encouraged. Let me end with this reflection. We should know that the word of God never fails. Messengers may fail, but the message still stands. Christ will build his church.
The church does not succeed or fail on account of Steve Lawson, myself, or any other minister of the gospel. The church will succeed because it is Christ’s church, and he is always faithful. Christ has no sin. He never deceives. He never lets us down. He never fails. Men may fail us, but Christ never will. Men may disappoint us and hurt us, but Christ never will.
Even considering this terrible sin, the word remains true. In fact, that is why the reformed evangelical world is shocked by this news, because it is so contrary to the message. Sin doesn’t invalidate the word, sin is exposed because of the validity of the word. The word reveals. The gospel remains. The church is built. Christ, not any man, is our Savior and hope.
May we be brought closer to Christ. Christ is the man. Preachers are just delivery boys bringing news of Christ. May this event drive us all to Christ such that we adore Christ and make much of him.
—Tim Stephens
[1] As I consider the Puritan works that are re-published in our day, predominantly they are doctrinal treatises rather than their works on civics or piety. Many evangelicals today, while admiring Puritan doctrine, would consider them prudish, especially for how Puritan men would conduct themselves around women.