The Rise and Fall of Pastor Steve Lawson

#TCS #TheChurchSplit

Music Credit: Bensound, High Octane - #2215113

[yvonnehedeker]

Thank you for a clear, rational, thoughtful, biblical, non judgmental, and thorough critique.

[BiblicalRealityCheck]

And serious misunderstanding in this forum needs to be corrected. Calvinists do not teach that man does not have a will, or that man does not exercise volition to either obey or disobey God.

Rather, Calvinists correctly understand man's will is not sovereign, but that God for his glory can intervene whenever he so desires. God's will is sovereign and can overrule men's will whenever God so chooses.

He not merely opens the dead sinner's heart to respond to the gospel, as he did with Lydia, but he also can turn the heart of even the supreme ruler of the land (the king's heart) wherever he wishes for God's sovereign purposes.

Therefore, man exercises a willful volition, but, man's will is not "free" from God's overruling intervention, which the Holy Spirit does through spiritual regeneration for the glory of God.

But a mature and understanding Calvinist would never claim God is glorified through Lawson's sin, nor is God obligated to intervene and overrule Steve Lawson's decision to sin (though God could have if God wanted to).

Scripturally, God's will is always sovereign over man's corrupt will, and ultimately God will be glorified in all things whether it is through His appropriately punishing sin, or rewarding obedience, or through allowing sin where it fits his sovereign plan. All things work together for the good.

Though man exercises a "will, " nowhere in the Bible does it ever say that man exercises a sovereign free will, which remains free from the intervention of our sovereign and holy God.

Stepping aside and permitting Steve Lawson to sin is completely within God's ordained will, even if that purpose for his glory is for some readers in this forum to come to a proper biblical understanding of God's sovereign power through reading this post.

Have a nice day!

[peterfox]

11:27 If God simply allowed this sin to happen, that's one thing. God allows us to do all kinds of sins. But of course, in Determinism, the sin originates with God.

[ericedwards]

One point: while it is said that the young lady was a graduate of The Master's University, there's no evidence that she was a student of Mr. Lawson.

[haxguy]

Why why why do churches not full out spill the beans on these situations? The churches I've gone to are always afraid of "gossip", which I think is total non-sense. I think being hush hush about these situations does more harm than good.

[intrepidus]

My understanding of the Calvinist view is not that God is glorified in the sin directly, but that through the sin, the fallout, and subsequent rebirth of what once stood in that place, God will be more glorified. What comes, will be better than what was lost if for no other purpose than the glory of God.

[lorrainethomas]

There was a statement he made in the last sermon he preached! He said you don’t condemn a man who has one hiccup in his life!

[Scott-dj]

“Just because God has decreed an event, thereby rendering it certain, does not mean that he coerces people to go against their thoughts and desires. As long as there is no coercion in conditions inclining a person to act in a certain way, a human action may be determined by God and be certain to occur, and yet the person may remain free to do as he or she pleases.”

— Biblical Doctrine: A Systematic Summary of Bible Truth

[rosemarietolentino]

The thing about this is Calvinism is involved in looking at the situation. And they don’t believe in free will.

[Truelight]

Steve Lawson is disqualified to preach nor to be behind the pulpit.

“Since an overseer is entrusted with God’s work, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to much wine, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined.

“It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do. An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money.”
‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

[rebalspirit]

I understand your POV about people being upset. However, my question is, to whom do we look for perfect righteousness? Why are people hanging onto every word Lawson said rather than looking to Christ alone?

Secondly, he's not my pastor. Why would anyone be angry with him when he's not their pastor?

Finally, do people read their Bibles anymore? While I understand that pastors are held to a higher standard, where is the grace and mercy of Christ in our lives? Our outrage is meaningless in Steve Lawson's life and in this situation. And what are the sins in our own lives that people in our own lives are being affected by? And against Who and Who only do we sin?

Folks really need to get over themselves and say to themselves, "There but for the grace of God, go I." Look inward and rely upon the holiness of God alone.

There are pastors in the Christian church I like. But all of them begin to bore me where Christ never does. Are we angry because our idol fell off the shelf and broke? I suspect that for most of us that is the case. Repent.

[hangontravellers]

Until we find out the nature of the relationship theres not much to learn.

How did they meet, if shes supposedly not connected to any ministry?

What made this relationship inappropriate? Is it text messages, calls, emails? Physical contact?

"Having a relationship..." what does that mean? Its such a vague explanation.

Were they friends? Was he a mentor?

Was money exchanged?

So much we dont know.

[leopoldodah]

You don't understand Calvinism at all.