Is there biblical basis for pastors who have fallen to be restored?
Discussion
46 comments
-
Yes…. Galatians 6v1
-
Luke 15 the prodigal son
-
pastor
-
I believe there is.
-
It is called repentance
-
Luke 22:32
If Peter could, why not you or me? -
Do you know of a pastor who hasn’t fallen? I do not.
-
They have all fallen in one way or another as we are all sinners. If we begin to weigh one sin over another then we begin to play God. Judge not lest you be judged. He will one day give an account to God for how he shepherded the church. If it is affecting you spiritually then I would look at the next steps for you and your family. I would make a path towards reconciliation
-
If there is not, no one has any hope.
-
The pastoral epistles, Timothy and Titus, have a good name as a qualification for elders. Depending on the public nature of the fall, for Christ’s good name, it may be that a pastor is not restored to his position, though he may not be excluded from the communion of saints. If he is repentant, he should be considered a part of the church and have assurance of salvation, that does not necessarily mean that he should ever be back in the pulpit after certain kinds of scandals he may have been involved in. Sometimes stepping down humbly is true repentance.
-
Same as anyone else.
It starts with repentance. -
Define restored in this context. Assuming you mean return to faithful pastoral leadership?
-
Unless they repent they will perish.
-
Is there a biblical basis for churches to each have a single pastor?
-
Peter played favourites with the Jews and shunned the Gentiles… as recorded in the book of Acts.. And was rebuked by Paul… yet he continued in Ministry
-
I know there are certain criteria for pastors and leaders they can’t be fornicating and drinking and things like that
-
I believe they have to step down if there is adultery involved fornication and drinking
-
In James 3:1, he writes, “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness” (ESV).
Being a pastor is truly a calling, not a “profession.” I know that I will be called to account for everything I have done and every item that I have preached incorrectly. One should not take this lightly.
As my first mentor told me, “…If you are called by God, no other endeavour will satisfy you and you will never be able to run far enough from God. Do it because God has called you, not because you desire this. It is a lonely “profession.”
-
Restored to be regular servants of God, but not back into ministry leadership.
-
Not just pastors but all
Christians. -
Define fallen
-
We all fall regularly
-
I think it should be on the person who aspires to leadership. I question the sanity, including my own, of those who desire to be in ministry. So many are in it that should not be, having nothing to do with having done something wrong. Many are using ministry and Jesus to make much of themselves. They are people who just found a nitch, and are not called by God. Their passion is for power, fame, or money, not the church of Jesus Christ. I would much rather have a restored pastor over someone who is good at looking clean but didn’t belong in the ministry in the first place. The bible warns about wanting to get into the ministry (James 3:1, 1 Cor. 1:26, Eph. 4:1, Mark 12:38-40). I hope God could restore anyone to anything. But I would only re-enter the ministry if I were sure God called me back. And then, with fear and trembling at the love and power of the Almighty God.
-
Just about how to restore a brother or sister.
-
We could go on all day about restorations but I think his post was intent towards Pastors. Yes we know there is forgiveness for all but from my readings there is a higher standard for leaders. If you give me time I can find verses most being out of 1 & 2 Timothy. Reproach to the church is what comes to mind.
-
Peter!
-
Paul (saul)
-
Do you think a pastor who was divorced while in the pulpit and remarried should continue to be a pastor? There was no unfaithfulness just “grew apart”.
-
To the Christian fold, yes; to the pastorate, no!
-
Umm. The second half of Romans 7 says that Paul still wasn’t sinless.
1 john 5.16-17 says there is a sin that leads to death and we shouldn’t bother praying for those who have committed it, but there is also a sin that doesn’t lead to death… therefore it’s implied that we should pray for those people.
Galatians 2.11-16 says Paul challenged Peter to his face because he didn’t want to be seen with gentiles when the Jews showed up.
John was guilty of idolatry twice when he worshipped the angel in revelation 19.10, and 22.8-9 after he was warned not to.
I don’t see anyone trying to kick peter paul and john out of ministry.
In revelation 2 and 3, Jesus writes 7 letters to the churches. FIVE of them are in danger of being removed because of their ongoing conduct. But Jesus wrote the letters with the intent of reconciling and keeping them.
And given the fact that pastors would automatically be a high priority target for Satan, because they have more influence over people and because satan would love to give the Church a black eye….. yeah. I think pastors need a lot more grace than we give them!
How many attendees in those churches do you think actually pray for their pastors??
I would guess it’s less than 3% of them, just from my experiences. -
To be restored to ministry (aka the pulpit) or to be rededicated to Christ?
-
This is almost a 50 shades of grey kind of thing, meaning there are at LEAST 50 scenarios that can be thought of that could tilt this one way or another.
-
Zechariah 1:3 So tell the people that this is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘Return to Me …
Therefore tell the people: This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Return to me,’ declares the LORD Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the LORD Almighty.
-
Peter was restored after denying Jesus 3 times.
-
Yes. If a brother is caught in a sin you which are spiritual restore such a one. This goes for any member of the body. Now who is spiritual. Cause not every saved person is. A spiritual person only looks to view what is God’s view on a matter is and applies that to the situation. You must hide the wWord in your heart for many years in order to know what God’s view on a matter is or you can Google real fast
-
Read Galatians 6:1
Brothers, if someone is caught in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual should restore such a person with a gentle spirit, watching out for yourselves so you also won’t be tempted.James 3:13
13 Who is wise and has understanding among you? He should show his works by good conduct with wisdom’s gentleness.Psalm 51:12
Restore the joy of Your salvation to me…What does it mean to restore gently a brother who is caught in a sin?
Gal 6:1“Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.”
Gal 6:1 flows from the points Paul was making in Gal 5. (Chapters/verse breaks are man-introduced and so often break up the flow of thought.) Paul is trying to get the Galatians, a mixed church of Jew and Gentile, to both acknowledge that they are not under the law, but neither are they free to serve their own flesh. He also must repeatedly remind them that they are to serve each other humbly and in love, as tensions between the groups are high. The Judaizers had been quick to point out everything they think the Gentiles are doing wrong, including not getting circumcised, but in a spirit of shunning vs. Treating them as fellow brethren. Some Gentile believers were taking their freedom from the law as a free license to sin.
Paul makes these points that all lead up to Gal 6:1
– we are called to be free from sin
– don’t use that freedom as an excuse to serve the flesh
– serve one another humbly in love.“For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.” Gal 5:14-15
– walk by the Spirit, not the flesh
– the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit
– if we are led by the spirit we are not under the law“The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.” Gal 5:19-20
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Gal 5:22-23
– “Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.” Gal 5:26
All of his points can be summed up as 1) we are not under the law (so the Judaizers are focused on the wrong things,) 2) We are under the Spirit (so the Gentile believers are not free to indulge the flesh how they please and 3) We are all united in one church and should deal with conflict and sin in a humble, loving manner rather than try to act superior.
Here, then, is Gal 6:1: “Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.”
A fellow brother in Christ who is unapologetically living in sin does need addressed, as that behavior is damaging to himself, to the church, and to the testimony of God before the world. Fortunately, other brothers and sisters in Christ are there who can restore him through encouragement, admonition, rebuke, exhortation, accountability, etc.
Yet we should not do this with a gleeful hope of vengeance, because we want to make ourselves look more pious, but because we genuinely care about them and “love our neighbor as yourself.” Focusing on them as a beloved brother will help keep our admonition gentle.
Paul does add here that we also need to ‘watch ourselves.’ Some sins are very addicting or more tempting than others, and so we need to ‘be on guard’ when dealing with the sin. For example, a strip club is probably not the best location to hold a heart to heart conversation about the perils of lust.
Guarding ourselves also moderates our gentleness, as we also need to be firm about the sin. ‘Strength under control’ is at the heart of meekness. Gentle doesn’t mean we avoid discipline or that we just give them a head’s up about their sin and then run away, but rather is about the state of our heard in how we approach them.
“Restoring” the brother means to bring to working condition or adjusted to be fully functional. What for? For the work of God on Earth, such as evangelism and building the church up. Whether restoring a painting or fixing a broken vase, restoration takes self-control and the tools chosen/application of strength should not be too rough for the task.
-
To God, all sin is forgivable except for the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit
-
It’s not about ability to be a preacher, and especially one who had been forgiven, but the loss of trust people will have in that person going forward.
-
Yea I think so.
I’m waiting for ministry too. -
Yes
-
Jimmy Swaggart? ?prostitution, adultery, masturbation, pornography, lying, cheating, not once! But twice caught and that’s not counting how many other times he did it before he got caught ?
-
James 3:1
-
Glenn Gerlach
Glenn Gerlach is right. Yes, to his Christian fold but not back to pastorate. -
“Caught in the Pulpit: Leaving Belief Behind”
-
[…] Is there biblical basis for pastors who have fallen to… […]
Comments