A reminder in light of the ongoing sins/scandals being exposed among leaders in our day:

Stop using David's sin and restoration as justification for ministers who have disqualified themselves. Stop using David's kingly anointing as a prooftext for the "anointing" of unqualified church leaders. Stop using Israel's "irrevocable" national election and calling as a prooftext for the supposedly irrevocable calling of Christian leaders.

The absolute authority and divine unity of Scripture matter. 

David's role and Israel's role may overlap in many ways with how we think about Christian leadership, but they are not identical. Let us be finished with lazy Bible interpretations. Let Scripture interpret Scripture. The apostles were clear in their teaching regarding the shepherding of God's house, and we mustn't deviate from them with newfangled methodologies or novel "revelations". 

There are qualifications for Christ's undershepherds (1 Tim. 3/Titus 1), and while men who have fallen into sin may absolutely be forgiven for their sins and find true repentance and restoration of faith, if they have disqualified themselves from Christian leadership, they must be removed from their place of influence and responsibility.

The fact that this is even a question for many professors of faith is a disclosure of how far we have fallen from "the faith once delivered to all the saints." The preservation of an organization or church brand should not even be a matter of consideration when dealing with these matters. To play that game is to disregard the plain teaching of Scripture. This approach has all too often been taken in recent decades, and it is unfortunately taking place yet today. It is nothing less than the offering up of "strange fire." 

Let us state it plainly: A just standing before God through repentance and faith is not identical to fittedness for Christian leadership. All leaders are in a "body of death" and possess indwelling sin, and we are all desperately and utterly in need of Gospel grace and preservation through faith on every leg of the journey. But that is not the same as disqualifying sins/crimes, not to mention the propounded darkness required in the attempt to hide them for the sake of saving our ministerial veneers. 

Brothers, these things ought not to be.

It is not only poor hermeneutics to twist Scripture in these ways, it is a poor example of basic Christian discipleship and ministry. Nothing good at all can come from laying hands on men hastily or "restoring" them to ministry on sub-Biblical grounds. To do such things is to breed further deception, to position men to hear "I never knew you" on the last day, and to set in motion the dismembering of leaders, ministries, and the families that were once under their care -- families for whom Christ greatly cares.

It is time to wake up from the long dark of worldly ministry efforts, saints. 

Let us return to a true interpretation of God's Word, a true trembling before God's Word, and a true application of God's Word. Let there be not even a hint of manipulation or compromise in us. "And do not give the devil a foothold."

Our works will be tried by holy fire one day, brothers and sisters. That day will be upon us sooner than we think.

Let us see to it that Christ crucified is the foundation we build upon. Let us build up His house according to His Word. And may we "walk in the fear of the LORD and the comfort of the Holy Spirit," looking forward with reverence, awe and humble hope to the Day when the Chief Shepherd appears with majesty and great glory.

He is coming soon, and His reward is with Him. -BA Purtle