WALK IN PURITYWhat it is
When it is the pastor, a church usually has no process and makes it up under pressure — and the result is either a man destroyed for a sin the gospel covers, or one restored to a platform far too quickly because people like him. Jared Wilson's argument is that both failures come from collapsing distinctions that need holding apart. Restoration to fellowship is one thing and should come quickly for someone genuinely repentant; restoration to the pastoral office is another and requires the qualifications to be demonstrably rebuilt over time. Forgiveness is immediate; trust is earned slowly. Personal restoration is not the same as a public platform. He disagrees with the view that sexual sin disqualifies permanently — grace either covers repented sin or it does not — while insisting that a church has to discern real repentance through time and changed behaviour rather than a tearful statement. Free, fourteen minutes, and written for the people who have to make the decision.
What it may help with
- I lead a church or ministry
How to access it
Long-form web article, about a 14-minute read None