Question #11

"If a man is chosen, by God, for the Ministry, and later, has to step down 
because of some sort of moral indiscretion, will God ever restore this person 
to the Ministry?"


Answer #11

Well, let me have you look at 1Corinthians 9:27, and just briefly give you a 
comment.  The answer, I believe, depends on what the ministry is.  I believe 
that a person could fall into moral sin, and be restored to some kind of 
ministry.  But I believe that there is some ministry, in which a man cannot 
engage himself, and that would be the ministry of "preaching and teaching the 
Word of God," as a pastor or elder.

I want you to look at 9:27 of 1Corinthians, Paul gives us a very important 
statement here, please notice verse 27, "I buffet my body," that's buffet not 
buffet [buf-fey], same spelling, different meaning.  "I buffet my body, and 
make it my slave."  Literally, the word buffet means, "to give a black eye," 
it means to punch.

"I subject my body, make it my slave."  Why?  "Because, I have this fear, 
that after I have preached to others, that I myself should be "adokimos," in 
the Greek, disqualified.  And the word literally means, to have been tested 
and tried and found inadequate.  Paul says, "My great fear is after I have 
preached to others, that I myself should be disqualified."  

I believe that it is possible, after having preached, to be disqualified.  
You say, "What disqualifies you?"  It is very clear from the verse, "I beat 
my body into submission," because it is my body that will disqualify me.  
Misuse of the body is a disqualifyer from ministry.  I have never heard 
anyone who talks about restoration deal with that verse.

Paul says, "I have to beat my body into submission, because it is those sins 
of the body."  You say, "Well, what are the sins of the body?"  Well, he has 
already talked about them in this very same Epistle.  Verse 18, of chapter 6, 
"Flee immorality, every other sin that a man commits is outside of the body, 
but the immoral man sins against his own body."

And so Paul says that, "It is immorality that is the unique sin of the body."  
So it is, that I must control that immorality, so that my body doesn't fall 
into immorality, and in so doing render me disqualified.  From what?  From 
preaching.  From the role of leadership.  Now maybe a person could come back 
in some ministry, in some other way, sure.  Restoration to the Church, yes.  
Restoration to usefulness to God, yes.  But restoration to a pulpit, 
restoration to an elder, how can it be?  

A man is to be blameless and above reproach.  A man is to be a "one woman 
man."  It says it as clearly as that in 1Timothy and Titus.  That man is not 
blameless who commits adultery, that man is not above reproach, that man is 
not a "one woman man."  And the model has been shattered.  You see, 
Spiritual leadership is not just a question of what you say, it is a 
question of what you are.  It is the integrity of life.

If you think Spiritual leadership is just preaching a good sermon, raising 
the budget, moving the Church, keeping things going, then you can get anybody 
in the pulpit.  But if standing in the pulpit and Spiritual leadership is all 
about the life you live, then the integrity of the man is crucial.

So yes, persons who fall into sin can be restored to the Church, and to 
fellowship.  They can be restored to some level of usefulness and serve the 
Lord.  But I believe once they have shattered the model, they cannot step 
back as an elder, as a pastor, because they are no longer blameless, they are 
no longer above reproach, they have shown themselves not to be a "one woman 
man."

And that puts a heavy burden on the ministry.  It really does.  But it is one 
which the Spirit of God gives us the power to bear.