When Good Christians Go Bad

By Greg Stier|Christian Post Guest Columnist

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He is right. The only thing that will keep us pure is not some human rule but the divine rule of Christ in our hearts. The moment we put our trust in the safeguards instead of Jesus is the moment we fail. As Colossians 2:23 reminds us, “Such regulations indeed have an appearance fo wisdom…but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgences.”

4. Forgive and restore or confront and ostracize.

I don’t know Mark Sanford’s heart. Maybe his repentance is genuine, maybe not. That needs to be determined by the spiritual leaders at his church. But if and when true repentance takes place we Christians should be the first to forgive. If genuine repentance doesn’t take place then there should be Biblical confrontation (Matthew 18:16-17) and, if that doesn’t do the trick, then ostracization by the entire church (Matthew 18:17; 1 Corinthians 5:9-13.) Think of this as a holy cold shoulder done out of a heart of love with the goal being shame, repentance and restoration in the heart of the believer.

Tough stuff. But the stuff that makes Christianity unique, holy as well as loving.

I am praying for Mark Sanford as well as for his wife and family. I hope he repents, resigns and restores. I am also praying for you to be pure, to trust in the Lord, not your human safeguards to keep you pure. Please pray for me. I want to be a faithful husband who finishes well. I want to be dependent on God’s strength and not my own.

When good Christians go bad we need to confront and seek to restore. We need to analyze ourselves and not become arrogantly judgmental, to humbly trust in Christ’s power to keep us pure and to seek to rebuild the Name and Fame of Christ by living holy lives of love outloud to all around us.

We have our work cut out for us.

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Greg Stier is the President and Founder of Dare 2 Share Ministries in Arvada, Colo., where he works with youth leaders and students, equipping them to be effective in sharing the gospel. With experience as a senior teaching pastor and in youth ministry for almost 20 years, Greg has a reputation of knowing and relating to today’s teens. He is widely viewed as an authority and expert teen spirituality. He is known for motivating, mobilizing and equipping teens for positive change. For more information on Dare 2 Share Ministries, and the Invicible 08/09 conference tour, please visit www.dare2share.org.

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mikeymike885 »

Sun Jul 05, 2009 1:55 pm Agree: 0 Disagree: 0

not one man is above this, its a fight to the finish. we see these men of God fall by the wayside because satan has 3 objectives to kill, to steal, and to destroy. he will speak in our ears everyday, its our choice to give in and appease that voice. and each one of us, no matter who we are, give in to something the enemy says. we are not above any of this, only by the grace of God and trusting in His word, and doing our best to rely on and hear the Holy Spirit (not just listen, but hear) can we have the victory over all sins. i myself dont always hear the holy spirit, not as extreme as adultery, but sin nonetheless. and i am constantly reminded by these articles how i must fight the good fight, or i will too be defeated.
rj78 »

Fri Jul 03, 2009 10:44 pm Agree: 0 Disagree: 0

How to tell if you married the right woman-

1) she has not taken fertility drugs, had a hundred kids, bossed you around and insulted you on camera, ignored you for years while chasing her eight little faces around and wondered why the marriage has not worked

2) she has not told intimate family secrets, insulted men, told stories about her underwear and done the robot while chanting "what about me, what about me" in front of millions of people

3) she has not read any book in the "Every Man's Marriage" Series

4) she has never read "I Kissed Dating Goodbye"

5) she has always watched your Clint Eastwood dvds with you

Seriously, guys, when God brings a woman into your life, treat her like gold. Besides Jesus, she is God's greatest gift to you.
jturning »

Fri Jul 03, 2009 5:04 pm Agree: 1 Disagree: 0

Good article. My wife says she would leave me too if I ever cheated on her, :).

One other thing I would mention is for the Christian to take a cold hard look at the reality of the situation. Usually, the woman that would give you play is not the woman you would really want to be with. Open your eyes and observe and see the truth about the woman you might be inclined to cheat with, as I think you'll find you're no longer interested when God reveals that truth to you. And if a woman is inclined through sensual appetite or emotional damage to be with a married man, they're probably sexually active with many partners, so think of the potential physical harm to yourself and your wife if you were to become infected with a sexually transmitted disease. Then think about the consequences of your actions on your family, possible divorce, betrayal of your spouse, betrayal of God and damage to your testimony... If you allow yourself to see the big picture you'll easily recognize that the moments of empty pleasure aren't worth the consequences.

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