Have you ever commited a crime that you didnt get caught for?

Can a king continue to rule after he has committed adultery and murder? Yes, if he repented and God forgives.

This Pastor's sins will find him out as did king David's. If this preacher does not follow David's example no one would ever consider him a minister of God.

 

We can only apply law where the law is in effect at the time. As far as biblical and spiritual laws are concerned, Paul did suffer consequence and had to gain trust with those who never trusted him in the first place.

What are some specific situations in which you are talking about. As far as the pastor who has committed a crime, he should do as God guides him, (God will guide him) if the church has lost trust in him then that is some of the consequence of his sin. The Bible is specific on what qualifies pastors, bishops, overseers, elders and deacons to hold those positions. I am not aware of any once qualified always qualified offices or positions in the church. There is a expectation of behavior for people who are in these positions. Do you have any other specific situations or examples in mind.

 

I do not find any scripture that would prevent someone from holding a position in the church because they had obtained an abortion that is legal by man's law.

BUT (you knew there had to be a but) I could not nor would I accept or serve under someone who condoned abortion. I would have a problem with even having Christian fellowship with another person proclaiming to be Christian but condoned abortion. To me, that person would be knowingly living in unrepentant sin.

If this was a past sin, I think there would still be a matter of trust that would have to be recovered through their actions of repentance and fruits of works in the Spirit. It took Paul 3 years to gain the trust of other believers, yet he persevered and gained that trust. Remember Paul went from a well respected position before conversion to that of a believer when they were being persecuted. Trust is not the same as forgiveness. Trust is something that is earned. (especially trust that has been lost) While forgiveness is administered by Grace which is immediate.

 

David was a murder, an adulterer, a liar, and a thief. Yet He was a prophet of God. A man after God's own heart. He had such a faith in God that he defeated a giant.
As far as getting away with it, he did where men are concerned but, God always catches you in the end.
MB

 

Hi, AJ, good to see you so active!

I have to say, "NO!" I've been caught for everything I've ever done wrong, it's just that Jesus paid for my wrongs! I owe Him everything!

I'm just sorry he had to pay for what I did, but sure glad it satified His Father!:godisgood:

 

I've never been caught. :tongue3:

But I've broken the law and sinned. However, I'm not a pastor so I don't fall under the same standards. I think we should throw out Paul, and definately Moses and also David. I wouldn't let my daughters hang out with these guys. In fact I might look at them down the barrel of a shotgun.

 

I you were looking down the barrel of a shotgun at David and Moses then it would not be the David and Moses we are talking about.

 

You forgot Paul. I'd look down the proverbial barrel at him too.

 

To answer the original question...


A friend and I broke into a store back in the 70's and stole something. We were high on something, but cant remember what we took. Basically, we commited burglary

The next day we realized the import of what we did, and quickly pawned the item to get it rid of it. Of course, that could have been our undoing, since the police might have alerted all the pawn shops, but we must have pawned it before they did, because we were never caught.

Praise God that the man who did that, and many other things, no longer exists.

He died, and the new me now lives.


:godisgood:

 

Nothing to do with what I did or nothing but

I once heard the late, great Dr. Adrian Rogers preaching on something similiar-------I believe it was a series on the 10 commands and he was on Thou Shalt Not Steal

Here's what he said----though probably not word for word

If you so much as steal a 15 cent pencil from your company-----you have the same potential to steal your company's $150,000.00 payroll-----doesn't mean you're gonna do it----but the potential is there!!!

 

I used to preach at a Mississippi Correctional Institute(The Big Pen) and talked with numerous guys doing time-----one who was a regular at our preaching meetings was a white dude in his mid 20's------I could tell the dude didn't want to be there----but he got hung up in the boss's payroll and got sticky hands---well---you know the rest of the story . . .

Several years pasted since I met this guy---then one day--at church while I was walking through the parking lot---an older model pickup truck pulled in and came up along side me

It what that white dude in the "Big Pen"-------he had done his time and was out and was working as a house painter for some independant painter

He saw me outside and recognized me and pulled in to tell me---"I sure appreciated your willingness to come to the jail and preach to us and be with us---just to show some friendliness-----you gave us encouragement and I will always remember that!!!"

That just made my day---to know there was someone in the "Big Pen" who wanted out of the "system" that landed him there in the first place!!!

There's not a crime I can commit that is WORTH me spending time in "The Big Pen"

 

Johnny Cash, at a concert he gave at Folsom Prison said to the inmates, "The only difference between you and the rest of us is you got caught."