This very well may be, and, like you said, this freedom from the bondage of lust was not [i]your[/i] doing; it was by the grace of God and I don't think anyone here is contesting to what is being asserted (that this addiction is sinful). I am only saying that the approach to blanket someone who has fallen unto a besetting sin as having their ministry automatically terminated may not be altogether wise. Undoubtedly, there is [i]never, ever[/i] any reasonable excuse for yielding to temptation, and were a Christian worker confess to me that they have been succumbing to this sin, I would counsel them to step back from the ministry (if they did not already volunteer to step back themselves!) I am quick to understand that God graciously restores the repentant sinner, even if men will not. I can tell you that personally, if I fell to this sin, I would be the [i]first[/i] to disclude myself from any ministerial opportunites, until (and if) God opened the door to ministry once again. Though the Lord restores repentant sinners, ministerial restortation isn't always assured.
Nonetheless, I would warn certain stonefaced sin-crusading pontificators on SI most solemnly: Do take heed, brethren. Men who assume graceless, ruthless stances against certain besetting sins and continue to heap fiery condemnation upon the heads of fallen believers and thus discourage them from seeking out God's continued holiness...have a mysterious tendency to fall themselves. And how great is the crash when they do! They are painfully humbled, and this too is by the grace of God lest they continue to puff themselves up and harden their hearts to the plight of broken and besieged believers who have temporarily fallen. Ah, we get our greatest example from Jesus Christ Himself in his dealing with us when we "miss the mark". I shouldn't have to expound on the awesome mercy and grace and patience of God bestowed upon such hurting believers. Many of us here can attest to the unspeakable mercy God has shown us when we should have been deservedly cut off for transgressing against Light even [i]after[/i] coming to the knowledge of the truth.
Brother, I can take the same cut-and-dry warrior stance you are taking now, and use scriptures to show how God hates sin. Everyone here knows this, but there is a better way. I've heard "Wild Donkeys" and "Iron Chariots", but from reading your post I wonder if you subscribe to Dave Wilkerson's newsletter as well? It is full of grace, as much as he preaches against sin he encourages to get up and continue walking with God. He doesn't merely say, "You've failed. You can't be trusted."
I had to learn grace the hard way, brother. I fell miserably after having continuous victory for years and years, and suddenly thought there was no hope. After all, I had preached so ardently against sin, so strongly, so passionately, so conclusively - as though I could never fall or yield to temptation again. I thought all my strongholds were vanguished as long as I continued to _________ (fill in the blank). But whose to say I could continue to ______ as long as my confidence was misplaced? I was a boaster! So, when I did fall, it was wholly my fault, the giving in to flesh, the weakness, the disobedience, the horrible shame. No one needed to tell me "Read 5 & 6 Corinthians!" Most men of God who fall into sin know 1 Cor. 6:9 by heart, and if they don't, the Holy Spirit quickly and lovingly brings it to their recollections. Before I fell, I [i]knew[/i] there was victory, because I was living in it with unbroken success! This only compounded the guilt. I discovered that mere willpower is often enough to keep your flesh in check for a length of time. The greatest hope, however, after I fell, was not wrought through people telling me "God hates sin! You can no longer be trusted!" but, rather, "Brother, there is forgiveness, restoration. Gird up thy loins and get back up upon the paths of holiness, and take heed and look [i]only[/i] to Jesus, lest ye fall again."
Brother Paul
