Repentance, Forgiveness, and Justice- God’s Formula for Restoration
In my fifth decade of international ministry in churches of varying types and sizes, I have had many great experiences. At the core are many rich friendships with leaders throughout the body of Christ. Unfortunately, there has also been the grief of several gifted leaders I have known who have necessarily stepped away from ministry due to personal sin. While I can attest to the authentic restoration of some of them, some have come up short due to shortchanging God’s formula for authentic restoration.
Pseudo versus Authentic Restoration
Recently, I read of an internationally known preacher who has been rumored to have participated in some celebrity parties in which some accusers are claiming to have been raped and sexually abused. In addressing these rumors from the pulpit, the preacher stated, ‘What if they are true? God forgives me!‘ Hopefully, the rumors are false, but that statement speaks to the heart of one of the most significant problems afflicting the Church today: a profound failure to understand the difference between forgiveness and Biblical restoration!
‘Pseudo’ means the opposite of authentic, as in sham, or fake. All too often, the so-called restoration of fallen leaders in today’s church falls into the pseudo category. The problem is that the churches or ministries that the fallen leader operated in have often been more concerned with getting on with the show than the Biblical restoration of the leader. In short, the church all too often values gifting over Christ-like character.
In merely pursuing the restoration of the gift, rather than the person, the church illustrates a profound lack of understanding God’s ultimate goals and His ways. Jesus did not come to earth and give His life on the cross merely to save us from the wrath of God. He came to restore us to a vital relationship with God, the Father. He famously stated, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life’. Too often, however, that verse is quoted apart from the rest of the verse: ‘No one comes to the Father except through Me’! (John 14.6) Likewise, in John 17.3, we read, ‘This is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.’
First, last, and in between, God is about one primary thing- relationships. First, the restoration between ourselves and the Father, and out of that life-changing love, relationships with one another. Christianity is not so much about escaping the flames of hell as it is a deep and powerful transformation. The heart of that change is becoming like Jesus, who lived to please the Father. As the Apostle Peter wrote ‘As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”’ (1 Peter 1.14-16) Any standard less than this fails to measure up to Biblical restoration.
There is an old saying often used by those involved in counseling ministries; ‘hurting people hurt people.’ This saying succinctly points to the truth that we will most likely wound others if we don’t get free from our own wounds. Regarding those called to church leadership, I like to say, ‘the messenger is the message, and the teacher is the teaching.’ By this, I mean we reproduce who we are, not just what we teach or preach. This perspective points back to Jesus’ mandate to make disciples rather than merely believers. When we shortchange the authentic restoration of a fallen leader, we are shortchanging God’s call to make disciples- people who discipline their lives by the ways and words of Christ! And when we have broken and compromised teachers, preachers, and leaders in the pulpit, the church will fail to produce authentic disciples of Christ. We reproduce who we are, not so much what we say!
The False God of Nickels, Noise, & Numbers!
When a Christian ministry or church’s goal is driven by the momentum of finances, good reputation, and growth to the point of covering up grave sin in the life of the leadership, Biblical discipleship will be a very real casualty.
God, unlike many ministries we read of today, has never been guilty of sweeping the dirt under the carpet. The Old Testament is especially filled with stories of many of God’s appointed leaders sinning against Him and people. Neither has God ever been manipulated by the fear of losing popularity. Prior to John, chapter 6, the multitudes were pursuing Jesus. Then, He began to speak the challenging message of eating His body and drinking His blood. Not only did the multitudes stop following Him, but even the larger group of disciples abandoned Him. At the end of the day God is always more concerned about quality over quantity!
In 1986, following the Chornobyl nuclear disaster, one Soviet scientist defied the Communist Party leadership and told the truth about what caused the meltdown. That man was Valery Legasov. His testimony humiliated the Soviet Union, showing how their lies, incompetence, and cost-cutting measures led to the most significant nuclear disaster the world has known. Legasov’s testimony may have saved countless lives and the future of our planet due to the safety measures his testimony brought about. Legasov, however, paid a price for standing against the ‘on with the show’ mentality, which had governed the mindset of the Soviet nuclear officials of the day. His forthrightness, however, effectively brought about desperately needed change!
Forthrightness is often the missing ingredient that robs us of authentic restoration. In his psalm of repentance (Psalm 51), David declared, in verse 6, ‘Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.’ Authentic restoration begins with allowing God to search our hearts and responding accordingly. As David continued in the process of restoration (and it is a process), he also stated, ‘For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.’ (verses 16-17) Pride, rather than the humility of Biblical brokenness, prevails with counterfeit restoration.
Jim Newsom – a Testimony of Authentic Biblical Restoration
Jim Newsom was a man powerfully used by God for several decades. He not only pastored several churches, but he also helped establish a vital prison ministry that helped bring about true Kingdom restoration in the lives of many. We can pick up Jim’s story as a teenager. He had been kicked out of high school, was a drug addict, and had a criminal record- including armed robbery. After being dishonorably discharged by the army, he committed murder. Jim was ultimately charged and convicted of second-degree murder.
In the aftermath of committing murder, Jim surrendered his life to Jesus. The very next morning, he turned himself in to the local authorities, confessed to his crime and pled guilty to his charge. He was given a 30-year prison sentence. While in prison, Jim was involved in starting a vital prison ministry. Surprisingly, he was released after 8 years, instead of his 30-year sentence. He went on to serve God and people as a prolific Bible teacher until he went home to the Lord in 2024.
Jim’s story powerfully illustrates God’s ability to both redeem and transform us from grave sin. It would be a mistake, however, to say his testimony was only dependent on God. Jim made a tough choice to not only acknowledge his sins to God but equally important to man. So to speak, Jim humbly faced the music for his mistakes. He did not try to hide his sins or justify his behavior, nor did he try to spiritualize it. He simply confessed His sins to both God and man. In short, Jim realized that God is not only a God of forgiveness but also a God of justice. Jim would not have become the transformed servant of the Lord he became if he had not pursued justice as well as forgiveness!
I related that, surprisingly, Jim only served 8 years of his 30-year sentence. The leniency he received was not truly surprising in one sense, however. When we humbly embrace and obey God, He will honor our obedience in powerful, redemptive, and unexpected ways!
The Gift of Repentance!
Jesus, at great cost, met the Father’s demand for justice for our sins by giving His life on the cross. We can only fully experience the grace of the cross if we, like Jim Newsom, pursue both justice and forgiveness of our sins. And justice demands both acknowledgment and remorse for our sins to people we may have hurt and/or abused. To ignore that God is a God of justice shows a disregard for the holiness and ways of God.
Authentic Biblical repentance is actually a gift that God has given humanity. When we embrace repentance to both God and man, God begins to sweep out the debris and deception in our souls and put us on track with His kind intentions for our lives. As Isaiah said: ‘Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land!’ (Isaiah 1.18-19)
Psalm 32.1-4: ‘Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer’.
