This is Us

“For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?”  I Peter 4:17

There have been several articles online about the coverup of sexual crimes by the Southern Baptist Convention.  We know that the Catholic church has been in the news for quite some time for sexual crimes committed by priests.  Since these crimes have been discovered in these two churches, they probably have occurred in other denominations as well.  So, what gives?  How can leaders in God’s body of believers be so far off track from God’s word and keep it hidden from the members of the respective churches for years?  Why didn’t the guilt force them to come clean before now?

Accounts that we hear from the victims of these crimes were not heard of in the little church in which I grew up.  However, I do remember years ago a family leaving the church because one of the old men in the church touched their daughter inappropriately.  This is not to disparage all men, but sometimes elderly men are not always gentlemen, to put it politely.  That’s why they are sometimes called “dirty old men”.  The onset of dementia may have something to do with their inappropriate behavior.  Even the President has been know to be a little too “touchy, feely” from the pictures and videos that I have seen.  I also remember another older man in the church of whom my Dad would give a ride to church.  One time he was sitting in the pew in front of where I was sitting with his arm across the back of the pew, and he let his arm drop and his hand touched my knee.  I was about 12 or 13 at the time, and I always dreaded when he got into the car with us.  I never said anything to my parents about how creepy he made me feel, but he didn’t attend church for very long.  I will admit that I was glad when he moved away.

A lady that worked at the same office as me told me that she did not go to church because when she was young, one of the deacons or elders molested her at the church.  I have heard folks use excuses for not going to church because all the preacher ever talks about is money, or everyone in the church is a hypocrite, or Sunday morning is the only time I have in which to do so and so, but I had never heard one like the one that she gave.  I will admit that I was shocked.  Children can be scarred for life by selfish, egotistical, and unthinking adults.  Stories about pastors having affairs with church members are occurring with more frequency.  With today’s lack of privacy, it is more difficult to sin in secret.

Even in scripture we find men and women who can’t seem to keep themselves from sexual sin.  David committed adultery with Bathsheba, and Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines who, when he was old, turned his heart from God to idols.  Scripture only accounts for one son of his, Rehoboam, but with so many women at his beck and call, one would assume he had many more children.  He worshipped the idol Molech which required child sacrifice; thus, it wouldn’t be farfetched to consider that many of the children he fathered were sacrificed.  King Herod’s adultery was called out by John the Baptist which resulted in John’s beheading.  The woman at the well (John 4) who met Jesus had been married five times and was then living with a man.  A woman caught in adultery (John 8) was brought before Jesus by several of the religious leaders, who were possibly just as guilty as she was.

We understand in the secular world that sexual impurity is about as common as cheating on one’s taxes.  However, it is not supposed to be that way in the body of Christ.  The statistic concerning divorce years ago was much higher for unbelievers, but now it is reported to be about the same for believers.  What is Peter saying to us, all of us who have repented, trusted in Christ, and are committed to live for Him?  Is it important to strive for purity in one’s life or can we live just any old way we please and expect God to look the other way?  Who, each day, goes before the Judge of all the earth first?  Is it not His own people, those who were bought with the precious blood of His Son, Jesus Christ?  Those who claim to be born again but caught up in sexual sin will have no excuse for not obeying the gospel of Jesus Christ, the gospel that they claim to live by.  What about those who cover it up?  No wonder the world looks at Christians as hypocrites!