Can a Christian be Disqualified?

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A Paper

Submitted to Dr. Steven Tracy

Phoenix Seminary

Scottsdale, Arizona

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In Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for

Contemporary Moral Issues

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by

Matthew W. Bickley

November 23, 2008

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Introduction and Explanation of Positions

It is not uncommon, unfortunately, in our current cultural climate to hear of a minister who has

fallen into immorality. Time and time again we hear about how so-and-so committed adultery, or fraud,

or name the sin. What is surprising about this trend though is the quickness with which a person is

returned to their former place of ministry.

In this paper we will seek to answer the question: can a Christian be disqualified from ministry?

This of course is a loaded question of which one must be perhaps more specific. Is disqualification

permanent or for a season? Is the individual disqualified from some types of ministry but not others?

Does disqualification, in the case of 1 Corinthians 9:27, refer to just ministry or does it mean more? Is a

person disqualified from rewards or eternal life? And we could go on.

One thing that needs to be established at the outset is that we all still sin. Paul, in our opinion, is

very clear in Romans 7:19 when he says, “For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is

what I keep on doing1.” If the apostle Paul continued to struggle with sin after his conversion then it is

wise to assume that we find ourselves in the same predicament.

We also need to set out at the outset that there is a difference in sins and the consequences of

those sins. All sin breaks our fellowship with God (1 John 1:7-10) and through repentance that fellowship

can be restored. One might struggle with sinful thoughts, and we know from Christ’s teachings that our

thoughts can be sinful (Matt 5:28), but those thoughts do not necessarily lead to an outward action. One

may have a lustful thought about another person, but that does not mean that they will commit a

physical act of adultery or immorality. The thoughts are sinful, but do not always lead to an action.

1
Unless otherwise stated all Scripture quotations are from the English Standard Version (ESV)
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Another point that needs to be clarified at the beginning is the various positions currently on the

market. On the one hand we have some who say that a person can be permanently disqualified from

any ministry for the rest of their life as a result of sin. People who tend to hold this position would say

that sexual immorality is one such sin that would permanently disqualify a person.

There are those on the other side of the aisle who would say that yes a person sins, and

sometimes the sin is great. However all things have been forgiven in Christ, thus even that great sin has

been forgiven. If the person is truly repentant of their sin then there is no reason not to restore them to

their previous place of ministry.

There is also a “middle ground” between these two extremes which states that while the

believer is truly forgiven, and forgiven completely, if they repent, they should not be restored

immediately to their former position. At the same time this “middle” position would say that a person

may not be disqualified for the remainder of their lifetime, but rather that they are disqualified for a

season.

There is one other position that should be discussed as well which will only occupy a small place

within our examination. There is a set of people within the Christian community who do not see

disqualification necessarily as referring to just ministry. In their understanding the disqualification that is

being discussed refers to the eternal condition of a person’s soul. Thus this theme would not apply

simply to a person in a position of ministry, but rather would be applied to all believers. While we do not

consider this to be a valid interpretation it does need to be discussed in light of this argument lest we

not consider all the various interpretations and applications.

Examples from Scripture of Restoration

Throughout the Scriptures we find examples of individuals who are very much like us; they
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struggle with sin and temptation the same as we do and they serve as an example for us either of

positive or negative behaviors. The position which advocates immediate forgiveness and restoration

tends to draw upon biblical characters of the Old Testament when making their argument.

One of the primary examples used by advocates of this position is King David. As we are aware

David sinned greatly during the Bathsheba “incident.” Adultery, lying, and murder are just some of the

crimes committed during this period of David’s life. It was finally through the ministry of the prophet

Nathan that David was convicted of his sins and repented. There were of course consequences for this

sin; the death of the child Bathsheba carried was clearly done despite David’s plea that the child be

spared.

The reasoning from this account follows along the line that David had committed a grievous sin

against God and against his fellow countrymen. Yet David was forgiven for this sin and was not required

to step down from his position as the ruler of Israel. There were consequences to his sin, which David

accepted, but the loss of his leadership position was not one of those.

From the New Testament Peter is often used to support this position and serves as an example

of restoration. We know from the accounts of the gospels that Peter denied Christ when he was

confronted in the courtyard. Not only was this denial done once, but rather three times, the third being

with a curse (Matt 26:69-75). Yet we are told that Peter “wept bitterly” over his actions, which the

biblical authors record as a sign of his genuine repentance.

At the end of the gospel of John (21:15-19) we see an interesting account between Jesus and

Peter. After they have finished their meal Jesus instructs Peter to feed and tend his sheep and above all

to follow Christ. This is important because we see in this account Jesus himself restoring and

commissioning Peter to ministry. Thus we can conclude that a person should be restored to ministry
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even if they have denied Christ.

These are just two powerful arguments in favor of restoring a person to ministry; however the

other side is not quiet about these issues. In the case of David one can argue that his position as king

was not necessarily a ministry as we would understand it. David was a king and his position as such was

different from that of a minister. Also, if David had been removed from power who would have taken his

place? Would they have been as qualified a leader as he was? In regards to Peter one might argue that

first, this is before the resurrection. As such after the resurrection all things have been forgiven and

Peter is able to make a fresh start.

There are of course issues to be taken with both sides of these arguments. The “forgive and

forget” position fails to consider the larger context in the case of David, as an example. Yes, David sinned

and God punished him for it, but what about his sin of polygamy? Clearly David had multiple wives as we

are told from the Scriptures and yet he was not removed from his position of leadership. Thus God may

have allowed this sin to continue because on the culture of the day and because of the various others

issues that needed to be addressed despite its sinfulness.

When we come to the New Testament no one would try to argue that the text allows for

polygamy now. Paul is very clear in his pastoral epistles to point out that there are certain qualifications

for the positions of elder and deacon which a believer must meet in order to serve in those positions.

Above all the person in question should be blameless which we will look at a little later.

Examination of the Relevant Passages

The primary text that is in question is found in 1 Corinthians 9:27 where Paul says: "but I

discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be

disqualified." It is this text that causes us to ponder upon this question and without this verse this may
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not have been a point of discussion for the church.

The term ἀδόκιμος is used eight times throughout the New Testament but seven of those

usages are found in the Pauline corpus. Each of the usages outside of 1 Corinthians focus upon a

justification aspect as opposed to our question. Yet the usage in 1 Corinthians appears to be unique

because of the context of the passage.

In the previous section (9:19-23) Paul discussed his “chameleon” attitudes as it pertained to

witnessing to the world at large. To those under the law, he himself acts as one under the law; to the

Greeks, as Greeks, etcetera. Having set up his argument he then poses a rhetorical question: “Do you

not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize?2” Obviously as citizens of

one of the great cities of the Roman Empire they were aware of the games. In fact all but the very young

would have been aware of these competitions.

He then gives the example of an athlete who disciplines himself in order to compete in the

games. At the time this epistle was written the city of Corinth celebrated the Isthmian games biennially

(compared with the average of five years for the Olympic Games) and would draw crowds from around

the Empire for the competition. It is highly probable that it was these specific games that Paul had in

mind. The fact that they celebrated the games biennially may also have some bearing on our

understanding of Paul’s use of the term.

There is something to be said about the fact that the games were celebrated biennially in

Corinth. Because this is the case, and is something of which the original readers would have been keenly

aware of, he may have in mind that a person could be disqualified for only the current set of games. Of

2
1 Corinthians 9:24
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course if they continued to train they could participate in the next games which would take place two-

years later. We do however need to be careful not to push the metaphor too far.

The counter argument against this is that the race Paul is referring to is life, not just a single

competition. Thus a person could be disqualified from ministry permanently since they only get one

attempt at life.

Yet 1 Corinthians is not silent about this issue beyond 9:27 and the larger context of the book

may have some bearing upon our understanding of this topic. Earlier in chapter 6:15-20 Paul discussed

the nature of our bodies and its relationship with the body of Christ. Specifically in verse 15 and 16 he

mentions the joining of a person’s body with that of a prostitute and the fact that they are no longer

two but one. This specific mentioning of sexual sin and the command to flee from such seems to be

slightly different from his dealings with some other sins. In fact his instructions about the man living in

adultery are very clearly stated later in the letter.

There is also the famous rewards passage of chapter 3:10-15 which may also be pertinent. We

all are building upon a foundation with our actions; some of those actions will be of the more precious

materials, while others will be of the things that will burn up. If we conclude that a person can be

restored to a ministry position after a grievous sin there will of course be a loss of reward as a result of

such a person’s action.

Another passage which is relevant for our discussion is the qualifications for elder and deacon

found in 1 Timothy 3:1-13 and Titus 1:5-9. Paul is very specific to list the character qualities that a leader

of the church should possess and he instructs Timothy and Titus to appoint such men as meet these

requirements. The standards for these positions are high, requiring not only good standing with those in

the community of faith, but also with the unbelievers in the larger community.
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These requirements were put in place for a reason as well. People with the type of character

that Paul describes are, perhaps, less likely to fall into public sin and bring reproach upon the church.

However Paul is also practical because he knows that not everyone will always be blameless in this

lifetime. Thus when an accusation is made it needs to be on the testimony of two or three witnesses.

Also an elder is to be rebuked publically because of their position.

Now if a minister falls into sin we must question whether they continue to meet the

qualifications described in these epistles. In the case of sexual misconduct can we truly say that a pastor

is the husband of one wife? Of course this does not answer the question of whether a minister is

permanently disqualified or not, but it does spur our thinking on the matter.

There is one other passage which we should examine to round out our understanding. James 3:1

tells us, “Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a

stricter judgment.” Obviously one of the primary roles of a pastor is the teaching of the Word and Paul

tells us that elders are to be able to preach.

Here James may be giving us some insight into the future, to that time, perhaps, which Paul

referred to in 1 Corinthians 3. The day in which our works are tested the fires that test a teacher’s works

will be more severe. Thus the readers of this epistle are warned that they should be careful when

desiring to be a teacher. This is not to say that no one should become a teacher, but rather that when

making that decision one should take this admonition into account.

Clarification of the Options

Having looked at several passages which have some bearing on our understanding of this issue

let us turn now to a detailed explanation of each position and see if that agrees with our understanding

the Scriptural material.

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Forgive and Forget

The “forgive and forget” position says that all sin is sin and that a minister is no different from

any other member of the body of Christ. Their position holds that a minister may stumble and fall but if

they are repentant they should be restored immediately to their ministry. After all we have examples

from both the Old and New Testament which shows that people were restored to their ministry, and in

the case of Peter even appointed to greater ministry, after their failure.

Another aspect to this view is that each believer has been given a gift that they are to use for

the building up of the body. Who are we to deny them the usage of their gifts for the benefits of others

over something that has been forgiven?

There is an aspect of this position which is to be admired and which all other positions should

strive for; that is the aspect of forgiveness. We are told by Jesus Christ that we are to be people who

forgive. In the disciple’s prayer, found in Matthew 6:9-13, Jesus instructs that we are to forgive our

debtors just as we have been forgiven (verse 12). Thus this is an attitude that we need to strive for when

dealing with ministers who stumble.

Yet there are some things that we might take issue with; we have already discussed the

examples of the saints who have gone before us, but what about the issue of denying a person’s gift?

While we do read in Scripture that all saints have been given a unique gifting of the spirit that should be

used for the building up of the church body, we are not told that it is sinful to repress those gifts. One

must be careful to understand this point. Simply because some have the gift of teaching does not mean

that they are qualified, according to 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1, to serve in a leadership position in the

church. We also do not have an indication from the New Testament that a gifting is permanent. It may

be that within the individual in question a new gifting will be developed which will lead to ministry, but
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not necessarily the former type of ministry we are concerned with. While the “forgive and forget”

position is admirable it is hard to justify this interpretation with the biblical evidence presented.

Permanent Disqualification

Persons who hold to a permanent disqualification view believe that people have one chance at

ministry. This view believes that while sin is sin and that all believers will fail at times, there are certain

sins that will disqualify a person from service in a leadership capacity. Usually this involves some type of

sexual sin, be it an affair or pornography, or fiscal sin in which the church has been defrauded.

People who typically do not hold this view are in danger of being overly harsh of those who do.

One needs to be careful to not be judgmental of those who have a strong conviction in this area. Clearly

this is a difficult situation and people have come to their conclusion for their own reasons (be they

biblical or personal).

One thing to be said in opposition to this view is that there is a lack of biblical support that

would necessarily force us into this position. We do have the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 9:27

however, as was discussed previously, this may not necessarily be a permanent disqualification. The

text, unfortunately, is not overly clear. Another issue is: for what sins can a minister be disqualified?

Again the text is not specifically clear about this issue and thus it is more difficult for us to draw a

conclusion.

At the same time there is something almost therapeutic about this view. When a minister fails

the congregation often feels that a just punishment is necessary. Since this individual was in a position

of authority and we do have teaching from Scripture about a stricter judgment should not the penalty

for failure be permanent “banishment” from ministry? As one can see this issue is complex and

something that each reader needs to weight and consider.

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Disqualification from Eternal Life

At first one might be wondering what bearing this concept has on our ethics of pastoral

disqualification, however this is one interpretation that has been given by such leaders as John Piper and

thus some handling of this position is appropriate.

In a sermon given August 2nd 1992 Piper preaches from 1 Corinthians 9:23-27 and has this to say

about our subject:

“Paul will warn the Corinthians in the next chapter (10:12) “Let anyone who thinks that he stands
take heed lest he fall.” Now Paul applies it to himself. “If I do not take heed, if I give way to some
of the impulses of my body, I could find myself on the slippery slope of disobedience away from
Christ, and get to the end of my life and hear the judge of the race say, ‘Disqualified! Yes, you
prophesied in my name. Yes, you cast out demons in my name. Yes, you did many mighty works
in my name. But you left the racetrack of faith and love and righteousness. You are disqualified.
Depart from me. I never knew you (Matthew 7:22-23).’

“The best evidence that this is what Paul means is the use of the word ‘disqualified’ (adokimos)
in 2 Corinthians 13:5. Paul says, ‘Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine
yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you – unless you
are disqualified.’ The word is exactly the same one from 1 Corinthians 9:27”

Piper’s understanding of the term disqualified has been influenced by Paul’s usage of the term

in his other epistles. Yet this is faulty exegesis; rather it is isogesis! As we discussed above the context of

the 1 Corinthians passage is one of the Greek games and our testimony with the world. But in the 2

Corinthians passage he is focused upon the inward heart of his readers. The context of the passage is

vastly different. No longer concerned with our external witness to the world around us Paul is

concerned that perhaps they are not truly saved to begin with! We have the utmost respect for Dr.

Piper’s work and ministry, but in this matter we must disagree with his understanding of the text.
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What Then Shall We Do?

Having looked at the various Scriptural teachings and examined the various positions, we must

now ask: where do we stand and what do we do?

As is often the case in discussions like this sometimes the middle road, while perhaps not the

best option, provides enough balance to be helpful. The position we would like to advocate here is one

of caution. We believe that yes a minister can be disqualified at least for a season. As life ebbs and flows

we would advocate that while a person may be unfit for ministry at the current time, this is not to say

that in the future further ministry may not be possible.

One might ask though, how does this view differ from the “forgive and forget” concept? While

we do say that it may be possible for someone to return to a ministry position we are not saying that it

is a guarantee. There are several steps, which will be discussed below, that we feel would be wise to

accomplish before a person is restored to ministry.

For our part the first step in this process is forgiveness. We are told that we are to be people

who forgive, even in the face of heinous sins and betrayals of trust. One thing that the church needs to

consider in these types of situations is their part in the events that transpired. Often times the various

members seek to blame, in the case of sexual failings, the pastor or the woman, or the pastor’s spouse

(if he is married). Yet rarely does the congregation consider the part that they have played in this moral

failing. This is not to say that the blame is to be placed upon the congregation solely, after all the pastor

is the one who actually committed the act, but the congregation and their actions may have pushed him

in an unhealthy direction.

Next we would council that the offending person needs to be removed from his position

immediately. This can often be tough on the congregation and puts additional strain upon the other
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leaders, but it is a necessary step. The first thing this action does is tell the congregation that the

leadership is serious about this issue and that they are taking the appropriate steps to see the issue

resolved. At this point it is up to the various remaining leaders as to what they will do. There are

situations in which the congregation needs to be made aware of what has transpired, yet one needs to

be careful to give just enough of the facts to not gossip, but allow the people to be aware of the

situation and not become gossips themselves.

After these initials steps have been taken it is time for a process of restoration to begin. There is

of course the restoration of the congregation that needs to be thought of, not only the restoration of

the sinning leader. The congregation is going to have feelings of hurt and betrayal; questions about why

this happened and how it could happen. It is important for the remaining leadership to be available and

honest and help the congregation work through the various emotional and mental issues that may arise.

The offending pastor of course will also need to begin a process of restoration. This of course

assumes that he is repentant about his sins and understands the gravity of the situation in which he

finds himself. If the pastor is not repentant, then restoration is not possible until repentance is

accomplished.

The pastor most likely will need to attend counseling both in regards to the sin and possibly with

his spouse if the issue was of a sexual betrayal. This process of course is not something that will be

accomplished with a few weeks, or perhaps months. Sometimes there are issues that will take a

significant amount of time to be resolved and worked out.

Another option which should be considered is regular, intensive, accountability. This is

something that should already have been in place but as is often the case the process either fails

through the lies of the sinning minister, or the process was never established to begin with. This may be
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with the other ministers of the church or with other ministers in the area. However accountability is

something that needs to be done regularly even after counseling has been completed.

One final note about the process of restoration: as was mentioned above this process will not be

accomplished over night and depending on the issue involved may not be completed within the lifetime

of the individual. Sadly there will be some people that will never be able to get over their sin issues and

may never regain the blamelessness necessary for leadership.

There are many ways in which a minister may find himself under the discipline of the church be

it sexual failings, fraud, or a myriad of other possible failings. It is a tragedy that so often the church has

been put to shame by its leaders. Yet while these situations are not ideal they can be used as a chance

for growth and renewal and a reminder to the rest of us that “there but the grace of God go I.”
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