Josh Duggar, Adultery, and Christians Who Sin
Rom 3:“There is no one righteous, not even one;
11there is no one who understands;
there is no one who seeks God.
12 All have turned away,
they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.”
13 “Their throats are open graves;
their tongues practice deceit.”
“The poison of vipers is on their lips.”
14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”
15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16 ruin and misery mark their ways,
17 and the way of peace they do not know.”
18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
If you have not read the preceding scripture, please read before continuing reading here. We need to be on common ground. Josh Duggar, placed in the limelight by the TV show (19 Kids and Counting) and his parents, fell into sin. He brought shame upon his family. There is no doubt. He has confessed it publicly. Now all of you put down your stones. NOW! Everyone of you, myself included, has brought shame upon their families. Some of us, several times, again, myself included. Will he be punished? I think he is being punished. Are we allowed to pronounce judgement on him? I think not.
Matt 7: “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
But what about someone who you know is caught up in sin?
Gal 6: Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. 2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. 3 If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. 4 Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, 5 for each one should carry their own load.
I underlined gently. Why? We have a history of stomping on each other and in so doing, the world asks, "Where is the love?"
Do Christians sin? Uh Yeah! Did Josh Duggar sin? Obviously. Are Christians capable of sexually abusing a younger sibling or anyone else? I believe that the sin-nature is a curse to all mankind and as such we are all susceptible to any kind of sin regardless of salvation. That being said, those who are walking with the Spirit of God have the power to overcome temptation and often do; however, we all are still encased in a fallen body. Do Christians commit adultery? Yes. Was he a member of a large family and a media picture of a Christian role model? Indeed. So stupid logic would then say, "See? If you have a large family and are Christian you are screwing up your life and your children's lives and are hiding all kinds of heinous sins. Oh and you are probably committing adultery too." Poppycock! By that logic, Andrew Weiner, a Democrat, a congressman, was caught sexting and had to resign; therefore, all Democrats are sexual perverts. What is good for the goose is good for the gander right? Puhlease!
I am the father of 12 children and grandfather to 12 (with 1 more in the oven). My kids wear the same clothes as yours. They eat 3 meals a day. They are all believers in Christ. They are not abusing each other. They actually like each other for the most part. They are well socialized and they are respected in our local church body by adults and children. My oldest, pastors 3 churches in the Philippines. My youngest, a 10 year old is constantly telling me the proper weapon to use when destroying aliens that are of greater power than us mere humans. My 16 year old will either be a pastor or the first female president. She is capable of both. She is being wooed by a U.S. Marine. My 17 year old is being courted by a soon to be U.S. Marine. (No we are not a private Christian dating service for the Marine Corps, although it has felt like it.) My 19 year old is serving with his brother as a missionary in the Philippines. 3 of my sons are chefs (15 year old, 21 year old and the pastor before he left) The others are doing well too. See? Just like yours. Maybe not. I think probably better than yours (sorry proud papa bear). Do they sin? Yes. Do I sin? Yes. Do we repent and seek God's forgiveness? Absolutely. The conviction of His Spirit is very difficult to ignore.
So why are we Christians so ready to destroy the Duggars and their family. He brought this on himself and them. Absolutely true! They will pay a price for this. True as well. We need to be first in prayer for he and his family and as a church need to stand by them. I am not saying defend his actions. That is foolish. I am saying show he, his family, and the world, the love of Christ. Is God a just God? Yes. Is he a merciful God? I believe the cross answers that question. Are we called to be merciful as well? If you think not, then you are either not Christian, or you are but have not read your bible.
Romans 2:3 So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? 4 Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?
Hosea 6:6 For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.
2 Corinthians 2:5 If anyone has caused grief, he has not so much grieved me as he has grieved all of you to some extent—not to put it too severely. 6 The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient. 7 Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8 I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him.
I know we all come under harsh criticism and attack. The church has made mistakes over the years and the church has been very publicly divisive. Now is the time to set aside judgement, personal theology, emotional repugnance, etc. and show Christ's love. Surely if the Amish parents can show Christ's love and forgiveness to the family of the man who murdered their child, we can do the same for the Duggars and Josh too. Not just them. For each other. How can we expect the world to understand His love when we show and express it to one another.
Is adultery worse than murder? Theft? Dishonoring your parents? You know the list. Not really. Does it destroy lives? It can if Christ is not brought into the mix. Let's not start rating sin and leave that to God. We know we are only righteous by faith in the cross and what it accomplished so quit the self-righteous finger pointing and get on your knees. That family needs prayer and needs healing. Only God can give it and He wants us to ask Him to give it. Let's not be the vinegar! Amen?
11there is no one who understands;
there is no one who seeks God.
12 All have turned away,
they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.”
13 “Their throats are open graves;
their tongues practice deceit.”
“The poison of vipers is on their lips.”
14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”
15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16 ruin and misery mark their ways,
17 and the way of peace they do not know.”
18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
If you have not read the preceding scripture, please read before continuing reading here. We need to be on common ground. Josh Duggar, placed in the limelight by the TV show (19 Kids and Counting) and his parents, fell into sin. He brought shame upon his family. There is no doubt. He has confessed it publicly. Now all of you put down your stones. NOW! Everyone of you, myself included, has brought shame upon their families. Some of us, several times, again, myself included. Will he be punished? I think he is being punished. Are we allowed to pronounce judgement on him? I think not.
Matt 7: “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
But what about someone who you know is caught up in sin?
Gal 6: Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. 2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. 3 If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. 4 Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, 5 for each one should carry their own load.
I underlined gently. Why? We have a history of stomping on each other and in so doing, the world asks, "Where is the love?"
Do Christians sin? Uh Yeah! Did Josh Duggar sin? Obviously. Are Christians capable of sexually abusing a younger sibling or anyone else? I believe that the sin-nature is a curse to all mankind and as such we are all susceptible to any kind of sin regardless of salvation. That being said, those who are walking with the Spirit of God have the power to overcome temptation and often do; however, we all are still encased in a fallen body. Do Christians commit adultery? Yes. Was he a member of a large family and a media picture of a Christian role model? Indeed. So stupid logic would then say, "See? If you have a large family and are Christian you are screwing up your life and your children's lives and are hiding all kinds of heinous sins. Oh and you are probably committing adultery too." Poppycock! By that logic, Andrew Weiner, a Democrat, a congressman, was caught sexting and had to resign; therefore, all Democrats are sexual perverts. What is good for the goose is good for the gander right? Puhlease!
I am the father of 12 children and grandfather to 12 (with 1 more in the oven). My kids wear the same clothes as yours. They eat 3 meals a day. They are all believers in Christ. They are not abusing each other. They actually like each other for the most part. They are well socialized and they are respected in our local church body by adults and children. My oldest, pastors 3 churches in the Philippines. My youngest, a 10 year old is constantly telling me the proper weapon to use when destroying aliens that are of greater power than us mere humans. My 16 year old will either be a pastor or the first female president. She is capable of both. She is being wooed by a U.S. Marine. My 17 year old is being courted by a soon to be U.S. Marine. (No we are not a private Christian dating service for the Marine Corps, although it has felt like it.) My 19 year old is serving with his brother as a missionary in the Philippines. 3 of my sons are chefs (15 year old, 21 year old and the pastor before he left) The others are doing well too. See? Just like yours. Maybe not. I think probably better than yours (sorry proud papa bear). Do they sin? Yes. Do I sin? Yes. Do we repent and seek God's forgiveness? Absolutely. The conviction of His Spirit is very difficult to ignore.
So why are we Christians so ready to destroy the Duggars and their family. He brought this on himself and them. Absolutely true! They will pay a price for this. True as well. We need to be first in prayer for he and his family and as a church need to stand by them. I am not saying defend his actions. That is foolish. I am saying show he, his family, and the world, the love of Christ. Is God a just God? Yes. Is he a merciful God? I believe the cross answers that question. Are we called to be merciful as well? If you think not, then you are either not Christian, or you are but have not read your bible.
Romans 2:3 So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? 4 Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?
Hosea 6:6 For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.
2 Corinthians 2:5 If anyone has caused grief, he has not so much grieved me as he has grieved all of you to some extent—not to put it too severely. 6 The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient. 7 Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8 I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him.
I know we all come under harsh criticism and attack. The church has made mistakes over the years and the church has been very publicly divisive. Now is the time to set aside judgement, personal theology, emotional repugnance, etc. and show Christ's love. Surely if the Amish parents can show Christ's love and forgiveness to the family of the man who murdered their child, we can do the same for the Duggars and Josh too. Not just them. For each other. How can we expect the world to understand His love when we show and express it to one another.
Is adultery worse than murder? Theft? Dishonoring your parents? You know the list. Not really. Does it destroy lives? It can if Christ is not brought into the mix. Let's not start rating sin and leave that to God. We know we are only righteous by faith in the cross and what it accomplished so quit the self-righteous finger pointing and get on your knees. That family needs prayer and needs healing. Only God can give it and He wants us to ask Him to give it. Let's not be the vinegar! Amen?
Pete, your article attracted me. I have been and am a fan of the family seeing them on their show. They are the real deal. I admire the mom a lot. Am I disappointed for sure, YES. The press will fry them. 2 weeks ago I had a vivid nightmare about the Dugger family. The mom was sleeping on my shoulder and I couldn't figure out were the family was. So I gently set her head down and opened the door and saw the family had been murdered. It was disturbing. I thought it was the past and now see it was prophetic. I care for them and pray for them. Especially the sisters and parents. oh My.
ReplyDeleteDear Finding Significance,
DeleteThank you for sharing your dream. I am at times disappointed that some of my brothers and sisters forget the power and responsibility of grace. The Word of God tells us to forgive and to pray for all saints. It does not put any qualifiers on the command.
Grace,
Pete