## Steve Lawson's Actions and Resignation - Steve Lawson has been removed from all ministry activities at Trinity [[Bible]] Church of [[Dallas]]. [(00:05:36)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGCuQC5iU7E&t=336s) - Lawson informed the church elders of an inappropriate relationship he had with a woman who is not his wife. [(00:05:48)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGCuQC5iU7E&t=348s) - Lawson resigned from his position at One Passion Ministries. [(00:11:08)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGCuQC5iU7E&t=668s) - One Passion Ministries stated that Lawson confessed to the inappropriate relationship and regrets the damage his actions caused. [(00:10:54)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGCuQC5iU7E&t=654s) ## Theological Implications of Steve Lawson's Actions - Some people who previously viewed Steve Lawson as a godly and trustworthy man are now questioning their own discernment and the [[Reformed Christianity | Calvinist]] system in light of recent events. [(00:15:31)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGCuQC5iU7E&t=931s) - The sovereignty of [[God]] means he has absolute authority over everything, meticulously orchestrating all events and circumstances, including human hearts and minds, to fulfill his eternal plan. [(00:19:01)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGCuQC5iU7E&t=1141s) - Steve Lawson's theological position is that God preordained and decreed all things, including sin and evil, with specificity. [(00:20:15)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGCuQC5iU7E&t=1215s) - This theological viewpoint raises concerns about free will, individual personhood, and the nature of evil, potentially implying that evil is an eternal attribute of God. [(00:21:07)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGCuQC5iU7E&t=1267s) - The speaker argues that this theological framework, while not necessarily leading every Calvinist astray, can create a dangerous landscape by potentially providing an excuse for sin due to the belief that God decreed it and someone else ([[Jesus]]) bears the punishment. [(00:23:37)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGCuQC5iU7E&t=1417s) - Humans do not have free will; only God does. Humans have a moral inability to come to Christ or believe. [(00:26:36)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGCuQC5iU7E&t=1596s) - Steve Lawson believes that humans are created unable to rightly understand and can only sin. [(00:28:34)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGCuQC5iU7E&t=1714s) - [[Reformed Christianity | Calvinists]] believe that humans are totally depraved, meaning their heart, soul, mind, will, and flesh are incapable of understanding or responding to [[God]]. [(00:31:43)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGCuQC5iU7E&t=1903s) - Steve Lawson believes that humans do not have free will because they were created totally depraved by God. [(00:38:50)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGCuQC5iU7E&t=2330s) - Lawson also believes that repentance requires a change in thought and action, but that humans cannot achieve this change without being regenerated by God. [(00:40:19)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGCuQC5iU7E&t=2419s) - James White, of Alpha and Omega Ministries, believes that God decreed every act of sin, including adultery. [(00:41:34)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGCuQC5iU7E&t=2494s) - Some Calvinists are attempting to reconcile their belief in God's sovereignty with Steve Lawson's actions, arguing that God did not decree Lawson's sin. [(00:46:26)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGCuQC5iU7E&t=2786s) - A leading Calvinist teacher argues that the Westminster Confession of Faith states that God ordained "whatsoever comes to pass," including every sin, and to believe otherwise is equivalent to atheism. [(00:47:10)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGCuQC5iU7E&t=2830s) - The speaker suggests that Calvinists struggling with this contradiction should reevaluate their beliefs and turn to the [[Bible]] for guidance, emphasizing that true [[Christianity]] is distinct from [[Reformed Christianity | Calvinism.]] [(00:50:48)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGCuQC5iU7E&t=3048s) - Some individuals leave Christianity because they conflate Calvinism with Christianity, becoming discouraged and losing hope. [(00:52:29)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGCuQC5iU7E&t=3149s) - There is a concern that Calvinist preachers blaspheme [[God]] by claiming he decreed all sin and evil, yet simultaneously argue that God is not the author of all evil. [(00:56:52)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGCuQC5iU7E&t=3412s) - It is suggested that these preachers believe they will not face judgment from God because they are elect and [[Jesus]] already bore their punishment, leading to sermons that defend sin, attack God's holiness, and encourage similar beliefs in others. [(00:57:23)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGCuQC5iU7E&t=3443s) ## Comparing Steve Lawson to John the Baptist - In a sermon given before his confession, Lawson compares himself to [[John the Baptist in Islam | John the Baptist]] and the way people quickly turned on John. [(01:00:25)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGCuQC5iU7E&t=3625s) - Lawson points out how people were ready to walk away from John the Baptist and even said he had a demon, but Jesus defended John. [(01:03:53)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGCuQC5iU7E&t=3833s) - Steve Lawson is accused of changing his message and not being consistent in his beliefs. [(01:05:35)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGCuQC5iU7E&t=3935s) - John the Baptist is presented as an example of someone who was consistent in his message and did not bend to outside pressures. [(01:09:23)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGCuQC5iU7E&t=4163s) - The speaker suggests that Steve Lawson's alleged indiscretions are a result of God's eternal decree, according to [[Reformed Christianity | Calvinism.]] [(01:08:52)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGCuQC5iU7E&t=4132s) - [[Jesus]] affirmed John the Baptist's ministry and people should not judge a man by a single mistake. [(01:12:41)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGCuQC5iU7E&t=4361s) - Steve Lawson called his sin an involuntary bodily reaction and people should not judge his teachings by his actions. [(01:14:39)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGCuQC5iU7E&t=4479s) - Lawson's church called for him to repent, but they are Calvinistic and it will be difficult for them to hold him accountable without questioning their own doctrine and salvation. [(01:15:02)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGCuQC5iU7E&t=4502s) ## The Speaker's Personal Experience with Calvinism - The speaker, a former Calvinist for 30 years, criticizes the Calvinist doctrine, finding it appalling and blasphemous for suggesting [[God]] predestines people to sin. [(01:22:52)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGCuQC5iU7E&t=4972s) - For 30 years, the speaker read Calvinism into the [[Bible]], but after reading the Bible in context, the speaker no longer believes in [[Reformed Christianity | Calvinism.]] [(01:24:36)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGCuQC5iU7E&t=5076s) - The speaker's father, after rejecting and returning to [[Christianity]], also came out of Calvinism around the same time as the speaker. [(01:25:15)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGCuQC5iU7E&t=5115s) - The speaker believes there is hope for Steve Lawson to either come to know [[Jesus]] for the first time or to discover that Jesus is more beautiful than he realized in Calvinism. [(01:26:41)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGCuQC5iU7E&t=5201s) ## Sources - [website](https://www.youtube.com/live/MGCuQC5iU7E?si=15vLM-XEKOWsgcCn)