Does the church favor sin?

Once again I find myself torn between anger and humiliation for the church.  This past week we saw another believer fall to the sin of sexual immorality.  Not that we have to define moral failure by titles (sexual) but for the sake of those we address.  South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford admitted to having an affair.   I watched with held emotions as he testified of his failure for the world to hear.  My heart went out to his wife and family.  As a pastor / spiritual leader, I have been far too many times left holding the tragic remains of sexual moral failures.  It’s not a pretty sight.  Like a Volkswagon being hit by a frieght train at full speed – you find yourself picking up the pieces for quite some time while simultaneously attempting to find out what happened in the first place.

As I listened to Mark openly admit having an affair – he danced with the idea of being a believer, being part of a fellowship of believers and working with Christian counselors and influencers.  It’s as though this admission to being a Christian was giong to make forgiveness a much easier task.  Sin and grace have come too close to being “kissing cousins” (pardon the illustration) in the church.  My question is this: Has the church come to a place where we are portrayed as favoring sin?  My first answer would be that of Paul the apostles when defining the role of grace in the church.  “God forbid!”

But there seems to be this underlying approach to moral failure of the soft landing of grace.  A grace that lends itself to not admitting the sin of the failure, being accountable for restoration and even knowing grace awaits me if I fall – regardless of the type of fall. 

Romans 6,7, and 8 deal with this very issue.  I have been a proponent of grace in the face of tragic failure for many years.  What I am not a proponent of is the spiritual rationalization of the results of unrestrained sin.  I wondered how the unbeliever heard what Sanford said.  I wonder how the weak believer sitting in our churches heard what Sanford and a host of others have said in their admission of moral failure.  Has sin become a cultural issue for the church?  Have we allowed sin to become so easily fallen to that we just openly commit sin to act on available grace?

Don’t misunderstand me.  I believe in restoration ministry. I have led men and women through the process for years.  My problem is the “restoration” cultural we have created that takes a person beyond the discipline of the flesh.   Have we sold the convenience of grace at a lesser price than pure old fashioned sanctification?  Have cheapened grace by not demanding a discipline of the flesh?  Have we traded offending the presence of the Holy Spirit in the believer for the momentary pleasures of the flesh? 

With so many high profile ministers and politicians playing the Christian and restoration card – are we sending the wrong signal to the unbeliever?  Are we saying to those who commit sin in the church there is no consequence for your sin?  Repentance is something we do.  Forgiveness is something someone else does on our behalf.  We confess God and the church forgives.   Without confession there is no real admission to sin.  Have we favored sin by not requiring a confession?  When confessions are made are they made only because the one who committed sin was caught?  Would there be a confession any other way?  I hope we understand that not all confessions are acts of repentance.   Repentance is a complete turn around.  It is the abandonment of sin.  I have at times heard confessions of sorrow without hearing words of repentance.  Forgiveness is a divine act in response to repentance – not necessarily mere confession of sorrow.

I trust the church has not created an atmosphere that favors sin.  While we can favor forgiveness and restoration of sin – we do so at the expense and tragedy of saying to those who are undisciplined – sin with no regard to your personal responsibility to sin.   If we have said this then we too must confess our sin.  Does this vicious cycle ever find a resting place?