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Pastor John MacArthur Addresses Steve Lawson Scandal, Says ‘I Pray for Him Almost Every Night’

Pastor John MacArthur Addresses Steve Lawson Scandal, Says ‘I Pray for Him Almost Every Night’

Pastor-teacher John MacArthur addressed the recent scandal surrounding renowned preacher and theologian Dr. Steve Lawson after it was revealed that he was involved in an "inappropriate" relationship with a woman in her 20s. Lawson, the founder of One Passion Ministries, was removed from his position as lead pastor of Trinity Baptist Church last month after it was revealed that Lawson was in an "inappropriate relationship" with a woman in her 20s over the past five years.

During a Q&A session on October 20, MacArthur, senior pastor of Grace Community Church, was asked how to process the matter, especially since Lawson was a frequent speaker at GCC and taught at the Master's Seminary, The Dissenter reports.

"I say that with the deepest agony in my soul. But the first thing you have to understand is God is blessing this church in many, many ways, and that is one of the ways He is blessing us, to expose someone who is in a position they have no right to be in, to purify the church."

Citing Scripture, MacArthur said that the messages to the churches in Revelations 2 and 3 stressed the consequences that take place when churches fail to address sin.

"The church has two options. One, get right, two, you're done. I mean, the church of Laodicea was done, Smyrna was done. You either deal with the sin... I'll remove the candlestick. It is fatal to a church to have that kind of behavior in leadership."

Even with the "soundness of his theology," MacArthur said none of Lawson's colleagues expected such a downfall.

"While none of us knew it or expected it because of the soundness of the theology, the Lord knew. And the Lord said, for Grace, church, that's enough. For the Master Seminary, that's enough."

As reported by Church Leaders, MacArthur believes God is exposing "unfaithful leaders" like Lawson and Robert Morris because God has had "enough."

"And while we would wish that it had never happened to us," MacArthur explained, "we would be foolish to think that there wouldn't be an effort made by the enemy to plant in this church someone who could have a corrupting influence while apparently having a positive influence. That's the subtlety of Satan."

"You know, as we get closer to the end, I think the Lord is purifying his church, and I'm so thankful for that," MacArthur said. "My heart and soul aches for Steve, obviously, a friend."

He added that he still loves Lawson as he has "loved him for 25 years."

MacArthur said he is unsure whether Lawson "preached past [his] conscience unless it's completely scarred over…I pray constantly, in fact, I find myself almost every night praying for him in some point in the middle of the night."

"Sometimes, we know the sin, and we can deal with it," MacArthur said, but other times, "we don't know the sin, and the Lord has to bring it out. But while my heart is crushed for the sinner, it is grateful for the Savior who is purifying his church."

MacArthur's appearance at GCC marks his first appearance since his latest medical procedure, which has kept him off the pulpit in recent months. 

In 2023, MacArthur underwent surgery to have four stents put in the arteries placed in the arteries around his heart, which he said was "was very successful" and that his "heart was doing very well" post-surgery. 

Several months after the procedure, however, doctor noticed an "aberrant rhythm in my heart, so they did another procedure…and it was successful," MacArthur said. About a year later, the pastor's cardiologist informed him that he needed to have his aorta replaced.

"And they did that," MacArthur continued, "and it was successful."

"But through all of that, I'm always trying to recover," he added. "So it's been a long siege, and the issue that seems to have been the most difficult for me—you can probably tell by the way I'm talking—is breathing."

According to an X-ray, MacArthur's breathing issues were a result of fluid in his lungs, which required surgery less than two months ago.

"The recovery from that is requiring a lot of patience," MacArthur shared. "I've never really been good at rest."

"So I've been reading [in] Hebrews 3 and 4 that I need to enter into rest, and I'm willing to rest as long as the Lord will let me rest," MacArthur said. "But in my heart, I want to be here. I want to continue to serve you and serve the Lord as long as I can."

He also predicted that he would return to the pulpit in four to six weeks.

Photo Credit: ©RNS/Vimeo/Grace Community Church

Milton QuintanillaMilton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.