Still answering the question, Lawson said that he “intentionally wanted to sober the men. That you are the fool of all fools for 15 seconds of gratification to now you’re no longer a pastor, and now you have a job at the drugstore. Now you’re out on the streets, and now you have a paper route.”
“What a fool you were to sacrifice an entire life of ministry for 20 seconds of sin,” he added. “So does the Lord forgive, of course, but you also forfeit your ministry.”
Phil Johnson Deletes Comments, Praises Trinity Bible Church of Dallas Elders
Just hours after posting his comments regarding Lawson moral failure, Phil Johnson removed them citing “in deference to the elders” of Lawson’s church.
“I removed the comments I posted this morning regarding the Steve Lawson scandal,” he posted on X. “Those elders shepherd the local church Lawson belonged to, so their pastoral duty takes precedence over mine.”
Johnson described the elders of Trinity Bible Church of Dallas as “godly men, committed to the truth of Scripture,” and said that he is “fully confident they will do the right thing–they have every right to set their own pace.”
He then apologized to anyone who thought me was “being critical of Trinity’s elders.” Saying that his “trust and respect for them could not be higher.”
“I do not envy the difficult position one man’s spiritual failure has put them in,” Johnson added. “And I have no intention of second-guessing how they shepherd their flock, especially via social media.”
Johnson told his followers that if any of them “still have legitimate questions” regarding Lawson’s moral failure that they should address their questions to either Lawson himself or the Trinity Church of Dallas elders.
Concluding his post, Johnson said, “Please bear in mind that what Christ has done and is doing in building that church is infinitely more important than any scandal that would seek to tear it asunder.”
*This article has been updated to reflect Phil Johnson’s reasoning for deleting his comments regarding the Lawson situation.