The Worst Advice I Ever Heard a Pastor Give
- Clarence L. Haynes Jr. Contributing Writer
- Updated May 09, 2023
“Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” - 2 Timothy 2:22
There has been a lot of criticism of Pastor Mike Todd from Transformation Church ever since their church’s Easter production. When they were planning this production, one of his goals for it was that he wanted it to be edgy. To prove how far he was willing to go, he gave what I believe is some of the worst advice I have ever heard from a pastor. Here is what he said in his own words.
“I said, ‘We’re going to go to the edge on this.’ And they said, pastor, how far on the edge are we going to go?’ and I said, “we’re going to do everything short of sin,”
I will say it again. This is some of the worst advice I have ever heard come from a pastor’s mouth. Not only is this terrible advice, but history has shown us nothing good comes from anyone hanging out on the edge of sin.
Examples of what happens when we hang around the edge of sin:
In the Garden of Eden, God gave Adam and Eve an entire garden of trees filled with fruit to eat. Yet in Genesis 3, we find their eyes drawn to the one tree they were not supposed to eat from. I think you all know what happened a short time later.
- Samson was a judge with supernatural strength, but he fell in love with a Philistine woman. Being in her presence constantly eventually led to his downfall.
- David hung around the castle when he should have been out at war. His eyes caught hold of Bathsheba bathing, and this led to adultery and murder. David’s family, after that, was never the same again.
- Solomon loved many foreign women. These women lured Solomon after other gods, causing his heart to not be fully devoted to the living God.
There are too many examples to count in Scripture, and many more we can point to in our own lives that have shown that if you hang around sin or stay on the edge of sin, nothing good is going to result from it. For this reason, telling your team to do everything short of sin opens them up to fall into the same trap they are trying to pull people out of.
Why is this advice so dangerous?
Galatians gives us a good reason this advice is so dangerous. "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." - Galatians 6:1
When you get close to sin, it can and often will appeal to your flesh. Galatians warns us that even restoring someone from sin might lead to your own temptation, so you must watch yourself. Living anywhere near the edge of sin is dangerous territory.
It’s like the man who says he will flirt with a woman who is not his wife. He may exchange numbers and send text messages and have intimate, personal conversations. He will do all that, but he won’t sleep with her. Unfortunately, that is not how it works. People that live on the edge of sin will eventually fall into sin. Just ask Adam, Eve, Samson, David, or Solomon. If you don’t believe them, just ask yourself because I can assure you the sin you hung around was the one you eventually fell into. That result was imminent.
A better solution.
In 2 Timothy, Paul gives us a better solution. Run away and run towards. Run away from evil desires and run towards righteousness. The greater the distance you place between you and sin, the greater your chance of pursuing and living in righteousness. This doesn’t mean you will be perfect and never sin, but it means you will put yourself in a position to live the way God intends you to live. I believe that is the advice that should come from every pastor.
Going to the edge of sin and thinking you will not fall in is like jumping out of a second-floor window and thinking you won’t fall to the ground. In both cases, your fall is inevitable.
Further reading
Photo credit:
