Pastor Bob Coy resigns from Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale – for sexual immorality

Sadly another mega-church celebrity pastor has a “moral failing.” Well that’s what Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale is calling it – a “moral failing.” But the Bible calls it “adultery” or “sexual immorality.”

However this sad news does not come to me as a surprise. It was several years ago I realized that I could no longer listen to Pastor Bob Coy on the radio. Thank God for the Calvary Chapel pastors that are still solid. But Coy was very emergent, and seeker sensitive. Frankly when a pastor utilizes much of his pulpit time to tell funny stories and jokes, there is obviously an underlined problem. When a pastor consistently entertains with comedy, rather than display a reverential respect and fear of God (and His Holy Word), that is problematic.

Brethren no one simply “falls into sin,” or simply experiences a “moral failure,” as his own sheeple are saying on social media. Coys followers are already dumbing down the seriousness of his sinful acts. This pastor did not just trip over a pot hole, and then just happen to “fall” on top of – this sin. When we sin, we intentionally sin against a holy God. That’s the way we must see our sins. That’s the way I now prefer to see my own horrible sins (admittedly in the past, I did not see my own sins that way). But God delivered me out of this emergent church movement.

Brethren, when a pastor no longer displays a high regard for the ‘whole counsel of the Word of God’ (Acts 20:25-31), that is most-likely evidence of a sin-problem that has not yet been dealt with. True we are all sinners, and we will all still sin. But if we truly are born-again of the incorruptible Seed, then we would no longer ‘continue’ in, or ‘practice’ those sins.

The Scriptures make it very clear that “Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that He appeared in order to take away sins, and in Him there is no sin. No one who abides in Him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen Him or known Him.  Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as He is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God” (1 John 3:4-9 ESV).

Like the many others, I pray that Coy would come to a Biblical repentance and “restoration” (and yes if needed – salvation too). However, Coy should not be restored back to the pulpit. Bear in mind that Coy is not the only problem here. What about those 20,000 sheeples that willingly sat under his comedian style teaching? In 2 Timothy 4:3 the apostle Paul warned about ‘them’ too. “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; (2 Timothy 4:3).

On social media, many of Coys sheeple are already defending his sin. Some are even delaring Coy as the next “King David.” Others are unbiblically pulling that “don’t judge him” card. But Jesus said to judge with a “righteous judgment” (John 7:24).

Other than what was revealed through one news source, the details of Coy’s sexual scandal have not yet been disclosed. Either way, in his first letter to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul dedicated an entire chapter to sexual immorality within the church. In chapter 5 verses 1-8, Paul confronts and warns that ‘immorality defiles the church.’ Then in verses 9-13, Paul says that the adultery must be judged.

Verses 1-8 says, “It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles—that a man has his father’s wife! And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you. For I indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged (as though I were present) him who has so done this deed. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”

Verses 9-13 says, “I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—not even to eat with such a person. For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? But those who are outside God judges. Therefore “put away from yourselves the evil person.”

Let us pray for Coy’s wife and children. Let us pray that once there’s evidence of true repentance, that their marriage might be reconciled.

Let us all reexamine and judge our own lives. As Paul warned the church prior to taking communion. “For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world” (1 Cor 11:31-32).

Brethren, love and forgiveness is a commandment for all of us, all of the time. Nevertheless, we must be very wise in how we demonstrate and/or apply grace. For my article entitled “Graceholics” click here. Only by the grace of God, so go I.

Lastly, I love Pauls warning and exhortation here. “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified (1 Cor 9:24-27). Brethren, may you finish this race well!

Update 04-08-14: Below are some articles by others

• Pastor Bob Coy, The Church, Adultery, Consequences and Grace, by the Last Hiker