“I see these church leaders fall, and I say to myself, ‘There but for the grace of God go I,'” says Pastor talking about Clergy Sexual Abuse situations.

 But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.

-I Corinthians 5:12, NIV

Does the Apostle Paul approach flagrant sin from professing believers as a “There but for the grace of God go I” sort of matter?

He instructs us to not even eat with such an individual. Apostle Paul does not  oppose caring for the sinner once they have forsaken their sin. However, his stance is a hard line of intolerance of ongoing abuse.

Particularly in this context of abuse, this ought to give us pause before endorsing or–worse–using the old saw: “There but for the grace of God go I.”

Notice utilizing the statement:

“There but for the grace of God go I” extends grace to the aggressor but NOT to his or her victims.

The speaker identifies more with the sinner than those they sinned against. This is problematic for victims are already often treated as invisible, and this statement aids in keeping it that way.

The statement projects an image of humility and superiority to anyone who might condemn the abuse. However, it is simply another religious spirit inspired statement with the appearance and not the substance of holiness.

A godly response is to see the victims, empathize with them, and prioritize their safety and well-being.

A godly response means stopping the abuser from creating more victims and holding them accountable for their actions so that they can truly repent and change.

We need to do better as a church in responding with Christlike care and compassion towards survivors of abuse prioritizing them over the usual–and wrong–prioritizing of the “gifted” abuser.