July 8, 2025
What Does It Really Mean to Be “Above Reproach”?
What does it really mean to be “above reproach”? This week, we dismantle modern evangelical assumptions about pastoral perfection and argue for a more honest, grace-centered understanding rooted in Scripture.
In this episode:
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(00:00) – Intro
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(03:39) - David Mathis on being above reproach
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(06:12) - The ambiguity of “above reproach”
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(10:24) – Exemplary doesn’t mean perfect
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(12:54) – Grace vs. behavior-based qualification
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(16:23) – Hypocrisy, idolatry, and the double standard
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(22:00) – Can a fallen pastor be restored?
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(28:45) – The real disqualifier
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(33:52) – Loss of trust vs. loss of calling
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(36:00) – The lie of the perfect pastor
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(39:00) – Confession is not a weakness
Links
- David Mathis: https://www.desiringgod.org/authors/david-mathis
- David Mathis - What Does It Mean to Be “Above Reproach”?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrmKJqgJVyY
- Desiring God: https://www.desiringgod.org
- John MacArthur: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_MacArthur_(American_pastor)
- John Piper: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Piper_(theologian)
- Mark Driscoll: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Driscoll
- Donald Trump: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump
- John Calvin: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Calvin
- Martin Luther: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther
- Bondage of the Will: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Bondage_of_the_Will
- Charles Spurgeon: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Spurgeon
- William Cowper: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Cowper
- George Whitfield: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Whitefield
- John Wesley: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wesley
- The Swans Are Not Silent by John Piper: https://www.desiringgod.org/series/the-swans-are-not-silent
- Rob Bell: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rob_Bell
- Carl Lentz: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Lentz
- Ravi Zacharias: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ravi_Zacharias
- Steve Lawson: https://www.thechristianskeptic.org/should-christians-judge-each-other-steve-lawson-and-the-problem-with-lordship-salvation/
- The Parent Trap: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Parent_Trap_(1961_film)
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