This is an excerpt from Jon Harris’ article on the matter. One can also catch his full podcast on YouTube.
BUT FOR THE GRACE OF GOD
One of the helpful things to remember first, and a warning I’ve noticed coming from wiser men, is to consider the deception of sin. As a child, I remember the familiar teaching: a lie becomes bigger the longer you tell it. All sin is like this. James 1:14-15 says: But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.
Sin doesn’t begin with the most egregious violations of God’s moral order; it often starts with small, gradual steps away from His clear teachings. It is quite literally “to miss the mark.” The arrow may only be an inch off the first time. Solomon presented sexual temptation in Proverbs 7 as cunning, persuasive, and flattering. It does not consider the potential consequences until it is too late.
For Steve Lawson, it is too late to avoid some serious consequences, but that doesn’t mean it’s too late for you if you’re struggling with similar temptations. The potential for grievous sin is always close to a heart that thinks too highly of itself. We must remember the tools God has provided to help us gain victory over temptation—no matter what form it takes. Steve Lawson was surrounded by theology, adored by fans of expository preaching, and stood at the pinnacle of Reformed evangelicalism. Yet, in the end, his battle was the same every common person faces, between his own flesh and His God.