I am so sorry and grieved to hear about what has happened in the
past few weeks and days. My heart goes out to all of you who must be so
disappointed and ashamed.
When I left almost 13 years ago, I heard how shocked some of you were by
my leaving, how betrayed some of you felt by me, and even how angry some
of you were with me. It was hard then and is hard now to accept that the
very person who spoke the Word of God to you, whom you respected and
looked up to, should turn out to be so despicable. You have gone through
so much and put up with so much.
Those of you whom I publicly embarrassed and demeaned, please forgive
me. Those of you whom I failed to come to your defense when you so
desperately needed me to do so, please forgive me. And, yes, those of
you who say even now that I was George's "chief enabler", please forgive
me.
A few years ago when all my sins (from my youth up) were weighing
heavily upon me, the Lord gave me this reading from the Heidelberg
Catechism:
"Even though my conscience accuses me of having grievously sinned
against all God's commandments... and even though I am still inclined
toward all evil -- nevertheless, without my deserving it at all, out of
sheer grace, God grants and credits to me the perfect satisfaction,
righteousness, and holiness of Christ, as if I had never sinned nor been
a sinner, as if I had been as perfectly obedient as Christ was obedient
for me. All I need to do is to accept the gift of God with a believing
heart."
My prayer was then and still is today that God would give me faith to
accept God's crediting to me "the perfect satisfaction, righteousness,
and holiness of Christ".
"Thy grace alone, O God, to me can pardon speak; Thy power alone, O Son
of God, Can this sore bondage break. No other work save Thine, no other
blood will do. No strength save that which is divine can bear me safely
through."
With sorrow,
Steve Irons
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