Prominent Reformed Baptist Pastor Samuel D. Renihan has resigned as the leader of Trinity Reformed Baptist Church in La Mirada, California, after confessing to engaging in an adulterous relationship. “I have sinned in an exceedingly wicked way. This past week it was discovered that I have committed adultery. The Lord, whose Spirit yearns jealously for his people (James 4: 5), the Lord, who is an avenger in these things (1 Thess. 4: 6), exposed my sin. To my great shame, I did not bring it to light,” Renihan wrote on his blog Petty France on Monday. Renihan, whose father is prominent Reformed Baptist Pastor James Renihan, is well-known in the Reformed Baptist community and has authored several books, including The Mystery of Christ and His Covenant. Trinity Reformed Baptist Church did not immediately respond to a request for comment In his public confession, Renihan used multiple Scriptures to define his “stiff-necked sin” and said he was caught in arrogance. “As a minister, I should have set an example in holiness, but by my unholiness I have made myself unfruitful and ineffective (2 Pet. 1: 8), a warning, an example never to be imitated (1 Tim 5: 20),” he declared. “Such clear warnings should have deterred me from sin in the first place, but I was the greatest of fools.” Though he did not share many specifics about his sin, Renihan said he “read a letter of confession to my church, resigned from the office of pastor, and submitted myself to the judgment and discipline of the church.” “I am deeply ashamed of my sin. All sin deserves damnation, but some sins are far worse than others, and mine is exceedingly wicked. The only way that I can honor and glorify God, and the only way that I can do anything to help those whom I have hurt is through the grace of repentance,” he added. “The Scriptures say, ‘By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the LORD one turns away from evil’ (Prov. 16: 6). I do fear the LORD, and by his grace and help I will show steadfast love and faithfulness to God, to my wife, and to Christ’s church.” Renihan, who has written for organizations such as Ligonier Ministries, said he also made confessions of his sin to “various institutions and organizations” he was affiliated with so “their good names may not be sullied by my sin. “ “I have also unpublished my self-published theological works,” he added. “I thank God that my wife has graciously forgiven me. I have humbled myself before God as a wicked sinner, praying that he would lift me up. And now I humble myself before a broader audience, asking only that you forgive me my hypocrisy and give glory to the Good Shepherd who will never leave or forsake his flock. By his grace, may my repentance be as notorious as my sin.” The pastor’s confession has resonated in the Reformed Baptist community and sparked a number of public comments online, including from fellow Reformed Baptist Pastor Bill Rhetts, who called the news “heart-wrenching” in a statement on X Tuesday. “This is heart-wrenching. I wept greatly while reading it. Frankly, I had to pause for a while before finishing it,” Rhetts wrote. “I knew Samuel Renihan from our So. Calif. Assoc. of Reformed Baptists Churches (SCARBC). Though he was young enough to be my Son, I considered myself a Junior around him, and I could learn from the intellect THE LORD had given him.” Despite his disappointment, Rhetts encouraged Christians to speak more openly about adultery and said Renihan’s public confession was “done right.” “As sinful as this was. I would never say, ‘How could he do that?’ Or ‘I would never do that!’ I understand how powerful the attraction of a woman can be. I understand the authoritative Word that tells me to ‘take heed’ lest I fall,” Rhett wrote. “If there ever was a postmodern public confession of sin and profession of repentance that was done right, this is it. Let us continue to pray for Renihan, his wife, family, and church. Only by the grace of God so go, the sinner I am.”.
https://www.christianpost.com/news/reformed-baptist-pastor-samuel-renihan-resigns-over-adultery.html
Reformed Baptist Pastor Samuel Renihan resigns after confessing adultery
