RZIM: Final Report on Ravi Zacharias, Part 1c

RZIM: Final Report on Ravi Zacharias, Part 1c
Friday, February 26, 2021 by Dr. James W. Walraven

Categories: Apologetics / Contemporary issues / The church

How do we avoid going down the road Ravi traveled?

On the one hand, there are the standard answers: read your Bible and pray. Yet, one must do both of those things in faith. We also must not only be hearers of the Word, but doers of the Word, as James phrases it. It doesn’t do us any good to read the Scriptures and then not do what they say. Having someone to be accountable to is wise, but is of no value if one isn’t truthful with them. But, there are other considerations.

How did Ravi start to go down, and then continue on, the path he took? No one—other than God—really knows. The most common speculation is that he found relief from his chronic back pain through therapeutic massage (there is nothing wrong with therapeutic massage), but that then led on to other things—things he insisted upon. He was also devoted to Ayurveda, an ancient Indian healing technique deeply rooted in Hinduism. Could that have been spiritually problematic? Again, God alone knows.

Are we prideful, full of ourselves? Proverbs 16:18: “Pride comes before destruction, and an arrogant spirit before a fall” (CSB17). For whatever reason, accountability was more or less totally absent in Ravi’s case. For example, he didn’t use the ministry’s phone network, but his own private phones (where significant evidence was eventually uncovered). As mentioned, for anyone who dared question him, being ostracized followed. Ravi was beyond brilliant with a charismatic personality, but intellectual brilliance is not a safeguard against sin.

Humility is vital. 1 Peter 5:5–6 says in part: “All of you clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you at the proper time” (CSB17). All of us are fallible. All of us can potentially succumb to very serious sin. It is possible to cross a line that we cannot recover from (an alcoholic’s first drink comes to mind). What exactly happened with Ravi? God alone knows.

We need to remember, as Romans 7:18 declares, that nothing good dwells in our flesh. What hope, then, do we have? The encouraging answer is found in Colossians 1:27, “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (CSB17). We have Christ in us. The Holy Spirit, as believers, resides in us. That is huge. Beyond that, as Ephesians 4:22–24 tells us, we are to put off the old self, and put on the new self. Better to focus on who Christ is making us to be, rather than keep our attention on what we were prior to coming to Christ.

Finally, transparency matters. Sin thrives in darkness, and in Ravi’s case, secrecy was the norm. As John 3:19–20 states, “This is the judgment: The light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the light and avoids it, so that his deeds may not be exposed” (CSB17). While Ravi was alive the lights to that secret room were kept off, and steps were taken to ensure they stayed off. How much better it is when we are willing to be held accountable by others, even on tough and difficult issues.

Great care is needed when selecting someone for ministry. We would do well to heed 1 Timothy 5:22, 24–25: “Do not lay hands upon anyone too hastily and thereby share responsibility for the sins of others; keep yourself free from sin. The sins of some men are quite evident, going before them to judgment; for others, their sins follow after. Likewise also, deeds that are good are quite evident, and those which are otherwise cannot be concealed” (NAU). Sadly, we now know only too well what was trailing behind Ravi.

In the end, the safest place to be is when we are wrapped up in Christ, and there we remain. As Galatians 5:16 states: “I say then, walk by the Spirit and you will certainly not carry out the desire of the flesh” (CSB17). If we live in Christ, stay in Christ, and walk by the Spirit, relying on God’s strength, freedom from sin follows. The question is, will we walk by the Spirit or not?

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