Scandal and sin are no stranger to prominent figures in the Body of Messiah. This sad truth—which should never be tolerated as normal—has once again been recon­firmed in the recent wake of revelations concerning high-profile men such as Mike Bickle, Robert Morris and Steve Lawson. Even our relatively small Messianic movement is not immune, as the investigation into past indiscretions and alleged abuse from Dr. Michael Brown continue.

Many believers are taken completely by surprise when accusations and revelations of a leader’s past or present sexual sin come to light. It is inconceivable to them that the reputedly biblically-grounded and upright men whom they admire, follow, and labor with could ever fall in such a way. Yet the one thing all these men always have in common is that such sin could have been so easily avoided. If only they had adhered to one simple rule.

The “Billy Graham Rule.”

Named for the famous preacher who popularized it, you may have heard of this rule in recent memory as one that then-Vice President Mike Pence was ridiculed for practicing. I personally first learned of it as a young man almost 30 years ago, and I have strictly kept it ever since. Biblically supported by the story of Joseph and Potiphar’s wife (Genesis 39:11-12), it’s a super-simple rule for every godly man—so-called “leader” or otherwise: avoid being alone with any woman that is not your wife. That’s it. When we avoid private (or even semi-private) settings with a person of the opposite sex, not only does it air-gap us from committing the actual sin, but it also insulates us against false allegations. There can be no accusations of a private act if you are never alone in private to begin with.

So if avoiding this kind of sin—or the appearance of it—is so easy, then why don’t people do it? Because it is inconvenient. Because adding safeguards makes male/female interaction more difficult, and, frankly, people don’t like that. It can create awkward friction at work. It can make “dating” more challenging for young people. It can prevent “leaders” from fully engaging in “ministry.” Though sexual sin is as ancient as Egypt, modern believers somehow think they’re spiritually mature enough to resist it.

As followers of Messiah (even more, as His ambassadors), we need to embrace our walk with Him as inherently “inconvenient.” By definition, living holy and godly lives requires us to erect barriers and adhere to rules of conduct that separate us from people and situations that could kill our testimony for Yeshua. The narrow path is hard and inconvenient, but it is the only one that leads to life. You will never regret paying the small price of inconvenience, because of the fortune you will reap from integrity.