If you have read the Bible, you know that leaders can fall.
And if you understand human nature, you realize that no one is untouchable and that all of us have the capacity to blow it badly, often to the shock of those close to us. “I can’t believe he (or she) did that!”
At the same time, the Bible is very clear that ministry leaders are to be examples, to be “above reproach,” to have a “good reputation with outsiders,” to be morally disciplined and spiritually sound.
We should expect better of them, shouldn’t we?
After all, the Christian message is that Jesus not only forgives but that He also transforms, making us into “new creations” in Christ (see 2 Corinthians 5:17). This applies all the more to those in leadership positions. They, above all, should be living examples of the transformative power of the gospel, able to say to their people, “Follow me, as I follow the Messiah.”
But if so many of them are falling, what does that say about their Savior? Is He unable to keep them?
Does the gospel really work...?