2 ways “harmless” sins corrupt our leadership
Of all the forces stacked against a leader, one that gets overlooked all too often is sin. I can tell you from experience that it can creep up on even the most well-intentioned leaders with disastrous effect.
I’m not just talking about outward, obvious sins, but the ones that originate inside: jealousy, bitterness, lust and unforgiveness, to name a few. What goes on within us affects what we do, what we say, and how we’re viewed by others. This is why we must keep a tight rein on our thoughts.
But how do we do this, day in and day out?
J.C. Ryle, in his 1879 classic Holiness, exhorts us to first understand what we’re up against. He writes, “I am convinced that the first step toward attaining a higher standard of holiness is to realize more fully the amazing sinfulness of sin.”
Though sin no longer has dominion over a believer, Ryle says we all face “the enormous power and vitality of sin” every day. He also stresses how evil it really is, explaining that God hates our sin with such vehemence that Jesus groaned under its weight, sweated drops of blood in agony over it, and suffered his Father’s wrath, crying out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mt. 27:46.)
It’s tempting to think little sins here and there won’t make much of a difference in the big picture.
Paul addresses this at the beginning of Romans 6: “Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?”
He explains that though we aren’t slaves to sin anymore, its evil is much more pronounced when it does show up in us.
And now to the bottom line. If we as leaders don’t regard sin as evil, it will damage our leadership in at least two ways:
- Our spiritual growth will stall, and we’ll start leading in worldly ways (see Col. 1:9-11).
- Those we lead will follow our example, normalizing unethical practices across the organization (see Heb. 12:15).
To be faithful leaders, we don’t need to be sinless, just more fully aware of the “amazing sinfulness of sin.”
Living aware,
Still learning,
Tom Harper
Founder, BiblicalLeadership.com
Now coaching founders, CEOs and ministry leaders: https://lnkd.in/gEdm2gqJ
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