How Biblical is the "If THAT guy can fall . . ." Response to Moral Failure Among Christian Leaders?

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When yet another famous Christian leader commits sin serious enough to disqualify him from church office, it is indeed a wakeup call for leaders, and also laity, to be all the more alert to sin's presence and potential in our lives. But there’s something biblically off – several things, in fact – about the typical, well-intentioned responses that begin with, “Wow! If that guy can commit such serious sin, then I . . .” And that applies whether that guy is someone in current headlines or someone within the pages of Scripture.

Not only does such a response presume for that guy a degree of progress in sanctification that he clearly did not possess, but it also suggests that every other believer is perilously close to that kind of collapse. And while some believers might currently be that close, are all believers really just one or two steps away from catastrophic moral failure? Is this how Scripture wants all believers, regardless of personal context, to think of ourselves? What does this say about the efficacy of the Spirit’s sanctifying work within new creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 5:16)? Depending on how we understand it, even the typical “there but for the grace of God go I” reaction can be more trite than true. And ironically, both responses can obscure the true severity of sin and just how subtly it operates.

The “if that guy can fall …” response is meant to remind us of biblical truth: Sin’s desire is to have us (Genesis 4:7); we must always be on alert against Satan and his schemes(1 Peter 5:8), taking heed of ourselves lest we fall while we think we’re standing (1 Corinthians 10:12). Yes and amen! And that’s precisely why that response fails to be thoroughly biblical. If we really do find ourselves just one or two steps away from catastrophic sin, then that means sin has already possessed us to a far greater degree than we’ve reckoned with (Proverbs 28:14; Matthew 5:28; Ephesians 4:19). This means that there have been persistent patterns of compromise (Joshua 1:7; Galatians 5:13), accumulated instances of grieving the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30), a growing, sinful sense of entitlement and its attendant rationalizations (Genesis 3:1), and therefore an increasing level of personal comfort with sin – just so many further, heavier, more careless – indeed arrogant – steps on an apparently frozen lake whose cracks beneath our feet we keep ignoring until the collapse comes – perhaps in full view of the public.

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