Forty years ago when my husband was still in the Army, we were looking for a church at his new assignment in the D.C. area.
The first week we visited one church, the pastor came down in front of the altar before giving the sermon and said, “Last night at the membership meeting when a new elder was not elected, I said, ‘There’s something wrong when our church can’t elect a new elder!’ I was angry and my statement was inappropriate. Before I preach to you today, I need to ask your forgiveness.”*
In unison, the congregation said, “We forgive you,” and he went up to the pulpit and shared his message from God’s Word.
We were genuinely surprised by the humility of this pastor who could easily have excused or justified his remarks. And we knew that God had led us to that church on that particular Sunday. For the two years we were members, we were taught much about humble biblical faith.
Repentance is a non-negotiable element of Christian faith. And the more mature we become, the more seriously we should take our sins.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9
Lack of honest repentance is one of the main reasons people in leadership fall into sin. Let's pray for our pastors and others in leadership. And let's make sure we are honestly and humbly repenting as well (James 4:8).
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* In this particular denomination, elders are elected by unanimous vote of the members. And apparently none of the candidates were fully approved.
For more insights on this subject, see:
There's No Such Thing as Good Sins
4 Things That Happen When We Fail to Repent
Have Christians Forgotten How Much God Hates Sin?
BLN
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