A Biblical Vision for Leadership
What is a biblical vision for leadership? Does the Bible have anything to say about leadership, specifically as it relates to self-leadership? Any Christian would answer in the affirmative. Yes, the Bible does provide not only insight into what leadership looks like in the positive sense, but also in the negative sense. Take King Saul as an example. We see that he started off well but didn’t end well. Another example would be King Solomon. Not only was he wise and wealthy beyond measure, but he also brought in pagan worship to Israel and married countless wives (1 Kings 11). At the same time, there is Daniel whose moral courage is highly regarded to this day.
The What
We have example after example of biblical leaders, and so the question is, “What is a biblical vision for leadership?”
To answer that question, we begin by seeking to understand what is a biblical perspective on leadership, specifically as it relates to self-leadership? Paul’s letters to Timothy are an overflow of a pastor’s heart to his disciple. In these letters, we see not only biblical instructions on raising up leaders, but also how a leader is to lead himself. Consider 1 Timothy 4:12, which says,
“Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.”
As a leader, Timothy is to understand first that age does not make a leader. Second, Timothy is to understand that he is to be an example. Proverbs 20:11 says that even a child is known by their actions. In other words, behavior matters. So, Paul’s instructions to Timothy to be an example no matter how his age is viewed is five-fold:
- Speech
- Paul instructs the church in Ephesus to use their words for building up, not for course jesting and foul language (Eph. 4 & 5). Paul understands something that every leadership must understand, and that is what we say is weighed and evaluated by those around us.
- Conduct
- Later in 2 Timothy, Paul is going to call Timothy to be a vessel of honor, useful to the Master and prepared for every good work (2 Tim. 2:21). Timothy has a choice, and every potential leader has the same choice: will your life disqualify you or will it affirm you?
- Love
- Jesus instructed His disciples as He began His upper-room discourse in John 13 that their love for one another will testify to them being disciples of Christ. Paul will support and expound on this notion of love in 1 Corinthians 13 when he lays out 16 verbs describing loves actions. Incredible.
- Faith
- In Galatians, Paul strategically confronts Peter when he withdraws from the dinner table with the Gentiles for fear of the Jews. He does this because he knows that faith and the gospel are on the line. If Peter capitulates to the Jews on this point of the Law and traditions, then he has given up the true teaching of the gospel and faith. Faith is the distinguishing mark of the Christian and it is the linchpin of justification.
- Purity
- Paul’s instructions to the church in Corinth is that they cleanse themselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God (2 Cor. 7:1). What Paul wants the church at Corinth to understand, what he wants Timothy to understand, and what we should understand as leaders is that our lives must align with our professions.
What is biblical leadership? It is not allowing one’s age to prevent one from living as an example to others. The obvious follow-up question is, “Why does this matter?”
The Why
We answer why this matters by examining Christ’s final hours with His disciples.
“Then He poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. So He came to Simon Peter. He said to Him, “Lord, do You wash my feet?” Jesus answered and said to him, “What I do you do not realize now, but you will understand hereafter.” Peter said to Him, “Never shall You wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.” Jesus said to him, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.” For He knew the one who was betraying Him; for this reason He said, “Not all of you are clean.” So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.”
John 13:5-17
In this story we see many things, but I want to focus on three:
- Jesus’ washing of His disciples’ feet (and specifically Peter’s feet) was for them to understand in the future.
- Jesus made it clear that without Him washing their feet, they would not be one with Him as His disciple.
- Jesus provided the example for leadership to be followed.
Later, Peter is going to capture this beautifully when he says in 1 Peter 2:20-21, “For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God. For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps…”
What Peter had to understand when Christ was washing his feet was that Christ was providing him (and His disciples to come) what leadership in the Christian way would look like. The reason why we lead like Christ is because we are His disciples. If our leadership does not reflect the same leadership as Christ provided, what right do we have to call ourselves disciples of Christ? In the same way Peter said to Christ, “…never shall you wash my feet!” we say the same thing when we don’t walk in the steps of Christ in our leadership.
This leads to the next logical question for laying a biblical vision for leadership, and this is how do we lead this way?
The How
Paul writes in Ephesians 5:15-16, “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.” There are three points to highlight here:
- A leader’s walk is to be circumspect
- To walk circumspectly means you see all around you. It’s 360 degree vision. It’s the opposite of tunnel vision.
- A leader is to walk wisely
- To walk wisely (as we have already seen) is to know, understand, and apply God’s Word to everyday life. It’s not Bible-thumping, but Bible-guiding.
- A leader is to redeem the time
- To redeem means to exchange. A leader invests his time, he doesn’t spend it. To invest means to aim for a return instead of a deposit. It’s choosing the greater over the lesser. This is why, video games, social media, YouTube, etc. can be such life-suckers.
In summary, a biblical vision for leadership is setting an example, the example is Christ, and the way to lead biblically is to walk in wise circumspection redeeming the time.
— November 9, 2021