How are we to consider our elders in Christ? They are worthy of double honor. They are to be defended when accused. The presumption of innocence should lie on Christian leaders. Yet in our society today, even within the Church, we see a presumption of guilt. We see elders mocked, treated with derision and disdain. Rather than being an honorable place of service before the Lord it is a thing of dishonor, a burden to be avoided.
Even as we receive the biblical command to treat elders well, we need to notice that those who persist in sin should be rebuked publicly. This is the very same treatment that every believer who persists in sin is to receive. The elder in Christ is no more impervious to the rightful condemnation for sin than any other believer.
Can we practice this kind of critical loyalty in our relationships? Can we respect our pastors and elders, protect them, hold them blameless, and at the same time be willing to confront genuine sin, even to the point of condemning it publicly? This is exactly the kind of friends our pastors and elders need.
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