Christian Leadership Foundations 5 - FaithSýnishorn

FAITH TRUMPS VISION

Leadership Devotion

The letter to Hebrews addressed Jewish Christians who were doing it tough. Persecution was increasing, and some wondered whether what they believed was true. Was God really in control? Would his promises be fulfilled? These are the questions that plague us when things are not going well. The author’s response in Hebrews 11 emphasizes the fundamental place of faith. He keeps repeating the phrase “by faith.” He shows the biblical record was full of people who did it tough and lived by faith. Disheartening difficulties call for a life of faith. Faith is what “the ancients” were commended for (11:2). Faith is fundamental.

So what is faith? We have a neat definition upfront (11:1). Faith is solid confidence and vital certainty in the revelation of God, whether it can be seen or not. God’s revelation covers broad truths like God’s creation of the world out of nothing (11:3) and personal disclosures like God’s warning Noah that the world would be destroyed by flood (11:7).

The life of faith requires at least three actions (11:6). First, we need to come to God and hear God. We have two advantages over “the ancients”: we have the Spirit living in us and the Scriptures. We still have to constantly listen to the voice of the Spirit and absorb the Scriptures. We are to live our lives in conversation with God, continually seeking his revelation. There can be no faith without God’s revelation.

Second, we must believe God is real and, therefore, his revelation is true. We won’t doubt the words we hear from God when we believe they come from the God who created the world, holds it all together, and controls everything. Our faith wavers as soon as we lose sight of God's hugeness, power, and reality. There can be no faith if we don’t believe in a sovereign God.

Third, we must trust everything will work out as God intends. He will fulfill His plan. He is true to his promises. He will eventually reward those who live by faith in the way he intends. There can be no faith without confidence that God’s ways are the best and will result in eternal blessing.

The writer of Hebrews clarifies that faith is essential to the life of all believers, but what does faith have to do with leadership? Leadership is necessarily focused on the future. Leaders must be leading somewhere. So hearing God’s revelation and then having faith in it despite the circumstances is foundational to leadership. Godly leaders are men and women of faith.

To Contemplate

Think about a leader you respect. What part does faith play in their leadership? How do you know?

Leadership Reflection

Most books on leadership emphasize the need for leaders to have a vision. This makes sense. You can’t lead anywhere if you don’t know where you’re going. An old saying points out, “If you aim for nothing, you’re certain to hit it.” Obviously, leaders are to be visionaries who see the future and lead others to pursue it with them.

Many Christian leadership authors have taken up this call for vision, often basing their argument biblically on the King James Version translation of Proverbs 29:18: “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” It seems that Scripture can’t be much clearer than that. However, this verse doesn’t have anything to do with leaders providing vision. A more accurate translation of this verse is, “Where there is no revelation from God, people cast off restraint.” The focus of this proverb is not the need for leaders to be providing a vision but for people to know and do what God wants. That so much is made of a confusing translation of an obscure proverb for a biblical justification for vision shows the lack of emphasis on vision in Scripture. As far as I can see, the Bible doesn’t say anything about leaders' need to have vision.

What about all the leaders in the Bible who pursued visions? Leaders like Abraham, Moses, and David. They saw a better future and led others to pursue this vision with them. Weren’t they great visionaries? Well, yes and no. They knew where God was leading them, but I wouldn’t call them visionaries. Let me explain.

Hebrews 11 describes how godly Old Testament leaders operated. It was not by vision but “by faith.” The difference I see between faith and vision is that faith is based on revelation from God, whereas vision is a personal picture of the future. Biblical leaders received direct revelation from God and believed and followed. In other words, they responded with faith. They didn’t have to be visionaries. They didn’t have to see a preferred future. They just had to hear God. Vision involves seeing; faith involves hearing.

For example, God called Abraham to go to Canaan (Heb. 11:8). It was never his idea or vision. He didn’t work out where his family would prosper best. He didn’t even know where he was going (Heb. 11:8). He listened to what God said and believed and obeyed. Probably Moses had personal visions of a better future for his people when he was a young man growing up in Pharaoh’s household, but these were ruined when he took things into his own hands, killed an Egyptian, and was forced to bolt. When Moses finally received God’s revelation and call at 80, he was reluctant to obey, but he finally believed through faith and led Israel out of slavery in Egypt (Heb. 11:27).

Biblically, receiving revelation from God and having faith in that revelation are the requirements of Christian leadership, not vision. I see vision as a gift. Many prominent leaders do indeed have the gift of vision. This can be a great help, but it can also hinder.

For example, Solomon was one of the most gifted, natural visionaries in Scripture. He saw how to make Israel great by establishing numerous political alliances (often sealed by marriage), pursuing local and worldwide trade, and building significant infrastructure and edifices. In his early years, he lived by faith, hearing and obeying God, proving to be a godly leader. However, in his later years, he was driven by his personal vision, not faith. Eventually, his vision became his undoing as his wives led him astray spiritually, and his building programs imposed impossible burdens on his people.

I’m not saying vision is wrong. To see the future and know how to get there is a great gift from God, but the biblical requirement for Christian leaders is not vision. It is a faith based on God’s revelation. We need to be able to hear God and then hold on to his directions and promises. That requires faith. Faith believes that something is true and holds onto that truth, even when we can’t understand it or see it.

The core of God’s revelation is the gospel of salvation – that through Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and ascension, those who trust in Jesus will be saved from the consequences of their rebellion against God and included in God’s forever family and world. Those who have faith in this truth are saved (Acts 16:31). This faith is our Christian foundation.

The faith that drives Christian leaders goes beyond believing in the truth of Jesus. We find in Hebrews 11 that faith involved hearing what God had to say in specific situations and then believing it despite the prevailing circumstances. For example, Abraham had faith in God’s promises of family, land, and blessing even though, naturally, it all seemed utterly impossible (Heb. 11:8-12). The Israelites escaping Egypt had faith God would get them across the Red Sea on dry land even though the physical chances of this happening appeared to be zero (Heb. 11:29).

Christian faith is hearing from God, believing and trusting his truth/promise, living as though that truth is certain (even if there is no practical sign of it ever being fulfilled), and working and praying consistently towards achieving God’s promises.