“It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.” ~ Psalm 118:8 (NKJV) ~
Where is your faith anchored?
It’s an easy question to answer when life is calm.
It’s much harder to answer when someone you admire disappoints you.
When someone you trusted walks away.
When someone you respected falls.
That’s when you discover what—or who—your faith has really been resting upon.
Every time a well-known Christian leader falls…
Social media erupts.
Headlines spread.
Phones buzz with text messages.
Office conversations begin.
Church lobbies fill with opinions.
Some rush to defend them.
Others rush to condemn them.
But almost no one stops to ask the question that matters most.
Where was my faith anchored before they fell?
As a boy, I often heard my pastor, Rev. E. G. Bass, say something that has stayed with me for decades:
“Put your confidence in man if you must, but put your faith only in God.”
The older I’ve become, the more I’ve realized he was simply putting Psalm 118:8 into everyday language.
The Bible tells us to honor faithful leaders.
To pray for them.
To learn from them.
But it never tells us to build our faith upon them.
Why?
Because every pastor…
Every evangelist…
Every teacher…
Every Christian…
Is still a sinner in need of God’s grace.
The Bible never hides that reality.
Noah stumbled.
Abraham failed.
Moses disobeyed.
David sinned.
Peter denied the Lord.
Yet the story of Scripture has never been about perfect people.
It has always been about a perfect Savior working through imperfect people.
So when a leader falls, our faith should not fall with them.
Christianity was never built upon pastors.
It was never built upon apostles.
It was never built upon denominations.
It was built upon Jesus Christ.
A pastor’s failure cannot undo an empty tomb.
A minister’s sin cannot erase the cross.
Someone else’s unfaithfulness cannot change God’s faithfulness.
Some who fall repent and are restored.
Some never return.
God’s mercy remains available.
Whether they receive it is a choice for which they are personally responsible.
But regardless of what anyone else chooses…
Jesus Christ remains exactly who He has always been.
Yesterday.
Today.
And forever.
Final Word
Love your pastor.
Pray for your pastor.
Be thankful for faithful spiritual leaders.
But never ask another person to bear a weight only Christ can carry.
As Rev. E. G. Bass used to say,
“Put your confidence in man if you must, but put your faith only in God.”
