Anchored in Revelation, Guided by the Spirit: Core Principles of Christian Ethical Leadership

There are three essential components required to develop and maintain ethical leadership: convictions, discernment, and servanthood.

1. Convictions

One of the foundational elements essential to developing and sustaining Christian ethical leadership is the presence of deeply rooted and theologically grounded convictions.(1) As Proverbs 4:23 affirms, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Ethical leadership begins with a well-formed moral framework anchored in the inner life of the individual.(2) Such a leader not only knows what they believe but also understands why they believe it. Unlike secular philosophies that often view ethical behavior as a human personal and largely individual construct or even an existential protest against meaninglessness of existance (e.g., Camus, The Myth of Sisyphus), Christian theology maintains that ethical principles are grounded in divine revelation and rooted in the nature of God Himself. From this perspective, ethics is not a subjective or socially negotiated system, but an objective moral order that exists independently of human consensus: one that must be discovered and admitted, not invented and continuously modified and adjusted (Romans 2:14–15).(3) As John Frame states it: “all reality, including all value, comes from a supreme personal being”(4), who is God. Christian ethical leaders believe that divine truths, revealed in God’s Word (Psalm 119:105, ESV) and the individual work of the Holy Spirit (John 16:13, ESV), provide a reliable foundation for ethical decision-making. Thus, the choice to do what is right is an act of alignment with God’s revealed will, not merely a matter of personal preference, feelings or intuition.

2. Discernment

The concept of ethical discernment refers to the ability to recognise and effectively respond to the moral aspects or dimensions embedded in problem situations that require a solution.(5) A discerning ethical leader gives attention to nuances and is aware of competing values, and possible consequences of perhaps each of possible solutions.(6) While some ethical questions seem to have straightforward answers, many others (e.g. those involving new technologies, migration, gender identity, or family structures) involve competing moral standpoints and require careful deliberation. In such moments, discernment becomes crucial.

Ethical leadership in many life situations demands more than blindly following established rules or relying on personal instincts. Often, it requires moral reasoning, spiritual sensitivity, and, perhaps most importantly, the presence of a clearly articulated hierarchy of moral and ethical values.(7) Not all virtues are equally important in every context. Thus, ethical leaders should learn to distinguish what is most important when values appear to be in contradiction or tension.

I believe a good illustration of discernment is in the words of one influential doctor in Ukraine, who commented on the ongoing Russian invasion and the rather weak Ukrainian capacity to withstand it. He said: “What is most important in Ukraine - the people or the square meters? Let’s be clear about our goal. Are we trying to save the patient or to save limbs? If our priority is the limbs, then let’s mobilize everything that moves. But in that case, human beings are utterly secondary.” This reflects a clear ethical distinction between preserving territory (symbolized by "limbs") and prioritizing human life ("the patient").(8) This is an ability the one can and should grow in. The author of Hebrews 5:14 says: "who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil."

Furthermore, discernment is not merely an intellectual activity. In Christian ethical leadership, discernment involves dependence on the work and guidance of the Holy Spirit. The Gospel of John clearly states that: “when the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come” (John 16:13, ESV), and “the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (John 14:26, ESV). Therefore, ethical discernment in leadership suggests that there is an interlinked process between human moral responsibility and divine guidance. It includes knowing where the leader’s work ends and the Spirit’s leading begins.

3. Servanthood

Servanthood is not merely an action but rather an identity.(9) Jesus provided the model of servant leadership when He said: “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant” (Matthew 20:26). Thus, ethical leadership flows from the position of serving, not controlling. At its core, servant leadership is anchored in humility, one’s character, and relational ethics. Servant leaders, being dependent on God’s grace, become capable of responding with empathy and moral clarity in times of pressure and social struggle. Such leaders reflect Christ, “who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage... but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant” (Philippians 2:6–7). In doing so, they embody ethical leadership that is both true and redemptive.

References:

1. van Breda, Peter, “Standing Upright in the Wind: Servant Leader Choices,” DCL 723: Servant Leadership, Populi, Lecture script, p. 8, Accessed 2025-06-22.
2. Blanchard, Ken, Rene Broadwell, 2018. Servant Leadership in Action. Berrett-Koehler Publishers. p. 29. https://www.perlego.com/book/580568.
3. R. C. Sproul, Essential Truths of the Christian Faith (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1992), p. 257. Also see: https://learn.ligonier.org/articles/revelation-and-christian-ethics. 4. Frame, John. [2008]. The Doctrine of the Christian Life. P Publishing. https://www.perlego.com/book/2527150.
5. van Breda, p. 4.
6. van Breda, p. 4.
7. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, I–II, Q. 91, Art. 2, in The Summa Theologica of St. Thomas Aquinas, trans. Fathers of the English Dominican Province (New York: Benziger Bros., 1947), https://www.newadvent.org/summa/2091.htm#article2.
8. Yevhen Komarovsky, “"Жизнь украинцев или квадратные метры?" - Комаровский предлагает определиться, что для нас важнее” YouTube video, posted by Антимафия, 2024, https://youtu.be/rDdFwA40W4o.
9. Blanchard et al. 2018, p. 110.