Legitimate Leadership: A Necessary Good

by Dave Miller

Leadership on Purpose

From the very beginning, God entrusted humanity with the responsibility of leadership. In Eden, Adam was given dominion to steward creation (Genesis 1:28). Israel’s kings were called to rule with justice and righteousness (2 Samuel 23:3). In the New Testament, leaders are charged to shepherd willingly and not for selfish gain (1 Peter 5:2–3).

Authority, rightly ordered, is a gift from God for human flourishing. Ruling is not incidental to human society—it is essential. When leadership is exercised with integrity and aligned with God’s will, it becomes a channel of blessing. To reject legitimate leadership is to reject God’s order for the good of people.

Yet in our cultural moment, authority itself has been slandered. Leadership is assumed to be corrupt. Power is framed as inherently oppressive. And instead of strengthening leaders with moral responsibility, we have elevated voices claiming legitimacy from victimhood.

The Lie of Victimhood as Moral Authority

Critical theory has enthroned oppression as a source of moral credibility: the more one claims victimhood, the greater one’s claim to authority. But Scripture testifies differently. Israel’s history shows that suffering alone does not make a leader—faithfulness does. Joseph rose from prison to palace not because of his wounds, but because “the LORD was with him and gave him success in everything he did” (Genesis 39:23).

Victimhood, in itself, does not create wisdom. Grievance does not produce virtue. As Proverbs declares, “When the godly are in authority, the people rejoice. But when the wicked are in power, they groan” (Proverbs 29:2 NLT). The authority that brings rejoicing is not born of grievance but of righteousness.

By confusing injury with virtue, society has rejected responsible authority and enthroned perpetual grievance. The west wing of culture has degenerated into a theater of injury, where the loudest pain—or claimed pain—becomes the loudest power.

Objective Morality and Power

Power itself is not evil. Scripture consistently affirms that when guided by God’s law, power restrains evil and promotes good. Romans 13:4 describes governing authority as “God’s servant for your good.” Jesus Himself, the rightful King, exercised authority not by apology or retreat, but by laying down His life for others (John 10:18).

Authority divorced from objective morality becomes tyranny. But authority guided by God’s truth becomes wholesome—a means of blessing, protection, and peace.

To strip leadership of its legitimacy through shame and apology does not rid the world of power—it simply invites another power to take its place. And evil is always eager to accept the invitation.

Consequences of a Vacuum

When legitimate leadership abdicates, a vacuum forms. Jesus warned that when a house is swept clean but left empty, it is not safe but vulnerable: “the last state of that person is worse than the first” (Luke 11:26). The same is true of societies. When righteous authority steps aside, the vacuum will be filled by those who wield power without virtue.

Israel’s history bears this out. When kings walked in obedience, the people flourished (e.g., 2 Chronicles 31 under Hezekiah). But when kings abandoned God’s ways, the people suffered most (2 Kings 21 under Manasseh).

Culture is shaped by leadership—when leaders embrace responsibility under God, blessing flows; when they abandon it, destruction follows.

A Prophetic Call: There Is a Better Way

There is a better way than victimhood as moral authority. There is a better way than shame-driven abdication of leadership. The Kingdom calls leaders to rise—not in self-protection or self-promotion, but in stewardship under God.

Paul wrote, “It is required of stewards that they be found faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:2). Faithful leadership, accountable to the Lord, is not optional—it is necessary for the good of people.

To abandon leadership is to invite chaos. To recover it is to invite blessing. The Kingdom vision for leadership is not merely spiritual—it is societal. It is wholesome, moral, and indispensable for the flourishing of all.

This is the prophetic word: Leadership is a God-given necessity for good. Legitimate authority, grounded in objective morality, is not to be apologized for but embraced. Anything less is an open door for evil.