There is a simple truth: a stone rolls more easily from the mountain’s peak downward than it is pushed from the base upward. In human interaction, if you wish to learn from someone you have never met, you do not begin by displaying your high-profile credentials. Doing so may intimidate them into silence, causing you to miss knowledge you could otherwise have gained. You start by giving them a sense of importance—with that genuine respect, they will feel motivated to share insights that might otherwise have remained locked away.
The unwise close themselves off from new knowledge, assuming they already know enough, forgetting that in this physical universe knowledge can never be exhausted. Even in information technology, those who once considered themselves authorities, if still alive, now recognize how the advent of Artificial Intelligence has dwarfed what once was cutting-edge. Christianity ought to lead the way in such humility rather than self-exaltation, yet the gospel is often hindered by those who assume they possess exhaustive knowledge of the faith.
A sober evaluation of what prevails today, when measured against Christ’s own teachings, suggests a need for a revolutionary return to His ways rather than remaining stagnant in comfortable old ways. In His instruction to the apostles, Jesus repeatedly insisted that “the first shall be last and the last shall be first.” He gave one of His most countercultural parables, the Laborers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20:1–16). Those who labored longest, helping newcomers understand the work of the vineyard, would naturally expect greater recognition; Jesus reveals the opposite.
He disturbs the natural order in which veterans are honored for their experience and long service, according to human tradition. The clear teachings of Christ call for a reversal of hierarchical thinking. He even taught that one must become like a little child to enter His kingdom (Matthew 18:1–6). With this foundation, let us examine five faults that arise from hierarchical structures in Christianity. There are surely more, but these five will suffice.
- Hierarchical structures directly violate Jesus’ primary teaching on humility.
The Pharisees, the recognized authorities in the Jewish religion, disqualified themselves precisely by assuming they knew more than anyone outside their ranks. True Christianity embraces everything Jesus taught, and among all doctrines, humility receives His greatest emphasis. After instructing the disciples to treat one another as equals, elevating no one above another, He concluded emphatically: “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (Matthew 23:12). - Hierarchical structures shift allegiance from Christ to a human leader.
A single person placed at the apex of a denomination may gather millions of followers, but such followers should not automatically be mistaken for true Christians. Their allegiance often attaches not to Christ but to the leader. They may vow to be faithful believers, yet only under that leader, whom they declare to be ordained by God. Ask them how this squares with other denominations whose leaders also claim divine ordination, and the conversation becomes futile. It is exceedingly difficult to present biblical truth to such a person without their leader’s approval; they switch off, even to the most obvious scriptural truth, fearful of being labeled a renegade. - Hierarchical structures hinder Christ from working through every believer.
What denominational leaders conveniently forget is that Christ dwells in every baptized member of the body. Hierarchy suppresses those with special gifts unless their insights are channeled through the approved leader. One can almost imagine leaders taking issue with Christ for revealing truth through those they regard as juniors rather than through themselves. Presenting truth to a leader when viewed as a junior can, without cause, be labeled insubordination. In the spirit of humility, the person to whom God has revealed something may shelve a noble insight, thereby impeding Christ’s own work. - Hierarchical structures fuel the phenomenon of denominationalism.
A person who fails to convince a leadership structure of doctrinal error may simply break away and form their own church. Surprisingly, they often behave exactly like the denomination they left, because of such bureaucracy. Once they have founded their own church, they assume responsibility over those who follow them or are converted through their ministry. This portrays the very confusion that plagues Christianity. The disunity among those who claim to follow Christ gives every reason for Satan to gloat, holding it up as proof that Christianity is a failed cause. What a shame! - Hierarchical structures neglect the servant-hearted command to wash one another’s feet.
Jesus washed His disciples’ feet and then taught: “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him” (John 13:13–14). Refusing to submit to those they consider their subordinates, those authoritarian leaders, would actually be claiming to be greater than their Master. A person who takes such strong words lightly can hardly be living as a true Christian.
These five flaws, among many, reveal that Christianity requires precision in application, not just general adherence. It is a serious business. Some of the mistakes were seeded by the disciples themselves at the church’s very beginning. Genuine Christianity is vested in each individual who is baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each one bears the responsibility of being a brother’s keeper, correcting and encouraging others, but being corrected and encouraged too. But how can one correct a person assuming to be at the apex of a mountain, while assuming to be at the base? A believer’s behavior rests not on intellectual capacity but on being guided by Christ, where humility is adopted religiously, rather than traditionally. On the Day of Judgment, no one will be permitted to blame a leader for misleading them; each will answer to what Christ Himself taught.
Christ dwells in every baptized Christian to enable what He requires. It remains possible, of course, that Christ can also use those not baptized according to familiar tradition. Some devote years to studying theology with the sincere intention of being effective in the ministry to which Christ has called them. That may be commendable, but it is not a license to superintend over other Christians. True Christian leaders are those who direct their followers to what Christ said, rather than instructing them to practice Christianity according to their personal opinion or viewpoints.
Doing otherwise is precisely what caused the Apostle Paul to later express frustration, perhaps not yet fully grasping the mechanics of the human mind:
“Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarrelling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? For when one says, ‘I follow Paul,’ and another, ‘I follow Apollos,’ are you not mere human beings? What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.” (1 Corinthians 3:1–7, NIV)
As human as we all are, Paul faced a problem that was extraordinarily difficult to handle. It may well have been caused by his own teachings—teachings that reflected his opinions, even while he presented them as from Christ. For instance, his instruction to appoint overseers and deacons runs counter to Jesus’ own teaching, yet Paul declares such instructions “trustworthy.” They cannot be trustworthy if Jesus never taught them.
Jesus expressly taught against practicing good works to attract human approval (Matthew 6:1–4), and yet Paul uses such good works as criteria for appointing overseers and deacons. He seems to have forgotten that God chose him not because he was already doing virtuous Christian works. The basic principle of Christian teaching is to show believers what Jesus said. We can extend grace to Paul, since in his time the written Gospels were not yet available, and he had not been among those who walked with Christ.
He possessed the basic truths of the faith, but like all of us, his background and experience may have stood in the way. Paul served God’s purpose in his day, but this is now our time, and we must appreciate that Jesus alone is the author of our salvation. Jesus instructed His disciples to teach others to observe everything He had commanded them. Yet when we compare the apostles’ practice with the written Gospels, we can see that even those first disciples had blind spots. They passed on much of what Jesus taught, but some of what they introduced did not come from Him.
The ordination of deacons, for example, never originated from Christ, yet it has been adopted as settled doctrine across Christianity. The mighty works of Stephen cannot be reduced to someone appointed merely to serve tables, which was the original intent for the seven. Instituting ordination was like pouring new wine into old wineskins—a practice that may have seemed natural against the backdrop of the Old Testament.
Jesus never taught ordination, and if there were any importance in it, He would have done so. The most vital truth to grasp is that a Christian is Jesus Christ incarnate in daily life. He said that whatever is done to any of His followers is done to Him, because He dwells in them individually, requiring no human approval to do so. Every believer should be crystal clear on this foundation. Another reference highlighting the apostolic errors at that time is the anecdote of Ananias and his wife, Sapphira. If the disciples had taught those believers exactly as He had commanded them in Matthew 6:1-4, how could the couple have fallen into that unfortunate incident?
Jesus’ teachings are as factual as any scientific principle; their practicality can be observed across life. A country led by a president who assumes he knows everything is a failing state, compared with one whose leader appreciates that others may know better and gives them space to shine instead of suppressing their input. The same holds true in any organization, including the most successful football teams. Lionel Messi is neither coach nor president of his country’s football association, yet he is recognized far beyond those executives. To achieve results in human relationships, we must grasp that we are all equal in the eyes of God.
Andrew Masuku is the author of Dimensions of a New Civilisation, laying down standards for uplifting Zimbabwe from the current state of economic depression into a model for other nations worldwide. A decaying tree provides an opportunity for a blossoming sprout. Written from a Christian perspective, the book is a product of inspiration, relieving those who have witnessed the strings of unworkable solutions, leading to the current economic and social decay. Most Zimbabweans should find the book to be a long-awaited providential oasis of hope, in a simple conversational tone.
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