Well Paul sets boundaries right here,..
I don't consider Paul to be a religious hypocrite just because he set particulars about what our leaders are suppose to do.
No one said such. I agree with what Scripture says, taken in the whole counsel.
The point of this thread is how we perceive ourselves and others, not standards for leadership. The religious bondage Satan puts believers in can be very subtle. There are traits that if we know them can alert us to the temptations of religious hypocrisy. One of the traits is seeing our own sin dealt with graciously by Christ as lesser than that of others.
For example, the Pharisee who prays, "I thank you God that I'm not like that sinner over there," contrasted with the "sinner over there," who beat his chest and cried out to God for mercy, admitting his problem and asking God to help.
Since you brought leadership into this, though I agree with the principle of standards you brought up, because the instructions God has given us provide those standards, I may disagree with how leaders arrive to those standards.
I believe they are to arrive through refinement by the Potter, because of going through preparation stages in which they are humbled before Christ and made to depend on Christ empowerment to overcome, not self religious effort, which in the end will only white-wash the outer man.
For example, David was taken through years of preparation on the run from Saul trying to kill him and was humbled and refined through the process to become the leader God wanted him to be. Later on when he committed murder and adultery, that did not disqualify him, as God is patient and merciful. The fact is, David was anointed still and a man after God's heart, though he failed at times in the flesh. However, his sinning was not habitual which is what Paul meant in the NT. Christians young (immature) in the faith, not having been developed from the inside out, have no business being made leaders, as Paul said. People need to have been tested and tried through the preparation that refines them first. In this manner they become Overcomers. That doesn't mean they will not fail at some point in the flesh again. It means they are generally free from the bondage of sin and death, and walk with Christ in his Life.
Many church leaders today are not Overcomers and don't really meet the requirements of leadership, including empowerment by the Holy Spirit to minister supernaturally in the Body of Christ. Instead, many are appointed by other men and have trained in the white-washing of outward religious observance to appear godly before men. The "fruit" these leaders bear is fake plastic fruit like we put in bowls for decoration. It looks good, but it has no substance.
On the other hand, some groups will appoint leaders who show calling and anointing but have not been through the fires of refinement yet and matured. Then they wonder why, even with power from on High, these leaders so easily get tripped up in scandal and such that brings reproach to the whole group/movement.
Again, even if we do have refined and empowered leaders, which are the only ones who truly qualify, they are still going to be imperfect. To expect perfection from anyone this side of the resurrection is unrealistic.
