WHAT IF I STUMBLE?

 

Every Christian is susceptible to moral failure.

From the janitor mopping the halls at a local high school, to a respected pastor at a mega-church, to a well-known Contemporary Christian artist on the radio—no one is exempt.

Back in the 1990s, DC Talk released a song called What If I Stumble?. The lyrics wrestle with a deeply honest question: Why am I doing this?

Is it for recognition and success? Or is it truly about sharing the gospel?

And then it asks something even heavier—what happens if the person delivering the message fails to live it out?

The chorus puts it this way:

What if I stumble? What if I fall?
What if I lose my step and I make fools of us all?
Will the love continue when my walk becomes a crawl?
What if I stumble and what if I fall?

That question has proven to be very real over the years.

We’ve seen well-known Christians fall into serious sin—artists, pastors, teachers. One example that’s made headlines is Michael Tait, along with many others in positions of influence.

And when something like that happens, people naturally start asking questions:
Should I still listen to their music?
What were they thinking while singing those words?

It’s unsettling, no doubt about it.

But here’s the important part: the truth they were singing or preaching doesn’t suddenly become false because they failed to live it out. Their actions don’t invalidate the message—they reveal that they didn’t take it seriously.

The real danger shows up in how we respond.

Too often, people place Christian “celebrities” on a pedestal. And when those individuals fall, the disappointment runs so deep that some walk away from the faith entirely.

That reveals something deeper going on.

It means their faith may have been rooted more in people than in Christ. And if we’re honest, that’s a form of idolatry.

The truth of the gospel isn’t dependent on how well we live it out. It’s true because it is truth—regardless of us.

So if someone’s faith is shaken by the failure of a Christian leader, it’s worth asking: Was Jesus really the foundation of that faith? Or was it the person who stood on the platform?

Don’t get me wrong—it’s completely natural to appreciate and even admire pastors and teachers who have impacted your life. But when they fall, it can feel like a punch to the gut.

Still, we have to remember: no one is immune.

We can’t use someone else’s moral failure as a reason to reject the gospel. The gospel didn’t fail—they did. And those are not the same thing.

If we measure the truth of Christianity by the performance of Christians, we’re placing our trust in the wrong place.

At the same time, this should also be a sobering reminder for us.

Every day, we represent Christ in how we live.

God knows our weaknesses. He knows how prone we are to stumble. And yet, He is always ready to forgive when we genuinely repent.

And just as we depend on that grace, we should be ready to extend it to others who fall—because that’s exactly how we would want to be treated.