Does Power Tend to Corrupt?

The famous saying, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely,” attributed to Lord Acton, has become a cautionary maxim about the dangers of leadership. But is it truly power that corrupts, or is it something deeper?

In truth, power does not necessarily change a person; it often reveals who they already are. What may appear as a change in character is more accurately the unveiling of traits that were always present but hidden until the opportunity arose. In this sense, the problem is not power itself, but personal immaturity or a flawed character exposed under its weight.

Robert Ingersoll once observed of Abraham Lincoln:
“If you want to find out what a man is at the bottom, give him power. Any man can stand adversity—only a great man can stand prosperity.”

Ingersoll astutely links power and prosperity—two forces that often walk hand in hand. Many seek power to gain prosperity (especially wealth), while others chase prosperity as a means to power. His words suggest that prosperity tests our character. In it, the hidden inner life of a person is revealed.

Still, the question remains: Does power inherently corrupt?

If we believed that all power inevitably leads to evil, we might fall into the despair of hard postmodernism, where the very notion of “good power” is seen as naïve. Yet, the Christian faith tells a different story.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in the darkest days of Nazi tyranny, spoke of “guten Mächten”-gracious or good powers. What kind of power is this?

This is power not used to dominate, but to protect; not to enrich oneself, but to uplift others. It is the power that resists the cruelty of fascism and every form of oppression. It is the power that brings comfort, strength, and healing.

Jesus Christ redefined power when He said:
“The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves.”
(Luke 22:25–26)

This is the power of Christ: the power to serve, to bless, to bring peace, even the power to forgive. It is a power marked not by self-interest, but by self-giving love. It is a power that heals rather than harms, that builds rather than breaks.

In a fallen world, power can corrupt, but it doesn’t have to. In Christ, we see that there is a higher, more meaningful way: the power of the cross, the power of humility, the power of love.

This is the kind of power we need—not less of it, but more.