The Limits of Accountability

A word I hear concerning the benefits of Christian fellowship is "accountability."  It seems to be part of being a disciple of Jesus to be held or "hold others accountable."  This can be little more than keeping tabs on someone else, to watch over their shoulder to confirm they are doing the right things or avoiding sin.  The more I think about this concept of what passes as a need for serious discipleship from a biblical vantage point, I wonder if we can actually stand in the way of spiritual growth and maturity.  With a desire to be accepted by others we can seek the favour of an accountability partner rather than seeking God and relying upon His strength to overcome sinful desires of the flesh.  Accountability without the governance of God's love has the potential to become prescriptive, controlling and suggests to find favour with God people must labour to please man.

The Bible does speak about giving an account of ourselves, and the context typically concerns a person giving an account before God in judgment.  Jesus said in Matthew 12:36-37, "But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. ³⁷ For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."   Paul wrote in Romans 14:12, "So then each of us shall give account of himself to God."  A day will come when we must give account of our words and deeds before the living God who will judge the living and the dead.  Since we will need to do so in the future, confessing our sins to one another and praying for one another is a fitting reminder and practice to prepare for that day (James 5:16).  Those who are not born again will face a judgment of condemnation, while believers will give an account of their stewardship and receive rewards or suffer loss.

I have had people over the years ask for me to hold them accountable for a particular struggle they faced, to agree to be a person with whom they could contact to confess sin.  I have been asked to inquire at random intervals with "how someone is doing" concerning an issue they previously discussed.  This is a good thing when important boundaries are established and maintained:  sin is between a man and God before whom he will give an account, and only God is able to forgive and cleanse from sin.  As we bear one another's burdens everyone is to carry their own load, and no effort of the flesh can do the work of the Holy Spirit.  Because sin is between a person and God, in one sense it is impossible for a person to keep anyone accountable because we only know what we are told or see ourselves.  It is God's sovereign role to punish sinners, discipline saints and reward those made righteous by faith--not because they avoided sin or complied with the directives of men.

How important it is to pursue the living God and remain close to Him in faith and obedience!  This is how by God's grace a healthy, growing relationship with Him is found.  It would be a strange thing for a husband to confess to his friend he had been unfaithful to his wife without confessing to her first since he sinned against her by his infidelity.  In a similar way, if we have sinned before God it is important we go to Him first, that there is no one we report to in place of Him or look for support or encouragement besides Him.  Isn't He the One who has called us to walk righteously, given us His word, an example to follow in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit who fills us, convicts us of sin and the God before whom we will ultimately give account?  Accountability before men is no substitute for fellowship with God.  Giving an account before men has merits, but never allow a person to stand in God's place where favour is received by compliance and disobedience avoided by fear of shame. 

Remembering God

"When you reap your harvest in your field, and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shall be for the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands."

Deuteronomy 24:19

God is able to use forgetfulness or being absentminded as an opportunity for blessing.  God knows that we who remember also have the capacity (and even tendency!) to forget.  If a farmer forgot a sheaf of grain in the field, he was not to go retrieve it:  that would provide food for the stranger, the fatherless and the widow.  I wonder if this happened to farmers as often as I forget a pot on the stove that needs cleaning when washing dishes!  The sink being empty of dishes, I often remove the drain plug only to see another pot or dish to wash I had forgotten about.

A forgetful farmer was to be always mindful of the God who commanded him to leave the forgotten sheaf in the field.  He was to remember the promise of God's blessing upon all the work of his hands should he trust and obey.  It is an amazingly good exchange, to leave a sheaf in the field that will benefit others to receive the enduring blessing of God upon all the works of your hands--forgetful though you might be.  I wonder if people intentionally "forgot" a sheaf in the field, left extra olives on the trees or grapes on the vines so they could be partakers of blessings of God for their liberality to others in need.

There is a beautiful balance here of God's provision for the needy and their need to work for a living.  Ruth did not wait for barley to be shoveled into her bag at home but braved the heat of the day to glean in the field of Boaz.  Olives that remained were high in the trees and needed to be brined before eating; the grain in a forgotten sheaf still needed to be threshed, winnowed and ground into flour, roasted or sprouted.  God is good to provide for the rich and poor alike through many means, and it is a blessing to be able to work, eat and enjoy the profits of our labours.  All our increase is a gracious gift from God, and those who are generous and mindful of God's blessings are even more blessed.  There is even a blessing in forgetting when we remember our great God.

Rest in God's Grace

Zerubbabel was a Jewish governor of Judea who came out of the Babylonian captivity and was used by God to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem.  Haggai and Zechariah were prophets and contemporaries of Zerubbabel who encouraged him in the work.  Great difficulties and obstacles were prevalent:  the busyness of the people in their own affairs, opposition of enemies, and even satanic attacks.  Zerubbabel had a massive task before him that loomed like an impassable mountain.  The foundation had been laid, but how would the work be completed?

In the face of great discouragement and his own inability to do the work, an angelic messenger said in Zechariah 4:6-9:  "So he answered and said to me: "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the LORD of hosts. ⁷ 'Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone with shouts of "Grace, grace to it!" ⁸ Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying: ⁹ "The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this temple; His hands shall also finish it. Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent Me to you."  By the grace of God the immense job would be accomplished Zerubabbel could not finish by the might of Persia or the power of combined effort.  The Holy Spirit would turn mountains into a plain easily navigated.  God would see the capstone of the temple laid, and in that day it would confirm the truth of what the angel spoke.  God used Zerubbabel to complete this monumental task by His grace.

As we move into a new year there is always the temptation to lament past failures than rejoice in new beginnings.  It would be safe to say this year did not go according to the "plans" many had:  trips and holidays were cancelled as a pandemic swept across the globe, weddings and gatherings were impacted, the economy and jobs were negatively affected and social distancing restrictions imposed upon freedoms we took for granted.  In light of what has happened and all the work that still needs to be done, we might imagine our efforts to accomplish God's work is a waste of time.  On the contrary!  When God is doing the work by the power of the Holy Spirit, His grace is sufficient for all seasons.  Before God what appears to be insurmountable opposition is laid low when His people trust and obey Him.

Explorers have devised ways to conquer the highest peaks on the globe, yet only the Holy Spirit is able to make a mountain a plain by His grace.  Heavy equipment and dynamite have removed great swaths of stone and soil, but we cannot by hard labour be born again, forgiven from sins, or go to haven by our efforts:  it is by the grace of God through faith in Jesus this impossible transformation is done.  Paul wrote to believers in Philippians 1:3-7:  "I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, ⁴ always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, ⁵ for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, ⁶ being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; ⁷  just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace."  Through faith in Jesus Christ we are blessed with the Holy Spirit by God's grace beginning to end.  Like Zerubbabel, may we be His faithful servants who rest in God's grace.

Jesus Proclaims Peace

"When you go near a city to fight against it, then proclaim an offer of peace to it. ¹¹ And it shall be that if they accept your offer of peace, and open to you, then all the people who are found in it shall be placed under tribute to you, and serve you."

Deuteronomy 20:10-11

God commanded His people to proclaim peace to distant cities, thus providing an opportunity for lives to be spared.  Those who responded to the offer of peace from Israel and chose to open their doors to them would be spared.  Cities who refused to accept the offer of peace would be beseiged and every male would be slain.  The choice of life and death was placed before the enemies of Israel according to God's grace, and this reminds me how God is not willing any should perish.  In light of God's warning that judgment will someday come to this world, 2 Peter 3:9 says, "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance."

About 2,000 years ago, shepherds who kept watch over their flocks by night experienced an angelic proclamation of peace God provided to all the world by sending Jesus Christ.  Luke 2:13-14 reads, "And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: ¹⁴ "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"  To a world languishing under judgment and death as a consequence for sin, the Light of the World Jesus Christ came to save.  There was no room for newborn Jesus in the inn, yet we are given the opportunity to open ours hearts to Him in faith and surrender our lives to Him.  The well-known carol exhorts all people:  "Joy to the world! The Lord is come.  Let earth receive her King!  Let every heart prepare Him room and heaven and nature sing."

When you move into a new house or renovate rooms, there is an opportunity to arrange furniture.  Rooms can be set up to serve as a bedroom, office or theatre.  The pool table can be sold to make room for a lounge, and the cars can be parked outside to convert the garage into a workspace.  It is important we understand that opening our hearts to Jesus at one time does not guarantee He has the place of honour in our lives today.  Like hoarders acquire vast quantities of goods which restrict their movement and access, our hearts and lives can be cluttered with thoughts, ambitions and desires which crowd out Jesus.  In the Song of Solomon his wife couldn't be bothered to rise from bed to let him in!  They shared a bed together, yet his wife was more concerned about the inconvenience of rising to open the door and having to wash her feet again.

This is similar to what happened with the church of Laodicea Jesus addressed in Revelation 3.  They had become self-confident and self-reliant and believed they had need of nothing--yet Jesus revealed to them spiritually they were wretched, poor, blind, miserable and naked.  Jesus Christ said to them in Revelation 3:19-20, "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. ²⁰  Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me."  Jesus stood at the door and called out to the church to open to Him with the promise of renewed fellowship.  We can open the door of our heart and affections to many things:  have we opened up to Jesus, having made room for Him?  He stands at the door of all our hearts and proclaims peace today, and may we open to Him as humble subjects who serve Him joyfully.