The issue of accountability

Greetings to you, dear readers! I thank God for you and believe that this day will bring you many blessings as you meditate upon the word God has given us today.

Just as I promised, today we are going to talk about accountability. We will look at several passages of Scripture that help us to see the importance of being accountable and fellowshipping with the saints.

So what is accountability and what does it mean for a person to be accountable? Accountability is an obligation of a person or an organization to give account on its actions and be responsible for the consequences. Accountability includes being responsible for the property or money entrusted to a person or an organization etc.

Christian accountability is our responsibility before our brothers and sisters of what we do with our lives. It is an understanding that we are responsible not just before God, but also before other people of what the course of our lives is.

An accountable person opens himself to others and allows them to be a part of his intentions and actions. An accountable person is willing to allow others into his life and allows them to hold him responsible for what is going on in his life. We make ourselves accountable in order to receive the necessary support and correction from those we are accountable to.

Accountability is the system of checks and balances that helps us to protect ourselves from harm that we can do to ourselves or others because of irresponsibility. It helps us to hold firm to our convictions and follow the chosen path till the end. It helps us not to be distracted from God’s way and not to be a stumbling block to others. We find many places in the Bible where it says that every one of us will answer before God for our actions.

«So then each of us shall give account of himself to God» (Romans, 14: 12).

«For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad»(2 Corinthians, 5:10 ).

But the Bible also says that we will have to give account of our actions before other believers – the leaders that God has placed over us and our brothers and sisters in Christ.

«Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ» (Galatians, 6:1-2).

This passage of the Scripture calls us to take part in one another’s lives, supporting one another in our walk with God. It is impossible to fulfil this commandment without being accountable.

The law of Christ is the law of love:

 «A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another» (John, 13:34).

Through being accountable we fulfil the law of love and show we care for the others not to fall away from the grace of Christ. Accountability implies showing your consideration for others. We enter each other’s lives to help and to support:

 «Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good words, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching» (Hebrews, 10:23-25).

An accountable person would never say to his family, the members of his church or home group words like: „This is none of your business!” The Bible says:

“Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians, 2: 4-5).

Now we have to be accountable before the others to be healthy as believers. We cannot live like lone islands and be independent of other brothers and sisters in Christ. We are called to live not just before God, but before other believers as well. It says in James (5:16):

«Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent payer of a righteous man avails much».

Pauls is talking about doing everything necessary to have clean consciousness before God and before men:

«This being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offence toward God and men» (Acts, 24:16).

Tomorrow we will talk about how accountability helps us to change and grow spiritually.

May God grant you peace!

Pastor Rufus Ajiboye