Go here for Part One on Accountability

There is precious little interest or pursuit of holiness today. We are not very concerned with being holy, pure, blameless, spotless, or righteous. We are typically much more concerned with being accepted, understood, appreciated, and included. So our conversations are marked with compromise when it comes to holiness. Our free time is filled with influences that stain our hearts and minds. Even our ministries are marked by making unholy people feel better about themselves by camouflaging God’s holiness so it doesn’t hurt quite as much to look at Him. Holiness is not a high priority for many.

But if we do not strive for holiness we will not see the Lord.

Hebrews 12:14 Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.

I’d like to think that some of you who have listened to the messages from our Sunday morning series are already wrestling to connect this condition in Hebrews 12:14 with the truths of Calvinism. If God is sovereign over who is saved and who isn’t, then what good is this human qualification/condition? In fact, taking a step back, what good is this entire series on Small Groups, and what on earth is accountability necessary for if God is in control of salvation?

I hope to cover some of these kinds of questions as we go through our Sunday series, but I think it would be beneficial to point a couple things out.

First, God’s goal in election is to get glory for Himself by making the elect holy, not just getting them to heaven.

Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him.

The aim of predestination is not simply to forgive sin, but to conform us into the image of Christ, which is perfect holiness.

Romans 8:29 For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son…

So God exercises His sovereignty in our salvation to save us not just from the condemnation of our unholiness but also to save us from the practice of unholiness.

And a second thing to keep in mind is that, God uses means to accomplish His goals. God reveals in His Word not just the final end of His plan, He reveals that He uses instruments and processes, over time, to execute His plan and get to His desired end. So, God not only chooses who will be saved, He chose how and when and through whom to save them. He decided to use the gospel, as preached by men, through the invisible work of His Spirit, to save His elect.

For our purposes in this series, God has not only planned our salvation and purposed our sanctification, that is, a life of increasing holiness, He has also sovereignly ordained the methods of accomplishing that sanctification. Participation in a local church body, discipleship, and even small groups is one ingredient in His recipe to make His saints.

And there is much to overcome to make us saints. As we discussed last time, we are naturally self-centered, proud, and worldly. And because of that we don’t always appreciate accountability. But in this message I want to show you from Scripture that God has established three levels of accountability as means to His end of making us holy.

Three Levels of Accountability to God

The prepositional phrase at the end is very intentional. There is a sense in which we are accountable to fellow human beings, and we’ll see that in the first two levels. But our ultimate accountability is to God. Answering to one another is part of His plan, but only as we are helping one another to answer to God. We look only to Christ, along with each other.

This is information you need to have. There is no one in our culture, no movie, no music, no MySpace page that is going to promote accountability. We fancy ourselves as self-contained, independent persons who don’t want, who don’t need, the input or (constructive) criticism of anyone else. But like I said, God has constructed various accountability keepers around us.

1. PASTORAL – We are accountable to spiritual leaders.

Obviously there is parental accountability as well, that is every student is answerable to their parents. We are also accountable to government, both national and local. But since we’re working to make a case for small groups in a church setting we’re considering primarily the importance of accountability in local body relationships. So as God has given parents authority over their children, likewise, God has put spiritual authorities in the lives of His children.

These passages address the sheep and their accountability to their shepherds.

1Thessalonians 5:12 We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work.

Hebrews 13:17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.

The sheep are to listen, heed, and follow the shepherd. They are to respect and obey and submit to their pastors. God gives overseers to His church to feed and protect the sheep and they are accountable.

Jesus explained the clear system of spiritual accountability that extends to the church and her leaders in Matthew 18:15-17. The discipline process is a process of accountability that begins on a private, interpersonal level, that progresses to the leadership level. When one of the sheep is out of line, another sheep is to do what they can, then the shepherd gets involved, then the whole flock.

And part of the reason we are accountable to our pastors is because our pastors are accountable to God for us (Hebrews 13:17). And there is much at stake, as we pastors are stewards of a very precious people.

Richard Baxter’s book, The Reformed Pastor is basically an extended meditation with application on the following one verse:

Acts 20:28 Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with His own blood.

There is great responsibility here, to care for the health and holiness of those purchased by Christ on the cross. This this is no new accountability that sheep have to shepherds, or that shepherds have to God. Consider the prophets in the OT. Even though the situation was different for a prophet to the nation of Israel, it functions as an illustration of the kind of work God expects His shepherds to do:

Ezekiel 3:16 And at the end of seven days, the word of the Lord came to me: 17 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. 18 If I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked person shall die for his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. 19 But if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, or from his wicked way, he shall die for his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul. 20 Again, if a righteous person turns from his righteousness and commits injustice, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die. Because you have not warned him, he shall die for his sin, and his righteous deeds that he has done shall not be remembered, but his blood I will require at your hand. 21 But if you warn the righteous person not to sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live, because he took warning, and you will have delivered your soul.”

See also Ezekiel 33:1-9, 34:1-6, 16.

We in spiritual leadership as pastors, and even by extension as small group leaders, will give an account to God. And though we can’t make anyone do anything, we are responsible to urge the sheep to live worthy of the gospel and worthy of Christ and you are accountable to listen and obey.

The NT is full of actions for pastors to hold sheep accountable to God’s desire for holiness. We are to admonish, appeal, argue, ask, assert, beseech, call, commend, console, declare, demonstrate, discern, edify, equip, feed, implore, inquire, lead, model, pray, proclaim, reason, upbuild, labor and work. Furthermore, the NT is full of actions for sheep to follow their pastors in the pursuit of holiness. Sheep are to listen, follow, repent, do, love, remember, seek, consider, respect, honor. We are accountable to our pastors.

2. MUTUAL – We are accountable to one another.

So we are accountable to spiritual leaders and now we’ll see that we have accountability to, and from, spiritual friends. We have responsibilities to our authorities and to one another. This is the level of mutual accountability.

The NT in particular is filled with obligations we have toward one another. For example, as Paul transitions from our personal responsibility to walk in the Spirit and not in the desires of the flesh at the end of Galatians chapter 5, what if we see a fellow brother or sister not walking in the Spirit?

Galatians 6:1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.

There is no room for arrogant, unkind, impatient accountability. But there is also no room for silence, indifference, or inaction when it is appropriate. Sin is serious. As we said last time, sin reflects on Christ, it steals personal joy, and it if a person persists in a pattern of sin, their eternal destiny may be at stake. If there is not a pattern of holiness, then they won’t see the Lord.

1 Thessalonians 5:14 And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.

Admonish. Encourage. Help. These are all very messy things. They are viewed by some as meddling. But we are to rebuke the lazy and slothful. We are to stir up the timid and nervous. We are to aid the feeble and tired, but this is all toward the goal of being complete in Christ.

Hebrews 3:13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

Hebrews 10:24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

James 5:19 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, 20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

Jude 22 And have mercy on those who doubt; 23 save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.

It is not loving to leave someone in their sin. Unconditional love is proven when you confront and get rejected and mocked. Not confronting when it is necessary is conditional love, on the presumed condition of their negative response and is really love of self.

And for those of us on the receiving side, hating correction is stupid (Proverbs 12:1). Mutual accountability is there for a reason, in essence to help us when we get to the third level.

3. PERSONAL – We are accountable to God Himself.

This is the ultimate and most direct level of accountability. Every one of us will answer to God. No one, except Jesus for those of us who are believers, stands between us and Him.

In Romans 14 Paul gives instructions on not holding one another accountable for superficial, legalistic things. He is not removing our responsibility to help each other in the pursuit of holiness, but he is reminding us that holiness is the primary issue, not secondary issues like valuing some days being more important than others, etc.

Romans 14:12 So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.

And the writer of Hebrews is encouraging his readers toward obedience that comes from grace, because,

Hebrews 4:13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

The same verse is translated in the KJV as “but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.” For true believers, though we can’t lose our salvation, we will receive God’s discipline and chastisement if we fail to pursue holiness. Of course, that might be through another person’s rebuke or through some other means, but the pursuit of holy living paramount.

And it is this accountability to God that provides motivation for accountability to others. It is worse to try and hide your sin from God than from another person. When we ask for prayer, ask for advice, share our burdens and struggles, we are asking others to help us so that in our accountability to God we can give a good answer. Augustine recognized accountability with others as a form of self-watch, so that we’ll be most ready before God.

Small Groups and Accountability

Of course when you do something because of fear of man that is no good. But learning from men how to live in the fear of God is not only good, it is necessary. In the best situations, blind spots are discovered, we’re roused to fight sin, we’re helped to be more holy.

Small groups provide a perfect place for this common, concerted aim of sanctification. Here is a quick list of things that make accountability the best.

1. Accountability is the best when it comes from someone the same gender.

Many dangers are avoided when men should seek accountability from other men, women from women.

2. Accountability is the best when it comes from someone more mature.

There is a place for friends to hold one another accountable, but those people who are having the exact same struggles that we are, are not always best to learn from.

3. Accountability is the best when there is a personal relationship with prolonged exposure to each other.

A moving target is tougher to hit. Some people are good at telling lies and it takes a while for another person to uncover the lies. If the first person keeps moving, they can persist in the same lie without it being addressed.

4. Accountability is the best when you pursue it, tell the truth and submit.

Of course, you can participate in accountability and just lie through your teeth. That will do you no good, in fact, it is more harm to the sheep than to the shepherd.

Still there are those who want nothing to do with accountability. I guess they don’t want the protection. But I’ve never heard anyone complain about guardrails as they navigate narrow, windy mountain roads that keep cars from slipping over the steep cliffs. So what if the car gets banged up, at least they have their life. God-given accountability is like protective guardrails.

But even more than protection, accountability helps us glorify God more. A lot of people seek out financial input/counsel (accountability) in their investments. They do research to find the best of the best, counselors that can help them get the most out of their money. They listen to their advisor, buying some stocks and selling others to get maximum gain. They are willing to put up with a lot in hopes of getting a lot. And I think we aren’t willing to put up with much spiritual input because we don’t care about much holiness. We aren’t interested in learning how to invest ourselves to give maximum glory. We’ve got access to our parents, pastors, small group leaders, and friends to help us toward holiness for God’s name sake, but I guess the pay-off isn’t high enough for us.

This is why we have small groups and why we work so hard to have small group leaders that are Jesus-loving, Scripture-saturated, holiness-desiring. They are not leaders because they are spiritually superior but because they are willing to take on spiritual responsibility to help others in their pursuit of holiness.

Good small groups comfort and confront. They comfort those with confusion, forgetfulness, immaturity, weakness, and fear. And they confront those in unbelief and rebellion.

When someone stops coming to small group, it is crucial to pursue them, not because small group is so important, but because if they’ve stopped coming to small group because of sin, it is important to deal with that sin.

So even though we ultimately answer to God, accountability in small groups is a way to prepare ourselves by answering to His delegated authority.

CONCLUSION

Remember:

Proverbs 27:17 Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.

The sharpening in small groups is toward greater sanctification.

Proverbs 27:6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.

The wounds in small groups are toward greater holiness.

Ecclesiastes 4:9 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. 10 For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!

In small groups, we are lifted up by others when we fall to pursue Christlikeness.

Our Wednesday night theme for the year is Look Only to Christ: Along with Each Other. We’re specifically considering how we Look to Christ with each other in Small Groups.

The first thing we considered is The Gospel as a Reason for Small Groups. Small groups enable our proclamation of the gospel to be thorough and our building up of believers in the gospel to be particular. Small groups also provide an opportune environment for gospel-motivated service and for gospel-unifying worship.

And we regularly and rightly talk about the gospel as being free, there is a Scriptural expectation connected to the gospel. In the gospel we learn that Christ has done everything for us that we need to be saved. And though the gospel is offered freely and received freely, it costs us everything. Those who believe the gospel are also called to live worthy of it.

Philippians 1:27 Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ

Hold on to that thought for a moment.

The second thing we considered is Shepherding as a Reason for Small Groups. We talked specifically about the Three Target Levels of evangelism, edification, and equipping, which is all toward the goal of becoming ourselves, and seeing others become, like Christ. Then we considered the Five Stages of Development as we help persons move toward being complete in Christ, seeing them from regeneration through sanctification to spiritual reproduction.

Becoming like Christ is not only God’s plan, it is to be our pursuit. Those who shepherd and those who are sheep are called to walk worthy of the Lord.

Colossians 1:10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him

1Thessalonians 2:12 we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.

There is a connection between manner of life and walking, in fact walking is just a figurative expression of a person’s conduct or pattern of life. And every believer is obligated to live and walk worthy of the gospel and worthy of Christ. The word worthy is an adverb which refers to a balanced scale, indicating things that are equal in worth. Therefore, the “worthy” walk is one that matches up, is proportionate to, is on par with the life which the Lord Himself lead while on this earth and the truth of the gospel.

So we are responsible to live worthy of the gospel. We will answer for living worthy of Christ. For both of these things are are accountable.

Accountability and Those Who Hate It

Accountability has gotten much bad press. It is almost a dirty word. As I was looking around the internet doing research on accountability I saw one sight that didn’t even want to spell the whole thing out, putting a dash after the A- and that was it. The little research I did confirmed that many professing evangelical Christians do not want to be held accountable to anything by anyone. Some are so extreme as to call any kind of accountability unbiblical.

And you probably know the passage those people regularly turn to: Matthew 7:1, “Judge not, that you be not judged.” It’s worth looking at that passage for just a minute. You realize that Jesus is not condemning judging, He’s condemning hypocritical judging! In the process of confronting sin in someone else, the problem is not confronting someone else’s sin, it is confronting someone else’s sin while you keep living in yours!

So the conclusion of the paragraph is first deal with your sin and then you will see clearly enough to deal with your brother’s sin (verse 5). Jesus assumes that it is right to hold others accountable. But He also expects us to not be hypocrites in doing so.

It is true that hypocritical, impatient, unkind, judgmental, self-righteous, legalistic, prejudicial, and/or ignorant accountability is no good. Job’s friends were wrong as they held Job accountable, and got meaner as the story went on. But–and get this–accountability does not equal those things and those who hold others accountable are not by definition arrogant, overbearing, big-headed, spiritually abusive jerks.

So why is “accountability” such a bad word? I think it is more than that accountability is sometimes hypocritical or ignorant. I think accountability is a bad word because we’re born with a dislike for it.

Three Reasons People Naturally Hate Accountability

1. We are naturally self-centered.

Thinking about ourselves first is inborn. No one has to teach us that. Love of ourselves is in our genes (2 Timothy 3:2).

In being so consumed with ourselves we don’t have much appreciation for outsiders. We certainly don’t have much interest in someone else troubleshooting our system or making requirements of us.

But there are great dangers in isolation. Solomon said that the person who isolates themselves rages against all sound wisdom (Proverbs 18:1). And in the body of Christ we cannot get away from the other members without harming the body. The body is no place for selfish members.

We live in an era that magnifies the individual. We do not value community. Because we are naturally self-centered we naturally hate accountability.

2. We are naturally proud.

It is not only naturally to think about ourselves, but to think highly about ourselves. Pride is characteristic of every person, regardless of whether it is displayed externally or just thought internally. Pride originates in the natural heart (Mark 7:21-23) and defiles a man.

And proud people don’t like authority, they are their own authority. Proud people don’t like to be told they are wrong, they know they aren’t. Proud people don’t like discipline and correction, they just like to give it.

We live in an era that magnifies self. We do not value humility. So because we are naturally proud we naturally hate accountability.

3. We are naturally worldly.

Love of self is not the only inherent thing in humans, love of the world is also innate.

Ephesians 2:1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

It is more natural for us to walk in a manner worthy of the course of this world rather than to walk in a manner worthy of the gospel. Sinners follow Satan and live in the passions of their flesh. Our nature was like the rest of mankind, pursuing the present world. Love of the world and the things in the world causes compromise and settling for less than gospel-worthy living.

What this really means is that we don’t value holiness. We aren’t pursuing sanctification and separation from the culture. We are satisfied being conformed to this world. The mold of the world is comfortable, and we dislike the discomfort that comes when the mold is confronted.

We live in an era that magnifies fitting in. We do not value separation. And because we naturally fit better with the world we naturally hate those who hold us accountable to live other-worldly.

So disliking, disdaining, detesting, disapproving, and despising accountability is natural. Even for those of us who have been born again, who are not natural but spiritual, we still must fight against these tendencies toward self-centeredness, pride, and worldliness. We need each other’s help to do so.

It is a sign of immaturity and foolishness to ignore help from others. Fools despise wisdom and instruction (Proverbs 1:7). It is sad that we need to make a case for it, but since I think we do, let’s do it well.

A Definition of Accountability

Accountability is “giving account; required or expected to justify actions or decisions; responsible, liable, answerable.” It is a check-and-balance system ultimately designed to protect and fortify.

Schools are accountable to parents to educate their students. Teachers and administration must be able to justify their decisions. Banks are accountable to their investors. They are liable for the money handed over for them to protect. Employees are accountable to their employer. What they do is a reflection on their boss and the organization. Players are accountable to their coach and to their fellow teammates. What they do impacts the larger group.

Spiritual accountability is another way to say that there are certain expectations (namely to walk worthy of the gospel and worthy of the Lord) in the Christian life. Therefore we are required to give an account, to answer for our decisions and our actions. The final account is to God Himself and in the meantime He has provided a check-and-balance system in the church to keep the individual members safe as well as cause them to grow stronger.

Before developing that, let me remind us that spiritual accountability is important because important things are at stake. Namely,

• Christ’s (His gospel’s, and His church’s) reputation.

What we do is a reflection on Christ. We will answer for being salt and light. Our good works are to shine before others so that they may see our good works and give glory to our Father in heaven (Matthew 5:13-16). As sojourners and exiles we are charged to abstain from the passions of the flesh which wage war against our souls and to keep our conduct honorable so that evildoers may see our good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation (1 Peter 2:11-12).

• Personal joy (in Christ).

When you sin, you don’t lose your salvation (if you are indeed saved). But you do lose the intimacy of the relationship with God. You don’t lose your salvation, but you lose the joy of your salvation. Accountability helps you, as it seeks to protect your joy and to see it be full.

• Final destiny.

I’ll admit that it is easy to lose sight of the fact that heaven and hell are at stake.

This is one of the reasons Edwards was so passionate in his work. Two years ago I put this quote on my blog and I think I’ve shared it in a sermon before as well:

If any of you that are heads of families, saw one of your children in a house that was all on fire over its head, and in eminent danger of being soon consumed in the flames, that seemed to be very insensible of its danger, and neglected to escape, after you had often spake to it, and called to it, would you go on to speak to it only in a cold and indifferent manner? Would not you cry aloud, and call earnestly to it, and represent the danger it was in, and its own folly of delaying, in the most lively manner you were capable of? Would not nature itself teach this, and oblige you to it? If you should continue to speak to it only in a cold manner, as you are wont to do in ordinary conversation about indifferent matters, would not those about you begin to think you were bereft of reason yourself?

If [then] we who have the care of souls, knew what hell was, had seen the state of the damned, or by any other means, become sensible how dreadful their case was … and saw our hearers in eminent danger, and that they were not sensible of their danger … it would be morally impossible for us to avoid abundantly and most earnestly setting before them the dreadfulness of that misery they were in danger of … and warning them to fly from it, and even to cry aloud to them.

It is very important for us to treat important things like they are important. Sometimes it is the right thing to get fired up. God may bless the means of our hot, passionate appeals to overcome deadness and hostility of unbelieving hearts. It is a better choice to have heat in preaching (and in small groups) over the heat of hell.

So even though the natural man, and even spiritually immature believers may react against accountability to living worthy of the gospel and worthy of Christ, great things are at stake.

Go on to Part Two on Accountability