Romans 14:12 – Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God.
2 Corinthians 5:10 – For we must all stand before Christ to be judged.
We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.
Responsibilities, accountabilities are not by demand but characteristic attitudes and behaviors within. Scripture teaches that we will be held accountable before God and that we are meant as brothers and sisters in Christ to hold each other accountable on earth for our words and actions. Being accountable means being willing to explain your actions with honesty and openness.
Accountability vs. Responsibility
Many people may think that accountability and responsibility are the same thing. In fact, many sources will even use one of these words to define the other. But in reality there is a very important difference between the two.
The word responsibility carries with it culpability or fault, while accountability simply necessitates giving an answer. In the corporate world we can see this easily demonstrated in the relationship between boss and employee. The boss is not responsible to do the job of each employee, but is accountable for whether or not it gets done and gets done correctly.
In our personal lives too, we’re not responsible for each and every detail. Much of it is out of our control. We don’t have any say in whether or not people treat us well, how certain events play out, or a thousand other little incontrollable details. But according to the Bible, we are still accountable to God for every detail of our lives.
What does the Bible say about accountability? Well, it says we’ll have to answer to Him, not for whether or not everything went perfectly, but for how we responded. We’ll answer for what we did do even when things happened that were out of our hands.
As we’ve already discovered, we are all going to have to give a personal account to God. That means, we’re going to have to answer to Him for our own lives. Not anyone else’s. That is what personal accountability is, and whether we choose to accept it or not, none of us will be able to escape it in the end.
If you want to take that seriously, you’ll learn how to hold yourself accountable to someone here. And just as no one will have to answer for you before God, no one can do it for you here either.
Why is Accountability Important?
2 Corinthians 5:10 – For we must all stand before Christ to be judged.
We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.
I know it’s probably getting old, but it’s SO important we understand. We WILL all give an account before God. It’s not something we get to choose. But we do have the choice to make ourselves accountable to others, which simply means we put ourselves in a position to have to answer to another person or other people for the choices we make in our day-to-day lives.
So you may be asking if the Bible speaks on that issue. We may be accountable to God, but what does the Bible say about accountability to others? Why is accountability important on this side of eternity?
We’re going to get into what the Bible says about holding yourself accountable to others below, but it is important because it provides a way for us to be pro-active and intentional and take personal responsibility for our lives. It trains us in humility and honesty, which are such important character traits for anyone following Christ.
So as we seek out practical steps for how to hold yourself accountable, let’s also try to discover what the Bible says, not just about accountability to God, but also about holding yourself accountable to others.
[Shared by Dr. Lorinda Liang]