Accountability

Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God  which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures,  concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh,  and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.  Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name,  among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ” (Romans 1:1-6).

Not long ago a young man asked me to be his accountability partner. When I asked him if accountability had kept him from sinning in the past, he answered in the negative. While I was fine with the role, I explained that accountability generally serves not so much as a deterrent but as a confessional after sinning. The fact that confessing to me is intended to be more uncomfortable than just confessing to God does not change the result.

CCM used to publish a cartoon diagram showing sin as a cliff with God’s grace as an ambulance at the bottom. Truly, God’s grace does restore broken sinners (like and ambulance), but more importantly, it is God’s grace in the active work of the Holy Spirit that guards us from sinning in the first place. In this sense, this young man’s commitment to confess to me is more like falling through thorn bushes on the fall downward than keeping his eyes on the path in the first place. The best and only reliable accountability partner is the Holy Spirit.

In the first six verses of Paul’s introduction of his letter to the Romans, he summarizes both the gospel (verses 1-5) and its effect (verse 6). In the latter, he explains that God’s grace was given for apostleship(Paul sharing the good news) and obedience to the faith. He includes us in the gospel and promise as those “called of Jesus Christ.” So, grace has the positive benefit of saving us both from judgment and for obedience. As you read the Scripture, look for the number of times that God presents His grace in life-giving and positive terms. God’s purpose is to conform us to His Son through the work of His Spirit. Therefore, we should not be surprised to see this theme regularly repeated.

Living Water

On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out,  ʻIf anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.  Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, “Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”’  Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” (John 7:37-39) (ESV)

When people look for help, they are quick to look for something to do. While it is true that they need to change many of the things they are doing, this jump to a “to do” list misses the reason they are in tough straits.

A man’s marriage disintegrates before his eyes when confronted about his addiction to pornography. The multi-year addiction can and must be stopped, but beyond this the marriage will not be saved by wooing his wife of 20 years as if they are once again in college. No amount of romanticism will fill the empty husk of their marriage.

In Jeremiah 2:13, God warns that the Israelites of the day had both rejected God as the true fount of living waters and replaced Him with broken cisterns. Without water what was or could be fertile is turned to a desert. Maladies like pornography are symptomatic of a heart without the healing waters of the Holy Spirit. The “great sin” that has finally become known means that this man has not only turned his own heart to dust, but has drained the waters of life from all around him – particularly his wife.

To rejuvenate the desert of this relationship, water must flow from his heart into hers. Where can he get this “living water”? In Ephesians 3:14-21, Paul prays that the Ephesians would be strengthened to comprehend the love of Christ so that “Christ may dwell in their hearts through faith.” Later Paul equates Christ dwelling or filling their hearts with being filled with the Spirit (5:18), the precursor to walking in a newness of life. The point is that we must exercise faith for salvation and for our daily walk by believing what God has said about our newness of life in Christ.

This is why Paul prays that our faith would be strengthened such that we are rooted and grounded in love. This is a prayer we should be praying daily for ourselves and for our brothers and sisters so that we stay properly fixed on the truth of God’s boundless love for us expressed in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. We must believe that in Christ, we are truly clean vessels filled with His Spirit.

Hypocrisy

Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:17-20)

In November 2013, a well-known evangelical Christian leader confessed to eight years of marital infidelity. Comments in the blogosphere ranged from unbelief to sneering jibes of hypocrisy. Hindsight could point to hubris and subsequent foolishness related to accountability within his marriage and leadership teams. However, hypocrisy is more than catching Christians in “great transgression” (Psalm 19:13).

By definition, hypocrisy is claiming to have higher moral standards than practice. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus makes it clear that in this sense we are all hypocrites. Who has not relaxed one of the commandments? Who has accomplished all the Law and the Prophets?

As Christians, we may be quick to admit that we are “sinners”, but internally we still judge like a hypocrite that believes that he is “better”. Like the Pharisee praying disparagingly about the publican near him in the temple (Luke 18:11), we fail to recognize that our righteousness does not exceed that of the Scribes and the Pharisees. As the above text begins, only Jesus fulfilled all of the Law and the Prophets.

Consider this the next time that you are tempted to frustration or resentment toward your family member, co-worker, friend, or acquaintance. Though they are a convicted rapist, murderer, pedophile, or liar, Christ fulfilled the Law and Prophets and went to the cross for them equally as you. No difference exists between our righteousness pre-Christ.  Similarly, our current righteousness is only distinguished by Christ in us.