As I was surfing the internet trying to gather more insight into the matter of accountability, I came across an article entitled, Accountability, by Kenneth Boa. I found the beginning quite interesting because he discusses how we are more apt to deal with issues after they arise and boil over instead of confronting them when they are relatively minor and easy to handle. One of the most striking illustrations that reminded me of my own life was when the author quoted Neil Plantinga saying: "We deny, suppress, or minimize what we know to be true. We assert, adorn, and elevate what we know to be false. We prettify ugly realities and sell ourselves the prettified versions. Thus a liar might transform 'I tell a lot of lies to shore up my pride' to 'Occasionally, I finesse the truth in order to spare other people’s feelings.'" I think we all accidentally fall into this trap of trying to spare other people's feelings as a way of avoiding confronting the real problems. Thus the reason we are called to encourage on another and hold each other accountable.
1 Corinthians 12 discusses how we are all members of the body of Christ and we must all work together and help each other. This excerpt from 1 Corinthians 12:12; 14; 18-20; 24-27 provides a decent illustration of the matter: "Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many. But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body...But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it." This is proof that we must all work together as one body and help each other out when necessary. The notes from my NIV Life Application Study Bible stated the following: "Believers are in the world together--there is no such thing as private or individualistic Christianity. We shouldn't stop with enjoying only our own relationship with God; we need to get involved in the lives of others."
There is a distinct need to be involved in each other's lives. We are all part of one great big community in Christ and we are meant to uplift one another, along with holding each other accountable when we stray away from the Word. Now this does not mean that we point out everybody's faults and put ourselves up on a pedestal. We must kindly rebuke others, provide advice, carry each other's burdens, and encourage one another. Truth is necessary in the framework of accountability, even though it is occasionally hard to swallow. Ephesians 4:25 mentions the necessity for truth in order to maintain unity: "Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body." We are all scared to speak the truth due to the potential harm that it might cause. Sometimes it is hard for others to see your viewpoint and remaining quiet seems like the best option. Unfortunately, this tends to prolong the issue, making it more difficult to deal with down the road. This is when we must seek out advice from fellow Christians in order to figure out how to handle a problem. In the process of doing so, some of your own faults might be pointed out, and one must accept this with dignity and not revenge. Proverbs 19:20-21 discusses the importance of listening to advice and discipline when it states, “Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise. Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.” Nobody enjoys being disciplined. It takes a very discerning person to humble himself in order to accept what is being said and try to incorporate the advice in order to continue following the Lord's purpose. I'm not saying that this will be easy by any means, but it is important to allow others to correct you out of love in order to rebuild what is broken.
We all struggle with sin, which occasionally blinds us to any wrongdoing in our lives. If we sense that one of our fellow Christians has stumbled, we must gently help guide them back to the right path. We are not meant to go through life on our own. Instead, we are called to help one another and receive help. Galatians 6:1-2 states, "Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." We are specifically instructed to bear the weight of other's misfortunes and grievances in order to lighten the load. This is exactly what being apart of one body in Christ and sharing in community is all about.
The foundation of any community should involve encouragement. This can help bolster morale and keep others from throwing in the towel when they are struggling and have a strong desire to just give up. I will leave you with two excerpts about encouragement. The first can be found in the book of Hebrews while the second is found in 1 Thessalonians. I hope that these will serve as a reminder to look outside your own little world and the stresses you are dealing with and turn your focus to those around you who may be struggling with the same issues or something much harder.
"And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds." ~Hebrews 10:24
"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else." ~1 Thessalonians 5:11-15
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