Accountability!

Will we eventually be accountable to God? Yes!! Many do not want to be accountable to God, thus, they deny the existence of God. I believe fear is part of this and the fear comes from an incomplete and distorted view of God that they heard from someone else; the one they heard it from was biblically illiterate more than likely.Today, we live in a time when, having fundamentally rejected the absolutes and clear teachings of Scripture, man seeks to make God accountable to him for his comfort and pleasure. Thus, people are not only doing what is right in their own eyes, but the prevailing attitude is ‘Do your own thing. You are only accountable to yourself and your own self-fulfillment.’ This is a shift from a God-centered perspective of life to a man-centered perspective. This is all part of man’s attempt to dismiss any accountability to God. The reality is that when men seek to ignore accountability to God and others, they leave themselves vulnerable to the cold misery of slavery and eventually to the menace of a dictator. See Romans 1:18-23. Some replace God with natural things such as animals or mans ideas like evolution. Many are so proud they think they don’t need God. If they admit God exists, then they have to admit they are God’s creation and will be eventually accountable to Him. This is their main reason for denial of God.Accountability to God and to one another according to the directives of Scripture is the foundation for freedom and liberty. But what is true freedom and wherein lies its source? Freedom is not the right to do as one pleases as a capricious child. Certainly it means the capacity to exercise choice, but never so that it is devoid of responsibility or accountability. Freedom is both the responsibility and the ability, by the grace of God, to do what is right according to the absolute and righteous standards of truth as given to us in God’s Holy Word. Many see freedom as the right to abandon accountability to God and men in order to do what they please in the promotion of self gratification. But that is not freedom. It is slavery, or at least leads to slavery. Speaking of false teachers who either twist Scripture to their own self-centered objectives or deny its authority altogether, Peter writes, “…promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved” (2 Pet. 2:19). Beliefs or one’s world view always has consequences. It is like a train which is free to do what it was created to do as long as it is on its track. Accountability is one of the means God uses to bring about solid growth and maturity with the freedom to be what God has created us for. But as we’ve just stressed, the problem is that we live in a society that has become very individualistic. The prevailing attitude is be your own man or woman, do your own thing, be your own boss, and often this attitude is promoted or stated in a way that undermines accountability to God and others. The Bible in no way denies our individualism. Indeed, it promotes it, but in a way that holds us each accountable to others. Proper individualism leads to a certain amount of inventiveness, ingenuity, and freedom, but it can also breed license and irresponsibility without accountability. It doesn’t matter how strong your denial is, eventually, all humans must face God. Don’t let your fear and doubt decide your future. Study God’s word yourself; learn the truth. 2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:These are two appointments that no one misses, death and judgment. Judgment = accountability.If you want to be free from the bondage of deception, (caused by listening to false teachers, those that are biblically illiterate), learn the truth by studying the word of God completely as we are commanded to do; don’t be destroyed for lack of knowledge of God’s word. Another really good reason to study is you will not hear God’s word today where you should hear His word (in church). 2 Timothy 2:15 Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. John 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. John 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. Amos 8:11 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: (That famine for hearing the Word of the Lord is upon us now. People are starving for the truth in the Word. Sadly, fairy tales, false teachings, traditions and commandments of men are all that are taught in most churches today. You can overcome the famine by actually studying the word of God yourself; what a concept). By studying the Bible yourself you will discover amazing things that, sadly, you will never hear while sitting in a church pew.