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. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
~Galatians 6:1-2~
~Galatians 6:1-2~
As part of my work, I have the privilege of writing about "green" issues specific to the area in which I live. Because of this I get to go and see problems first-hand and talk to people about how they are directly and personally affected by the behaviors and practices of others.
"Green" issues can speak measures into Christian life and duty, such as the command to be good stewards of God's creation. Aside from the obvious stewardship connection, how we deal with our trash is a great image of how we deal with our relationships in Christian community.
Of all of the issues I address in my writing (recycling, water & energy conservation, etc.) the one I feel most passionate about is illegal dumping. I believe this is due to my strong instinct to fight against injustice of any kind.
Illegal dumpers have laws and law enforcement officers that (ideally) hold them accountable for their misconduct. What if it were like this for Christians (or ALL human beings)? Obviously, we are all held accountable (again, ideally) for the crimes we commit against the laws of our country/state. But, what if others truly held us accountable for our sins, not just the "big" ones, but the "small" ones as well?
Now, this is not a foreign concept (see above verse, Proverbs 27:17, James 5:16, & Ephesians 4:25). Accountability is meant to be an active part of daily Christian life. John Wesley, along with other Christian leaders, emphasized the importance of Believers holding each other accountable for their thoughts and deeds. He developed a list of questions to ask himself and to offer up in community to use as a tool in spiritual accountability:
Accountability is not about judgement, or strictly pointing out the flaws in others. It is about growth. It is about caring enough about each other to save one another from the hurt that comes with sin (connected to guilt or other consequences there of).
Most of us in western civilization don't have to think much about our trash; we stick it out on our curb so someone else can take it to be buried away in a landfill. It is the same way with sin.
How about instead of helping others bury away their sins with comments like "it's not that bad","a lot of people do that", or "others have done worse", we help them confront those sins like one is forced to confront trash dumped in his backyard.
When we bury our trash it poisons our land, when we bury our sins it poisons our souls. As Christians we are accountable for one another. We have to help each other take a good look at our sin and examine its origin to reveal its toxicity.
We all have trash. We all have sin. We are all responsible for the effect both have on our neighbors and our selves.
How often do you hear from non-believers: "Christians are the biggest hypocrites! why should I believe anything they say?" Here is some breaking news: THEY ARE RIGHT! When we don't hold ourselves accountable for the way we live and treat others, we are no different than every other fallen human being.
We should hold ourselves to higher standards, not out of pride, but because it is what God commands of us.
As we are able to grow with the help of spiritual accountability, for "one man sharpens another"(Proverbs 27:17), we are better able to do what God calls us to do: to be His body--to be a light in the darkness.
Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I am better than I really am? In other words, am I a hypocrite?
Do I confidentially pass on to others what has been said to me in confidence?
Can I be trusted?
Am I a slave to dress, friends, work or habits?
Am I self-conscious, self-pitying, or self-justifying?
Did the Bible live in me today?
Do I give the Bible time to speak to me every day?
Am I enjoying prayer?
When did I last speak to someone else of my faith?
Do I pray about the money I spend?
Do I get to bed on time and get up on time?
Do I disobey God in anything?
Do I insist upon doing something about which my conscience is uneasy?
Am I defeated in any part of my life?
Am I jealous, impure, critical, irritable, touchy or distrustful?
How do I spend my spare time?
Am I proud?
Do I thank God that I am not as other people, especially as the Pharisees who despised the publican?
Is there anyone whom I fear, dislike, disown, criticize, hold a resentment toward or disregard? If so, what am I doing about it?
Do I grumble or complain constantly?
Is Christ real to me?
Most of us in western civilization don't have to think much about our trash; we stick it out on our curb so someone else can take it to be buried away in a landfill. It is the same way with sin.
How about instead of helping others bury away their sins with comments like "it's not that bad","a lot of people do that", or "others have done worse", we help them confront those sins like one is forced to confront trash dumped in his backyard.
When we bury our trash it poisons our land, when we bury our sins it poisons our souls. As Christians we are accountable for one another. We have to help each other take a good look at our sin and examine its origin to reveal its toxicity.
We all have trash. We all have sin. We are all responsible for the effect both have on our neighbors and our selves.
How often do you hear from non-believers: "Christians are the biggest hypocrites! why should I believe anything they say?" Here is some breaking news: THEY ARE RIGHT! When we don't hold ourselves accountable for the way we live and treat others, we are no different than every other fallen human being.
We should hold ourselves to higher standards, not out of pride, but because it is what God commands of us.
As we are able to grow with the help of spiritual accountability, for "one man sharpens another"(Proverbs 27:17), we are better able to do what God calls us to do: to be His body--to be a light in the darkness.
