Let’s talk about rabies for a second. Rabies was once commonly called “hydrophobia” because of a particularly bizarre collection of 2nd stage symptoms. As the disease progressed, the infected would experience paralysis and be unable to swallow. As thirst set it, the afflicted would find itself unable to quench that thirst. Often by this time dementia had begun to set in so that the reactions to this inability to quench the thirst would be panic and agitation. Before the disease was fully understood, people thought that animals and people suffering with rabies were actually afraid of the water. Hence “hydrophobia.” Of course it wasn’t fear of water, so much as extreme frustration and the fear associated with not being able to satisfy a fundamental biological need. Even those reduced to such a diminished mental state understood this would likely lead to death.
So what’s my point? Simply that I feel that we as Christians often suffer from an irrational fear similar to that which we once erroneously assumed was experienced by those afflicted with rabies. We fear the thing that we most desperately need to survive: accountability. We fear accountability so much that we avoid it like, well, like a rabid animal. :) We maintain shallow, superficial relationships because we know that getting to know people will involve vulnerability that could lead to accountability. After all, if people don’t get to know us beyond the facades we choose to show them, then maybe our dirty secrets will remain secret, and no one will call us on them.
But if someone does actually learn of something in our lives that is destructive and detrimental, and less than what God would have of us and chooses to bring it to our attention? Oh boy, they had better watch out! We’ll quickly accuse that person of “judging” and whip out some convenient verses of Scripture that seem to forbid this “judging” behavior.
Which leads me to my real frustration and my reason for writing this post. I am tired of Christians refusing to be held accountable by their fellow believers and then using misinterpreted Scripture passages taken out of context to try and imply that we are not to hold one another accountable. Because the truth is quite the opposite: we are called to hold one another accountable. In fact it is one of the primary functions of the church. It’s one of our obligations to our brothers and sisters in Christ. And I am extremely grateful for those whom God has placed in my life over the years who have held me accountable, even when I didn’t want to listen and I had no desire to give up the sins I was enjoying. God used those people in my life to shine the light of God’s Truth on my hypocrisy and my destructive sinful behavior, and because of the love – yes, the LOVE – shown to me through accountability, I am able to say today that God has won victories over shameful sin patterns that once ruled my life.
One of the most popular Scripture passages that those who do not want to be held accountable like to hide behind is Matthew 7:1-5 (and its counterpart passage in Luke 6). Here is the passage:
(1) “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. (2) For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. (3) Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? (4) How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? (5) You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”This passage provides a strong case for the importance of effective Bible study. At first glance, especially when looking only at the first two verses, it seems that what Jesus is saying here is pretty straight forward. “Do not judge.” We tend to apply our modern usage of the word “judge” here and assume that Jesus is saying “Don’t tell someone that what they are doing is wrong.” Further in depth study reveals, however, that this is most certainly NOT what Jesus is saying here.
The word that is translated as “judge” in this passage is the Greek word “krinos.” “Krinos” is a judicial term that was actually used in judicial proceedings, and it refers to a final decision as in sentencing. The implication when using the word “krinos” is that a punishment is being meted out. It is most often translated in English as “judge,” but the same Greek word is also translated elsewhere in Scripture as “condemn,” “sentence,” “take to law,” and even “damn” or “damned.” “Krinos” goes beyond determining whether or not something is wrong and steps in to the territory of determining what the consequence of that action will be. And what Jesus is saying here is that making assumptions about what the consequence of someone’s action may or may not be is not something we should do, unless we want that same punishment visited upon us.
He then goes on to say in verses 2-4 that we should especially avoid this type of behavior if we struggle with the same issue. However, in verse five Christ implies that there are circumstances in which it might be okay to address sin in this manner, namely when we do not struggle with the same issue.
Interestingly enough, this is the only time in the New Testament that Christ says “do not judge.” And what he’s really saying is “do not presume to mete out punishment to someone else.” We see elsewhere in Scripture that this role belongs to Christ, Himself, on the day of “judgment.” Deciding our punishment is not our right, but His.
I suspect that this is the reason the word “damn” and phrases like “damn it” and “damn you” have become swear words in our culture: because we are presuming to have the authority to do something that is God’s province alone, namely to “damn” or sentence to Hell.
But I digress... ;) Bottom line is that the admonition of Christ not to “judge” in Matthew 7 has nothing to do with our obligation to hold one another accountable. We are called many times throughout Scripture to hold each other accountable. When we see sin in the lives of our brothers and sisters, we are to address it. We should address it in love and humility, seeking guidance from the Holy Spirit as to how and when, but we should definitely address it. In fact, it’s the only loving thing to do.
And speaking of love, another verse I’ve seen misused from time to time to suggest that we should not hold one another accountable is John 13:35, wherein Jesus tells us, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” I’ve actually heard people try to make the case that it is not loving to hold people accountable, when in fact the opposite is true. Certainly accountability can be delivered with motives that are and in a manner that is less than loving, but accountability itself is the very essence of love.
John Piper in his book, Don’t Waste Your Life, defines love this way: “Love is doing what is best for someone.” And what is best, he goes on to say, is God. Piper points out that “If you don’t point people to God...you don’t love.” Pointing people to God and His best for them is the true definition of love. To see a brother or sister clearly living outside of God’s best for them and to ignore it is the opposite of love.
Unfortunately many Christ-followers have bought in to the world’s warped definition of love. Our culture would have us believe that loving someone is making them feel good or making them happy. And consequently when something does not feel good or make us happy, the world says that it can’t possibly be love. But this is not love, it is coddling. True love is doing what is best for someone else, and the harsh truth is that often the thing that is best for us is not going to feel good or make us happy in that moment.
God’s Word is full of passages instructing us to hold one another accountable. Here are just a few:
Matthew 18:15-17 ESV – “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.”
Galatians 6:1 ESV – Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness.
Colossians 3:16 ESV – Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. (Emphasis added)
Ephesians 4:25 ESV – Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.
James 5:19-20 ESV – My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
Hebrews 3:13 ESV – But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
And again, those are just a few. Note that in Colossians we are called to “admonish one another in all wisdom.” To admonish means to warn or reprimand someone firmly. We are called to do this! Hebrews tells us to “exhort one another every day...that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” To exhort means to strongly encourage or urge someone to do or not do something.
Also note that we’re not instructed in these passages to mete out punishment or decide for others what the consequence of their sin may be. And this is the difference between “judging” as the term is used in Matthew 7:1 and true biblical accountability. To say, “Man, I really don’t think you should do that. That behavior is contrary to God’s Word and not what He would want for you” would be accountability. Whereas to say, “Man, I really don’t think you should do that. You’re gonna go to hell!” would be judging.
Now of course there are right and wrong ways to hold one another accountable. We can all probably find verses calling us to treat one another with love, to not be self-righteous, and to approach our brothers and sisters with, as Galatians 6:1 states above, “...a spirit of gentleness.” And as Matthew 18:15 points out, we should whenever possible start by privately addressing concerns directly with the person for whom we are concerned. Facebook may not be the best tool for accountability. :)
But ultimately we are called by God in His word to keep each other accountable. This means holding others accountable and being willing to be held accountable ourselves. This is a major part of what it means to be the Church. We are to encourage, exhort, and admonish each other. As Proverbs 27:17 puts it, we are to “sharpen” each other “as iron sharpens iron.” And it likely won’t feel very good. But we need to recognize it as the loving act it is meant to be. For someone to take the time to show me an area where I am experiencing less than God’s best for me – and what’s more, how I am grieving the heart of my Father in Heaven, whom I love – is a true act of love.
What I find ironic is that today in the evangelical church in America, the buzz word is “community.” The church is calling its members to engage in community, to be vulnerable and real, and to build relationships. And none of this can happen without accountability. A community that does not hold its members accountable is not beneficial, it’s destructive. Our flesh – and our enemy – wants nothing more than to find another way to rationalize and ignore the sinful behaviors that we secretly cherish and don’t want to release to God. What if we could find a group of “fellow Christians” that we could hang out with who would give us nothing but edification, encouragement, and pats on the back while they turn a blind eye to our sin, and keep smiling as if the stench of it didn’t fill the room? How convenient would that be?
Or what if we could find a group of “Christians” who would do more than just remain silent and pretend our sins weren’t there? What if we could find some “Christians” who would actually tell us that our sinful behavior was not sin at all? Wouldn’t that be great! Of course the book of Proverbs has something to say about such people in Chapter 24, Verse 24: “Whoever says to the wicked, ‘You are in the right,’ will be cursed by peoples, abhorred by nations...”
As the Church – as the very Bride of Christ – we need to do a better job of holding one another accountable in love, and we need to do a better job of letting our brothers and sisters hold us accountable, and count it as the grace that it is. Our faith and values as followers of Christ are under attack in our culture. We need to stand up for truth and acknowledge sin for what it is. And we need to commend and encourage – not reprimand or ostracize – those who are courageous and faithful enough to take a stand and hold us accountable, even in the face of ridicule. Ridicule that too often comes from people who are supposed to love one another and hate sin.
We need to open our eyes and realize that the culture that surrounds us runs counter to God and His Truth in every way. Very often the things that our culture esteems and admires are things that are despised by God. The culture is out to convince us that God’s standard for righteousness and purity is unrealistic, old-fashioned, or just flat out wrong. The mantra of our sinful culture is “Oh, it’s not a big deal,” and we nod and are tempted to agree. And when we turn to our fellow “believers” to see what they have to say, we find that there are legions of them eagerly waiting in the wings to affirm us in our sin. “It can’t be sin,” they say, “because I do it, and so does everyone else.”
And that one brave person who stands for truth and calls us out? Oh, we fear them. We fear like a rabid dog fears water.
Lee Mayhew
July 24,
