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Accountable, or to give an account.
Kat:
Hi Mark,
To give account is to stand before the throne of God so that our works may be judged. This has begun now for the chosen, "for the time has come for judgment to begin with the household of God" (1Pe 4:17).
It's not that God does not know what we have done, what we are doing now or will yet do. The judgment is for US, as WE must stand before Him and give account. Maybe this will be some kind of review of our lives that we have to go through, but in some kind of way we will answer for all our actions. So whether there is righteousness or condemnation it will be clear as it will be revealed before God by our own actions/works that WE WILLINGLY HAVE DONE.
2Co 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.
1Co 3:13 each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is.
v. 14 If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward.
v. 15 If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
The chosen are being chastisened now to correct any evil they do, so they will be ready to enter the kingdom at His return. But the world is not being judged and corrected now, that will be later at the white throne judgment for them.
John 12:47 And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.
So we will stand before Him and give account and from our own works/actions in this life we will receive what we deserve.
Mat 25:31 "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.
v. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.
v. 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.
v. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, "Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
Mat 25:41 Then shall he say also to those on the left hand, Go ye from me, the cursed, to the fire, the age-during, that hath been prepared for the Devil and his messengers;
mercy, peace and love
Kat
Akira329:
Hey Mark,
You make this statement:
--- Quote ---I guess what I'm trying to ask here is, are we to be accountable for our actions or are we to give or take an account of ourselves to the Lord,[by dying daily,to the flesh], meaning, what we have learned through His judgements because of His cause and effect in our lives. After all, His will, will be done.
--- End quote ---
The statement in bold means accountable.
Mat 12:36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
Mat 12:37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
Rom 14:11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
Rom 14:12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
Ultimately its about what we learn not what the Lord learns.
Hope this helps
Antaiwan
mmijares:
Poor me. English is not my native tongue and this "accountability" and "responsibility" had tossed me several times in confusion. I don't know about most of you guys (English speaking people) but what I understand about being accountable is exactly what being responsible, i.e. that someone must answer (explain the reason) to the evil he/she has done. If this my-understanding is true then God making man accountable is synonymous to God not knowing the reason of every deed of men. But this is not so. God knows everything from the beginning.
So what does accountable really mean? If by this we mean "to give an account", following Strong's definition, then we just lay forth, relate in words what we did and said without explaining why, because God knew them.
Time and time again, everytime I visit this Forum, I am being fed of the truth that God is creating children in His image. That there is no free-will on this. That we are being molded. That our actions are ultimately caused by the MOST POWERFUL BEING. And this is the truth we dearly believe in. Then, why there is a need to explain our actions and words as if by explaining we will receive mercy from God? God has already bestowed His mercy upon us long before we start to act and utter a single word.
Therefore, everytime I read Ray or other members of this forum say that "we are accountable", I just treat it as if he / they mean "we are to give an account."
Kat:
Hi mmijares,
Here is an email that really gets into why we are accountable, I think it will help your understanding.
http://bible-truths.com/email11.htm#responsibility -----
[Ray Replies]
Dear Chris:
You ask how one is held "accountable" when he only did what he HAD to do? I actually do answer this in my paper, but let me relate it for you. God has NOT given man 'free' will (the ability to make UNCAUSED choices), all of man's choices are CAUSED BY SOMETHING. But the man DOES MAKE THE CHOICES!
When you or I are confronted with a decision to either do something that we know is right, or know is wrong, we weight the options and MAKE THE CHOICE. God has absolutely given man a brain that has the ability to process information. Man CAN process information and make a choice. But it is the information itself the causes the choice one way or the other. The man cannot make a choice WITHOUT some form of information that influences or ultimately CAUSES him to make a choice. NO ONE MAKES US MAKE THE CHOICE, even other unforeseen circumstances and information DOES MAKE OR CAUSE US TO CHOOSE! True, circumstances beyond our control, which we do not see or even perceive, do cause us to MAKE a choice, but ... BUT, IN OUR OWN HEART AND MIND, WE MAKE THE CHOICE -- not someone else or something else.
But "it's all GOD" Who is ACTUALLY doing it, isn't it? NO, YOU, ACTUALLY, ARE THE ACTIVE PARTICIPANT WHO IS DOING IT! God merely brings about the circumstances that INFLUENCE AND CAUSE YOU TO DO IT!
Now then, pay close attention to what I am saying: Why are we held accountable for something that we absolutely COULD NOT HAVE AVOIDED? Why? Because at the time we made the 'voluntary' (not absolutely 'FREE,' but 'voluntary') CHOICE, it was in OUR heart and in OUR mind to DO SO. And if the choice was WRONG, or SINFUL, then WE, not GOD, must be held accountable. God takes the "responsibility" for what we did -- hence He DIED ON A CROSS FOR US, but WE are accountable for our SINFUL WRONG CHOICES.
This is the only way man will LEARN right from wrong! Adam and Eve were 'TOLD' right from wrong, but not until they actually 'EXPERIENCED' right and wrong, did it make sense to them. IT IS WRONG TO SIN WHETHER WE WERE COERCED TO COMMIT SIN OR NOT. "The DEVIL MADE me do it." It matters not, YOU DID IT and are therefore accountable.
Juveniles commit MILLIONS of crimes and sins for which they are not RESPONSIBLE. But, nonetheless, our own court system HOLDS THEM ACCOUNTABLE. And even human, carnal, judges take this factor into consideration when handing out penalties.
It is the PENALTY that also CAUSES US TO CHOOSE RIGHTLY after we have chosen WRONGLY! When we burn our fingers on a hot stove, we LEARN to not touch a hot stove.
God has developed a "ways and means" to accomplish His righteous end, plan, and purpose. And God's ways are VERY WISE -- they WORK, and they work very well! We have this absolute promise from God:
"When Thy JUDGMENTS are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world, WILL LEARN RIGHTEOUSNESS" (Isa. 26:9)!!!
God be with you,
Ray
Akira329:
Hey mmijares
I'd like to add another email of Ray's to this list!
I think the problem is in understanding Responsibility vs. Accountability
They may be synonymous but a little different.
Ray makes great points in this email:
http://www.forums.bible-truths.com/index.php/topic,2259.0.html
Ray,
First, thank you for being an instrument of light and bringing God's truths to
thousands through this venue.
I have one quick question. You reference in several of your papers the
distinction between God being responsible for man's spiritual weakness and man
being held accountable. I believe I grasp the concept, however, when I look up
both responsible and accountable in the dictionary, they are defined the same
way. Can you help clarify the difference between the two for me in word form
rather than just this perception in my head? Thank you so much again for the
work you are doing. Now this is a gospel full of GOOD news and one to get
excited about. Praise be to God!
Blessings,
Sherri
Dear Sherri:
Although dictionaries partly define responsibility as accountability; and accountability as responsibility, that is not their only usage. Here is how I mean to use the two terms taken from my first paper ever posted on bibletruths.com--Kenney's sermon on Hell and Africans:
RESPONSIBILITY
Not only are all the billions of heathens who never heard the gospel not responsible for their own salvation, but neither are we responsible for our salvation either. Nowhere in the Scriptures does God hold man responsible for anything. This is just another man-made doctrine that clashes with the Scriptures.
We can use the word "responsible" in a relative sense, such as: "It is a man's responsibility to provide for his family." We all know what the word means. But even if this man doesn't provide for his family, God will hold him accountable not responsible.
The problem with your sermon, Dr. Kennedy, is that you want to present God as a "fair" God. You know most men have lived and died never knowing God or even hearing His Name, so you try to relieve God of His responsibility for His creatures. You know that there is "no other name under Heaven by which man must be saved." You do know that, don't you? I'm betting that you do.
But God doesn't need to be relieved of His responsibility.
Knowing that billions of heathens have lived and died, never hearing that Name or knowing the true God, (and since you have all these man-made doctrines that clash with the Word of God), you try to "get God off the hook." And so you place the burden of responsibility for being saved on man's shoulders. God is not "on the hook." He doesn't need your help, my help, a missionary's help, or anybody else's help to save His children. God does use teachers, pastors, etc. to acquaint people with His Word. But this is a privilege for us, not a necessity for God. Remember the Scripture, that God can "raise up stones" if needed. The Scriptures tell us that all men everywhere are accountable to God, not responsible:
"For the word of God is living and operative, and keen above any two-edged sword, and penetrating up to the parting of soul and spirit both of the articulations and marrow, and is a judge of the sentiments and thoughts of the heart. And there is not a creature which is not apparent in its sight. Now all is naked and bare to the eyes of Him to Whom [God] we are accountable" (Heb. 4:12-13).
Even the King James Version, with its thousands of discrepancies, does not even once in its fifteen hundred pages, use the word "responsible" or "responsibility."
Yet churches evolve whole doctrines around this word "responsibility." Things like: "you're responsible for going to hell" or "it's your responsibility to accept Christ" or "the age of responsibility" or "everyone is responsible for his or her deeds." Strange to make so big a deal of a word that does not even appear in Scripture.
When a minor (a child) commits a crime, even the unjust courts of our land do not hold him responsible. Is his crime simply overlooked? No. He must give an account for his actions. He is accountable. He might be the victim of a broken home, with a drunkard father, a prostitute mother, drug-hooked sisters, and gang-member brothers. Thus, he is not considered responsible. Nonetheless, he is still accountable.
"Now I am saying to you that, for every idle declaration which men shall be speaking they shall be rendering an account concerning it in the day of judging" (Matt. 12:36).
"For all of us shall be presented at the dais of God ... Consequently then, each of us shall be giving account concerning himself to God" (Rom. 14:11-12).
Read the dozens of scriptures where we are likened not only to "children," but to "little children." God is dealing with mankind as minors. He holds them accountable, but nowhere does God hold man responsible. Show me one Scripture.
The church can only see the relative in God's word. They fail to see that God is behind everything in the "absolute."
" ... according to the purpose of the One Who is operating all in accord with the counsel of His will." (Eph. 1:11--Concordant Literal New Testament).
The only One in the universe Who is responsible [able to respond] is God And so, God takes full responsibility for everything even though He holds man accountable for his deeds. Man is accountable for his deeds, not because he could have done otherwise, but because he thinks he is responsible through his presumed free will. Because he actually did the things he did. However, the Scriptures tell us that, "not in all" is this knowledge. Puny man really thinks he is in control of his own destiny. He really thinks he is a "god unto himself." And the Christian Church hasn't done very much to educate him out of this dilemma."
Hope this helps you,
God be with you,
Ray
The statements in bold help me to gain a better understanding of being accountable.
Great papers to re-read are Kennedy's paper, free will series and even the repentance/guilty of all transcripts!
Hope this helps mmijares
Antaiwan
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