Christian Living

Accountable to Who?

by Thomas Kirkpatrick
11/19/21
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“The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)

All of us are accountable for many things in this life, and I cannot think of more expressing the downside of accountability than to say it is a violation of trust. The first thing that comes to my mind is when someone refuses to accept responsibility for their actions or words. We live in a society where thousands of dollars are spent on lawyers to excuse a person’s responsibility. When I was younger, and ever since those youthful days, I pulled some pranks and escaped capture. I have learned that truth always comes to light in time, and now I believe that all truth will come to light. The moment will come for us all that we will answer for every thought, deed, and action of our lives. Marian Webster gives a short definition of accountability as this. “An obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one’s actions.”

I have not given much thought to another part of accountability, and I am exploring that part now. Those who know me realize I am slow about getting around to things, and I often play behind the curve. As the end is not once what it was, as a vast amount of time stretches an uncountable time ahead of me, I have come to admit I am closer to the end of the journey and farther from the beginning. With that thought in my mind, I have looked back at all I have been accountable for.

Of course, I am accountable to my family. The family of my father, everything I do, reflects on the family name. I have a responsibility to uphold our name. I am also accountable to my children. I am responsible for training them on how they should go and providing the best I can for their future. I am accountable to my friends. They are my friends, although I ponder why at times. They all are a blessing to me, and I work to maintain their reason for wanting to be a friend. I have a responsibility to reward them with the same love they have given to me.

I am also accountable for my labors—that activity that gives support to my family and me. My employment expects me to be there and perform my duties to the best of my ability. My labors should be profitable to them, as well to me. If I am slothful, their earnings will suffer, and I might just be awarded a pink slip. I am also accountable to those who provide for me. Insurance people, utility people, the stores I purchase from, and other sundry providers. I am responsible for paying them for their services for an obvious reason. I am also accountable to the ones who provide finances to me in times of large purchases. It used to be the car loan and the mortgage on the home, but other necessities have arisen as time passes. If I fail to be responsible to them, I forfeit and absorb the loss.

Every time we commit to thought, word, or deed, the responsibility owns a part of us. The greatest accountability we have is to God our Creator. “But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. “For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:36-37)

Some do not acknowledge God and give Him no thought in their lives. That is their choice, but they will be responsible for it. We all are God’s people, even if we do not admit it or believe it. Solomon, who wrote our verse, knew this and wrote this verse in Ecclesiastes at the end of his life. Everyone will after they leave this world, face judgment for their lives here. “So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God.” (Romans 14:12) It is a huge responsibility, and many do not give it serious thought before that twinkling passes.

With all of its diversity, humanity falls into one of two states at the end of its time here, God’s People and God’s Children. God’s people have rejected God by rejecting God’s Son, Jesus, the Savior of humanity. The time will soon come when they find themselves before the Great White Throne Judgment. There they will acknowledge the truth once rejected and bow before Jesus. If their name is not recorded in the Book of Life, there is only one plea guilty. There is one final resting place, and that is the Lake of Fire and eternal torment. (Revelation 20:11-15) They are God’s People by creation, but they chose not to abide with Him. “And that slave who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes, but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.” (Luke 12:47-48)

There is a story of a young boy who built a small toy sailboat. He took his sailboat to the river and put it in to watch it float around in the breeze. The sailboat got away from him and sailed on down the river. Later while in the town down the river, he saw his sailboat in the toy shop window. The boy went in to claim his boat and take it back home. The store clerk said he could not have it as now it was his, but he would sell it for five dollars. The boy did not have five dollars and went home to work and earn it. The boy went back to the toy shop, hoping the clerk would reconsider, but the clerk didn’t. So the boy paid the five dollars and took possession of his sailboat. The sailboat was now twice his, he built it, and now he had redeemed it. It is the picture of a lost soul of Gods being redeemed by the blood of Jesus.

Jesus is God in the flesh in the likeness of man. Jesus was born of the Holy Spirit in the virgin women, but His Father is God. Jesus, as a man, was righteous and lived life in the will of His Father. As God, Jesus was the exact Nature and Spiritual image of God His Father. “And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.” (Hebrews 1:3)

People who receive Jesus as He is the begotten Son of the Father believe in Him through faith, repents from this world’s wickedness, and follow Him they become Children of God. “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:12-13)

The truths they have committed themselves to separate them from the world by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, which the world cannot know as they cannot see Him. The Holy Spirit is the third member of the Godhead and guides the Christian to perfect righteousness and a likeness to their Savior Jesus Christ. “See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.” (1 John 3:1)

All humanity is accountable to God, the Creator. All humanity will face judgment and be held accountable for what they have done, good or bad. Good is righteousness in the power of the Holy Spirit, and bad is what they have done in selfishness and wickedness. The people of God will face their judgment at the Great White Throne Judgment and have no defense. The Christians will face their judgement at the Judgment Seat of Christ with Jesus as their advocate. Both peoples are guilty, but the Children of God will have Jesus’ forgiveness by the blood of His sacrifice on the cross. Jesus is the Lamb of God offered up for the wages of sin, which is death. “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” (2 Corinthians 5:10)

Who we are accountable to is determined by who owns us. For example, the taxman owns us, and the mortgage company owns us; our family and friends own us, as we are responsible for them. All must be careful of who we are accountable to, be it Jesus or the evil one, the god of this world. Which do we confess by word and deed to be our leader through this world? That choice will determine who owes us and who we are accountable to. The wrong choice will leave you standing alone in judgment. The right choice we get you home in a heavenly place prepared for you. “But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 10:33)

Life here is filled with distractions, and many are unavoidable, but at the beginning and end of the day should be time committed to who it is that owns us. God owns us all, and for the Children of God, the evil one likes nothing more to distract us from the prize of Jesus living through us. Be careful not to let the distractions of life forsake who you are accountable to, the Lord Jesus Christ. “Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.” (Colossians 3:1-2)

Thomas N Kirkpatrick

First Baptist Church of Durant, October 28, 2020