Holding One Another Accountable
by Doy Moyer
Christians ought to cherish their fellowship with one another, for what we have in common in Christ is greater than what the world can ever offer. Yet we are people, and people sin. People do foolish things. People hurt others, and as a result, relationships are often destroyed. Learning to live with one another in peace, love, and joy is ideal, but we all know that things are often far from ideal.
We are taught to forgive one another, but we are also taught to rebuke as needed (cf. II Timothy 4:2). If someone is persistent in sin, “you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness,” Paul writes, and, “Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted” (Galatians 6:1-2). This can be delicate, but holding one another accountable is part of our fellowship. We are taught to have mercy on some who doubt, and we are also to “save others by snatching them out of the fire” (Jude 22-23). That seems pretty close to what Paul was doing when he rebuked Peter for his hypocrisy in Galatians 2.
We have explicit teaching on what to do when someone has sinned against us. Matthew 18:15-19 shows a process by which the one in sin is first confronted privately. Then, failing to repent, other witnesses are brought in, and finally, the whole church is involved. This doesn’t guarantee that one repents, but it does show that the person is being held accountable for sin.
Sometimes the sin is so egregious and public that it must be dealt with openly. Paul illustrates this in I Corinthians 5, where a man was living with his father’s wife, and the church seemed to take pride in their patience with him. Yet Paul emphatically says, “Let him who has done this be removed from among you” (I Corinthians 5:2). Further, when assembled, they were to “deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord” (I Corinthians 5:5). Notice that the goal is salvation, not just punishment. Holding each other accountable is not about “getting someone,” seeking revenge, or piling on the shame. It’s about salvation, and since all of us are guilty of sin, we all need that repentance that leads to life. Accountability is mutual, and we should be thankful for having others who will help us stay on the right track.
One of the problems that we see among churches in general is that leaders (preachers, elders, deacons, etc.) sometimes fall, and other leaders might fail to hold them accountable. Worse, they might protect the one who sinned to the deeper harm of the one who was hurt. This is sometimes reported in the media after great damage has already been done. Sins that may involve the deep hurt of others, especially women and children who may have been physically and emotionally abused, get passed over and hidden because there is this kind of “understanding” that we just let it go. The abused victims are not taken seriously, and the blame might even get shifted over to them, in which case is played out the words of Qoheleth: “Again I saw all the oppressions that are done under the sun. And behold, the tears of the oppressed, and they had no one to comfort them! On the side of their oppressors there was power, and there was no one to comfort them” (Ecclesiastes 4:1). As James says about cursing others, “these things ought not to be so” (James 3:10).
Then, what if a crime is involved? We don’t get to decide that criminal behavior gets a free pass, for if we hide crime, then we become partakers of that which is evil. Even our civil laws recognize this, and Christians, of all people, should know better. “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them” (Ephesians 5:11). Forgiveness is available, but forgiveness does not entail zero consequence.
No leader among God’s people is above God’s authority and moral standards. There is no impunity agreement where one can run all over others or get his own way just because he holds an important position. Because of sin, not even Moses was able to enter the promised land after leading Israel for forty years. King David, although penitent and humble, still suffered the consequences of his sins. Among the Lord’s people in Christ, while “elders who rule well” should “be considered worthy of double honor,” those who persist in sin are to be rebuked “in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear” (I Timothy 5:17-21). There is no system that allows some to slide because of their status.
Is accountability something to fear? Only if we want to persist in our sins. Even then, the point of accountability is the restoration of fellowship with both God and fellow Christians. “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working” (James 5:16). May the Lord help us in our accountability, our repentance, and continued fellowship in Christ.
