1 Timothy 4:6 If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.
Accountability is a vital part of Christian brotherhood. There are times when we brothers need redirection to right thinking as opposed to desired affirmation. This especially true when emotions are elevated. We do this when we match up how a brother may want to react to a situation to how the wisdom of the Word states we react. The Word ought to be part of the discussion preemptively in some cases.
In the prior verses, false doctrine and legalism is described. Accountability in these cases redirects our brothers toward the loving and safe boundaries that sound doctrine and the freedom that Grace affords. Brotherhood clearly is good ministry and good ministry involves serious discussion that encourages right thinking...gracious godly thinking. We are not called to be worldly 'enablers' toward hollowness but godly 'encouragers' toward holiness. That is an important part of brotherhood
"We need accountability. Left to our own devices, we will soon devise or succumb to all kinds of evil. As Christians we know that we need other believers to hold us accountable to the standards of Scripture. Passages such as Ecclesiastes 4:12 remind us that “a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” The Bible tells us that “iron sharpens iron” (Prov. 27:17) and that we are to “stir up one another to love and good works…encouraging one another” (Heb. 10:24-25). Life is far too difficult and we are far too sinful to live in solitude. We need community. We need accountability. And God has anticipated our need by giving us the local church as the primary means of this accountability." - Tim Challies in Escaping Anonymity, Tabletalk, April, 2009, p. 70.
Let's be accountable
I love YOU and I love you
Jeremy A. Maynard
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