Are we accountable?

[Chris Tan]

Hello all,
In response to whether we are accountable to our brothers/sisters:
I am Christian, my family is not. I pray to God every day that they might encounter Jesus Christ our Saviour and accept Him in their hearts! I feel this is my duty as a Christian to pray for everyone to know Him and receive His grace and mercy! I know that God hear's my prayers and he is a faithful God! Ultimately, it is the choice of our brothers and sisters to accept Christ into their lives, and until they do that they will remain lost. Continue to pray!
Pray without ceasing. 1 Thessalonians 5:17

You were doing fine until you said, "Ultimately, it is the choice of our brothers and sisters to accept Christ into their lives, and until they do that they will remain lost."

If it's "really their choice to accept Christ", then I find no reason that you pray to God for help. It's like saying God wants to change them but He cannot until they "choose to accept Christ". This makes God a lame duck as the fallen creature will is far greater than His will to call a sinner to salvation. Honestly, you'll find it impossible to find anywhere in the Holy Bible of such a conversion of the sinner.

You see, having faith in Christ is not the work of the fallen creature which the Bible explicitly declares that we are "DEAD in trespass and sins". How can a DEAD sinner even begin to choose to go to Christ while he's DEAD?

Jesus explicitly declared, "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father." (John 6:44,65)

Faith in Christ for salvation is a "supernatural" work of God which the sinner has completely ZERO ability to fulfil. For if the sinner can fulfil this Gospel call, the Lord Jesus Christ wouldn't have said, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent." (John 6:29) when the Jews asked Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?" (John 6:28)

And the apostle Paul proclaimed, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek." (Romans 1:16)

"When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “WITH MEN THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE, but with God all things are possible." (Matthew 19:25,26)

That's why a Christian prays to God by faith for the salvation of their loved ones.

 

[Heismysaviour]

Thanks for your reply. I meant that it is our choice to love God and to accept Him because God will not force you to love Him.
Deuteronomy 30:19-20
19I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, 20loving the LORD your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the LORDswore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”

 

[Heismysaviour]

More scriptures about us choosing to accept Jesus, through our baptism and faith as well:
Romans 10:9
Acts 2:38
Galatians 3:26
Mark 16:16
Romans 5:1
God bless you

 

[Asenath]

as Asenath asked when he started this blog

"Asenath is most assuredly a girl," said Asenath.
Back in the old testament and now, last time I checked.

 

[Chris Tan]

"Asenath is most assuredly a girl," said Asenath.
Back in the old testament and now, last time I checked.

My sincere apologies and I ask for your forgiveness for my ignorance in your gender, even though it's stated.

 

[Asenath]

My sincere apologies

Well...when you put it like that...how can I do anything but forgive you with much love

 

[Dave-W]

Are we accountable for friends who were Christians and have drifted from the church? Is there scripture to back this up?

Yes in 2 areas.

1 - if we have done something to stumble them.

Romans 14:21 It is good not to eat meat or to drink wine, or to do anything by which your brother stumbles.

1 Corinthians 8:13 Therefore, if food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause my brother to stumble.

2 - if we are a congregational leader and they are under our charge.

Hebrews 13:17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.

 

[Chris Tan]

Yes in 2 areas.

1 - if we have done something to stumble them.

Romans 14:21 It is good not to eat meat or to drink wine, or to do anything by which your brother stumbles.

1 Corinthians 8:13 Therefore, if food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause my brother to stumble.

2 - if we are a congregational leader and they are under our charge.

Hebrews 13:17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.

Paul in Romans 14:21 and 1 Corinthians 8:13 was admonishing the more matured Christians who have been walking in the faith longer so as not to cause the new Christians just coming into the faith to stumble in their "eating habits" which he elaborated in both the chapters.

With regards to Hebrews 13, that's provided you have a preacher or teacher who speaks of the Truth from the Holy Bible. That's why being a preacher or teacher, there's a grave warning in James 3:1,2.

With regards to those drifting out of the fellowship, we must also learn to discern, for in 1 John 2:19-21, we are told:

"They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us. But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things. I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth."

But do we have a Christian duty to warn people who are drifting out of the fellowship? Yes we do. But we can only go as far as to use the Word to admonish their souls. After that and if it does not work, 1 John 2:19-21 applies.

 

[AHH who-stole-my-name]

I would say we are accountable to encourage them and stand by them as long as they choose the path of righteousness.I think if they leave that path we are responsible to keep the door open and acknowledge them so they will know that no matter what, they have a place of refuge, if they wish to return. We have a duty to our fellow men to keep the fire lite and the lights burn, but I don't think that we have any duty to follow them past where we are comfortable in going for the sake of our own salvation.

I think there is a passage. I think in one of the letters to one of the churches that sets down guidelines for how we are to treat those who stray from the faith.

 

[Chris Tan]

I would say we are accountable to encourage them and stand by them as long as they choose the path of righteousness.

Agreed.

I think if they leave that path we are responsible to keep the door open and acknowledge them so they will know that no matter what, they have a place of refuge, if they wish to return. We have a duty to our fellow men to keep the fire lite and the lights burn, but I don't think that we have any duty to follow them past where we are comfortable in going for the sake of our own salvation.

While we are not to stand in judgement of their actions, we are soberly reminded of such people in Hebrews 6:4,5 - "For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame."

That's why if we are born of the Holy Spirit (regeneration), which a professing Christian is "supposed to be", it will be an impossibility for them to fall away. And that's because Paul taught us, "...being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ", so should one fall away according to Hebrews 6:4,5, they were never born of the Holy Spirit to begin with.

Sobering indeed.

 

[AHH who-stole-my-name]

Agreed.




While we are not to stand in judgement of their actions, we are soberly reminded of such people in Hebrews 6:4,5 - "For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame."

That's why if we are born of the Holy Spirit (regeneration), which a professing Christian is "supposed to be", it will be an impossibility for them to fall away. And that's because Paul taught us, "...being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ", so should one fall away according to Hebrews 6:4,5, they were never born of the Holy Spirit to begin with.

Sobering indeed.

Then what was meant by the Prodigal Son? If I read this right and I don't think I did, because I'm tired, but this seems to say that it impossible to return once you stray. Now, my mind is not firing on all cylinders and several are sputtering, so would you please clarify this. I know I will think myself stupid in the morning, but I would like to go to bed with something I fully understand on my mind. Thank you and have a blessed day.

 

[Chris Tan]

Then what was meant by the Prodigal Son? If I read this right and I don't think I did, because I'm tired, but this seems to say that it impossible to return once you stray. Now, my mind is not firing on all cylinders and several are sputtering, so would you please clarify this. I know I will think myself stupid in the morning, but I would like to go to bed with something I fully understand on my mind. Thank you and have a blessed day.

We must always read the Bible in light that everything that God want us to know is now fully revealed through the the NT and the epistles. That's why it's important that believe that God has elected and predestined everything (the elect and reprobate), which is clearly taught in His Word by His Son Jesus Christ and the epistles.

If one reads about the Prodigal Son outside of election, you would tend to think that one can fall away and return to the fold. But that's not what the Prodigal Son teaches. The Prodigal Son must be looked at in light that he is a sheep and not a goat. That's because a sheep will always be a sheep and can never change to a goat. And vice-versa. And that we know that God has created sheep and goats or as Paul would reference as vessel of honor and dishonor (in Romans 9).

Can a sheep backslide? Of course he can. But will God leave him out in the cold and not bring him back to the fold? Of course not. God will bring him home to His fold and that's because the sheep belongs to him. As for the Prodigal Son, he was a sheep and his father (aka the Father) will always be his father, just like if you're God's sheep, you will always be His sheep. Do note that the Prodigal was convicted of his sin and he returned humbled to his father of what he did was wrong. And we know the conviction of one's sin toward the Father is by His Holy Spirit as taught by Christ in John 16:7-10.

And truth be told, all this cannot happen outside of spiritual regeneration (John 3) by God the Holy Spirit. To me the doctrine of regeneration is one of the most important truth to believing in Christ through faith. It's all of God's work in salvation and nothing to do with the man's freewill as what is being taught in almost everywhere.

Though this explanation is brief, I hope to have witnessed correctly to you according to the Word.

God bless you.

 

[Dave-W]

With regards to Hebrews 13, that's provided you have a preacher or teacher who speaks of the Truth from the Holy Bible. That's why being a preacher or teacher, there's a grave warning in James 3:1,2.

I have heard many people say that exact same thing in regards to that scripture.

WHERE do you get that from? I see no such scriptural loophole.

 

[AHH who-stole-my-name]

I have heard many people say that exact same thing in regards to that scripture.

WHERE do you get that from? I see no such scriptural loophole.

I didn't really understand any of his explanation to me. I know I should have asked further, but I had things to do at the time and forgot about it all. If someone could help a dumb old truck driver I's appreciate it.