Accountability
- Apr 2
- 4 min read
“—The Lord tells us, For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required (Lk. 12:48)…What will I be held accountable for? That’s what’s important. And I will be asked for what the Lord has entrusted to me and what He has revealed to me. Why should I look at others? Remember what the Lord said to the Apostle Peter in response to his question: “But Lord, what about this man?” 22 Jesus said to him, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.” (Jn. 21:21–22). The Lord said this to everyone, not just to the Apostle Peter. When we start paying attention to others: “What will they do?”—wait, the Lord has already given us the answer on how to behave here. What is that to thee? follow thou Me. It is addressed to everyone without exception. And the words of the Mother of God, which she spoke in Cana of Galilee: Whatever He says to you, do it. (Jn. 2:5), are also addressed to each one of us.” (Igumen Cyprian Parts)
“…“let us do good to all” (Galatians 6:10). We are not held accountable to God for every need in this world. The parable of the Good Samaritan informs our understanding of the words “to all.” The one we are to help is the one we find in need on the road. He is my neighbor (Lk 10:29). Pray for guidance and wisdom concerning all appeals…The gospel affirms that each one of us will have to give an account to God for the sins we committed in this life – for polluting our relationship with our Creator.” (Dynamis 10/6/2021, 5/27/2021)
“We live in an age in which many people do not acknowledge that they are accountable to God or any standard of truth for their actions, especially in how they treat those they view as their enemies. Dark passions of anger, hatred, and vengeance easily spread like a cancer in our souls when we accept no higher truth than our own desires…God created us for great things, primarily for holy perfection, rather than what the world would call individual success or fulfillment. The Creation account is not a singular and personal event, nor is our purpose individualistic. Creation is a cosmic event with galactic implications, and through Creation, we have been deemed a social community, responsible for and accountable to one another under God.” (Fr. Philip LeMasters, Reverend Christopher T. Metropulos, D. Min)
“ ‘If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless. Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.’ (James 1:26-27). If you think you are a Christian and yet can’t control your impulse to express all your thoughts on social media or the internet, then you deceive yourself about being a Christian. St. James speaks about bridling the tongue but he means any kind of self-expression, he didn’t know of social media. We are to control any manner of speech (spoken, written or electronic) we engage in – we will be held accountable by God for every thought we express. ” (Fr. Ted Bobosh)
“Our Lord's coming brought judgment to the world, not because He came to judge (John 12:47-48), but because of man's accountability to Him. Those who see and hear Him but do not believe are judged by their own faithlessness.” (Orthodox Study Bible, John 9:39-41)
“… let us see ourselves as persons accountable for our actions and choices.” (Dynamis 9/8/2012)
“…each of us is accountable only for the light he has received… if we follow what we understand with all our heart, we shall receive more of God’s uncreated light…Gifts and talents are really God’s deposits in our personal accounts, but we determine the interest on them." (Dynamis 11/1/2014, John Mason)
“To “die in your sins” is a prospect to be dreaded, for after death comes God’s judgment. We shall give account to Him for all our thoughts, words, and deeds. To live in our sins is to oppose God deliberately, as a result of our chosen preferences, but we can also repent and affirm our desire to remain in our sins no longer…Our sins may be covered or forgiven in this life (Ps 31:1), so that we do not enter life after death still “in our sins.” (Dynamis 5/16/2014)
“It is not of our own sins only that we shall have to give an account, but for those also wherein we cause others to offend.” (Saint John Chrysostom)
“...we must live in preparation for that final moment of accountability. In the end, Christ will triumph over evil. That is a fact. For now, we must fight the battle, that we too may triumph over evil. This life is full of spiritual warfare.” (Abbot Tryphon)
Comments