ACCOUNTABILITY — the Good, the Bad and the Eye-Rolling

Accountability refers to the fact or condition of being accountable. All believers are ultimately accountable to God and will thus stand before Christ at the Judgment Seat to give an account of what we did in the body, whether good or bad (2 Corinthians 5:10-11). Even unbelievers are accountable to their Creator and will thus undergo the Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11-15).

In the worldwide Church — regardless of sectarian label — all genuine believers are to be submitted to one another (Ephesians 5:21), which means we’re accountable to each other — young and old, male and female, spiritually mature and immature, minister and congregant. Holding each other accountable is relevant to (1) how we’re living and (2) the accuracy of the doctrines (teachings) we spread (James 3:1). The effectiveness of this corrective principle is explained in the book of Proverbs, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17).

All Christians — whatever sectarian tag they choose to go by (or not go by) — are to honestly meet at the blueprint for Christianity, God’s Word (2 Timothy 3:16-17 & 1 Corinthians 4:6), regarding all matters of doctrine, practice and morality. We all must be humbly willing to concede to the authority of the God-breathed Scriptures and what they clearly & consistently teach from a New Covenant perspective based on sound hermeneutics. We can all legitimately claim ignorance now and then, but once scriptural revelation is provided we are obligated to make corrections accordingly.

This is true biblical accountability. It’s simple as ABC (and we’ll look at some examples in a moment).

We could end this article here but, as with most topics, there are complexities and…

Some Deeper Questions

What do most Christians automatically think of when they hear the term “accountability”? Likely 1. being part of a local assembly (& the corresponding sect) and 2. submitting to the pastoral staff thereof. This is wonderful, but some questions are naturally raised…

What if you legitimately hold a believer from a different camp accountable for teaching false doctrine and prove your case, but they refuse to change their belief because their sect supports the erroneous teaching in question? Obviously the leaders of this sect will be held accountable by God first and foremost (James 3:1 & Matthew 15:14), but those followers who ignorantly spread the error will also be held responsible to some degree.

What if submitting to a pastor means not fulfilling God’s will or God’s call? For instance, a subordinate pastor in the Midwest was led to leave the assembly where he was serving in order to start a ministry in another city far away. The head pastor didn’t like this and arrogantly told him, “If you leave you’ll come back crawling on your hands and knees.” He actually said this. Should the associate pastor (1) obey this pompous minister who was technically over him or (2) obey the leading of the Spirit? I think the answer is obvious. Thankfully, he did the latter and went on to great fruitbearing service in the Lord.

What if the minister sins or teaches false doctrine and you can prove it? Is the subordinate believer allowed to correct the one in authority, the one “over” him/her? Both questions are also relevant to when one minister is compelled to correct another minister. What if a subordinate minister works for the minister who needs correction? In other words, his/her paycheck depends on good relations with that minister? Wouldn’t this hinder positive accountability? Wouldn’t this potentially compel the subordinate minister to be a weak “yes man” or “yes woman”?

If it turns out an allegation is true, what do you do if the minister stubbornly refuses to acknowledge it and make corrections after a reasonable period of reflection? What if s/he starts to unjustly persecute you? What if the overseer of the minister in question (assuming there is one) takes a hands-off approach, like Eli did with his two wicked sons who were “in the ministry” (1 Samuel 2:12-17, 27-36)? Do you leave the assembly? Do you leave the sect?

Speaking of overseers: Who oversees the pastor and other fivefold ministers? Who oversees the overseer? Who oversees the one who oversees the overseer; in other words, the one at the top of the spiritual pecking order? (Every sect, ministry or assembly has someone at the top). If the answer is God then this shows that official human oversight ends — as far as one person being over another — when an individual reaches the top of the hierarchy in question. A good example in the Bible is the king of a nation (Ecclesiastes 8:3-4).

Of course this wouldn’t discount the accountability detailed above — all believers are accountable to each other based on the truths of the rightly-divided Word of God. Even kings in Israel — who were in a supreme position — were accountable to the Word of God spoken through a Man of God or what have you (e.g. 2 Samuel 12:1-14). Unfortunately, but to be expected, ministers stained by arrogance don’t like to be corrected by those they consider below them (and no doubt those above them as well, just more so with the former), no matter how humbly and respectfully the correction is offered.

What if you’re a fivefold minister — a genuine pastor, teacher, apostle, prophet or evangelist (Ephesians 4:11-13) — and you’re led of the Spirit to start your own ministry? I’m talking about believers who’ve spent years — and, more likely, decades — learning/training in churches & seminaries and the LORD is calling them into a new position in the spirit after much proven service. In such cases, they would be the head of their ministry, much like a business owner is the head of his/her business. If such a minister operates within an official sect — like the Assemblies of God or the Southern Baptists — they would still technically have someone over them, like a regional leader.

However, if the individual in question is an independent minister and not part of a sect, there would be no official human oversight; in other words, no human would be above them in their ministry. But, again, biblical accountability would be applicable — (1) accountability to God and (2) to fellow believers based on the Holy Scriptures, which would include accountability to the minister’s board/inner circle. Nor would being an independent minister discount mentors in his/her life; such mentors simply wouldn’t be “official” overseers appointed by leaders of a particular sect.

Some people reading this might be somewhat sectarian-minded and understandably have difficulty fathoming ministers functioning outside of an official group of Christianity, but people operating independently can be observed even while Christ was ministering on Earth, as witnessed here:

⁴⁹“Master,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us.”

⁵⁰“Do not stop him,” Jesus said, “for whoever is not against you is for you.”

Luke 9:49-50

While Christ’s immature disciples had a problem with this man ministering independently of their group, the Lord did not. For details on the contrast between official ministers and independent ministers see independent minister.

Examples of Believers Holding Fellow Believers Accountable

Let’s consider a couple of examples of biblical accountability applicable to real life: Say you notice a fellow Christian who’s married flirting with a comely woman at work or wherever. This brother may not even go to your assembly, but you can hold him accountable to God’s Word by warning him about adultery and the importance of not doing anything that appears evil to others (1 Thessalonians 5:22).

Or, say someone is sharing false doctrine in your community, even on Facebook or Twitter, you can hold him/her accountable to the sound doctrine of the rightly-divided word of God. This will lead to a Scripture-based dialogue on the topic where correction takes place, even if it turns out to be you who is corrected.

Read that again because it’s important to be open to the possibility that you might be wrong if the person you correct turns out to have fuller knowledge on the topic. I should add that — since few Christians agree on every jot and tittle — it’s important to major in majors and not in minors. When it comes to God’s Word “The main things are the plain things.” It’s just not profitable to quibble over disputable matters (Romans 14:1), not to mention the Bible repeatedly denounces the folly of a quarrelsome spirit (Proverbs 17:14, Proverbs 20:3, 2 Timothy 2:14 & Titus 3:9-11).

Both of these examples are decidedly biblical, as shown in Matthew 18:15-17, Luke 17:3, Galatians 6:1, James 5:19-20 and Proverbs 9:8-9. Please look up these passages and notice that we’re instructed to go to the person and confront him/her in a wise, loving manner, NOT go to others and gossip about the person and their supposed offense, smearing the individual and poisoning people’s minds in the process. Gossiping about fellow Christians who have (supposedly) offended you poisons believers’ minds and separates brothers & sisters in the Lord; in short, it causes division in the Church. This is a great sin in God’s eyes. The first passage from Matthew 18 shows that the matter should only be taken to others — godly believers who aren’t prone to gossip — if it turns out the offender is actually guilty of a sin and s/he is stubbornly impenitent. You can read more about such a scenario here.

Recent Examples of Accountability From My Own Life

Speaking of going to the offender directly and not gossiping, I was fellowshipping with a brother not long ago wherein he adamantly preached about accountability, although his understanding of the topic was shallow and evidently ineffective; let me explain:

During our conversation he condemned a mutual friend & believer, but he was murky about his accusation. The brother he criticized is a musician who regularly releases albums and plays out at various establishments, Christian and secular. Apparently the brother I was speaking with — who plays guitar at a local fellowship — felt this other brother should only play praise & worship music in the context of a local assembly; so he smeared him as a “rebel.” Yet I know this other brother well and he’s no rebel; he’s a humble believer who uses his musical talents to serve the Lord, reach people and make a living. A true rebel would be guilty of practicing an actual sin without repentance.

I searched my heart as to how to properly respond by the Spirit. The man I was conversing with was ten years older than me and he & his wife were hosting my wife & me at their house. In short, it was a delicate situation. Instead of overtly rebuking his open slander and causing a scene I decided to simply speak the opposite of what he said, which was the truth (speaking the truth is always the best antidote to slander). I shared how Carol & I recently saw the man perform at a local restaurant wherein the place was packed and he played several songs with overt Christian lyrics, including one about the return of Christ. We also purchased his newest album. It goes without saying that sharing the truth negated the man’s false accusations and put the kibosh on his gossip/slander.

You might have noticed that the accuser in this scenario was a musician and so was the believer he was falsely accusing. This reveals the obvious motive behind the man’s faultfinding and smear campaign — he was envious of the brother’s success in playing regular paid-gigs and releasing albums. Needless to say, beware of the “little foxes” of envy, jealousy, rivalry and hatred (Song of Solomon 2:15). I include hatred in the list because, when a person actively lies about another and tries to poison people’s minds against him/her, hatred is at play (Proverbs 26:28), which just so happens to be the opposite of God’s character since “God is love” (1 John 4:16).

How does this tie into our topic? Simple: The man was preaching on the importance of accountability and I ironically held him accountable to God’s Word, which blatantly condemns gossip/slander as thoroughly ungodly. This is biblical accountability. We have to get away from this superficial idea that Christian accountability is limited to a pastor correcting a congregant. It can be this, of course, but it’s so much more universal. What if the pastor needs corrected and no official minister/elder in the camp will do it? God will have to raise someone else up who’s willing.

Here’s another point: practically every time I see this man he slips-in some gossip/slander to which I correct in a low-key manner (I keep it subdued because I don’t want an ugly argument to break out for reasons I can’t go into, not to mention I have an aversion toward strife and hold peace dear). For instance, several years ago he adamantly said a minister we both know was gay on the grounds that he was seen in public with an obvious homosexual. I replied, “You mean his brother?” What he didn’t know was that the man’s brother was overtly gay, but lived out of state. Whenever he came to visit they’d go out to eat or to the movies or what have you, which would be a few times a year. It’s what siblings do when they haven’t seen each other for long periods of time. As with the previous example, simply speaking the truth put a quick, peaceful end to his slander.

Unfortunately, he hasn’t learned his lesson even though he plays guitar in a praise & worship band and considers himself a worship leader. No doubt part of the problem is that he’s not seriously in the Word and so the Spirit has little to work with to correct him (John 14:26 & Psalm 119:9). Meanwhile his wife curiously condones his gossip/slander, although she’s otherwise a godly woman. The reason I’m bringing this up is because his assembly obviously isn’t holding him accountable in this important area. Why not? Who knows? It’s likely the pastor has discerned this problem and is interceding in prayer or slipping truths into his sermons, not to mention setting a godly example.

Another thing to consider is that when congregants are generous givers it’s tempting for pastors to take a passive approach to correction for reasons of self-interest (I’m not saying this is right, just that it happens). In the meantime I’m praying that the Spirit would open this brother’s eyes — his wife too — and, if necessary, that the pastor & other spiritually mature believers would teach him or confront him on this issue when applicable. I’ve also decided that the next time I hear him badmouth someone I’m going to humbly advise him to talk to the person about it directly rather than me (and others).

Here’s an example of accountability regarding possible doctrinal error: A minister friend from another state wrote me and told me he disagreed with a point made in the footnotes of one of my books. I considered his erudite evidence and saw that he was correct and so immediately implemented changes in the corresponding articles. Unfortunately I couldn’t change what was printed in the book, but I corrected everything else.

On a more recent occasion, a minister from another continent wrote me to correct what he considered erroneous doctrine in one of our articles. I took the time to hear what he had to say, considered his respectable evidence, and we went back-and-forth for a few days. Finally, he modified his viewpoint based on the scriptural data, saying he agreed.

These are all good examples of accountability — brothers & sisters in the Lord prayerfully & carefully holding one another accountable to the blueprint for Christian doctrine, practice and morality, the Holy Scriptures.

On that note, I encourage believers worldwide from every sect to hold me & my wife and this teaching ministry accountable to God’s Word. If you think we’re in error on a particular topic or — God forbid — walking in sin, by all means, let’s hear it. Don’t be vague, but also don’t be a nosy ninny. If you’re in my local area — northeast Ohio/Western Pennsylvania — I’ll happily meet with you. This open invitation is based on Proverbs 9:8-9 and similar passages noted earlier. While Fountain of Life is an independent ministry we have a board and a circle of believers that we are in daily fellowship with, locally and more distant. We are accountable to one another but, like I said, we are also accountable to our dear brothers & sisters worldwide, whatever tag they choose to go by or not go by.

Accountability Gone Bad

Biblical accountability is a good thing, but Pharisaical religionists tend to morph it into a negative thing where they constantly concoct dubious accusations based on rash (arrogant) judgments and then poison people’s minds against the ones they’re supposedly holding accountable; that is, the ones they’re accusing. They did this with the sinless Messiah (Matthew 11:19), how much more will they do it with flawed people who genuinely follow the Christ?

The problem with constant questionable accusations is that it’s a trait of the Enemy. I’m talking about Satan — the “adversary” or “enemy” — who is also called the devil, which is translated from the Greek diabolos (dee-AB-ol-os), meaning “slanderer.” The term comes from the verb diaballó (dee-ab-AL-loh), meaning “to slander, accuse, defame, complain.” On top of this, the Bible plainly describes Satan as “the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night” (Revelation 12:10). Moreover, Christ called the devil a “murderer from the beginning” and “the father of lies” (John 8:44).

Do you know a (supposed) brother or sister in the Lord — including “ministers” — that continuously accuse believers (typically behind their backs)? They’re behaving like Satan, which isn’t a good thing. They’re wickedly using their tongue to murder others (Proverbs 25:18 & 12:18). Either they’re a child of the devil and therefore a counterfeit believer (Matthew 7:15-23 & John 8:42-47) or they’re grossly ignorant and misled of the Enemy (2 Timothy 2:24-26).

These are the bad fruits of the devil and the satanic nature, which is the flesh — accusing, slandering, defaming, complaining, lying and murdering. Needless to say, if you know people, groups or organizations that regularly operate in such tactics it tells you everything you need to know — they’re “of the devil” — regardless of what respectable position they might hold in the Church.

A good example in the Scriptures are the false apostles who infiltrated the Corinth church and smeared Paul in an attempt to turn the believers against the human founder of the assembly. Being a humble, godly man, Paul was uncomfortable defending himself against the false accusations, but — led of the Spirit — he had no other choice and so became a “fool” by “boasting” of his credentials and defending his ministry (2 Corinthians 11). Observe what Paul concluded about these slandering, accusatory “apostles”:

¹³For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. ¹⁴And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.

2 Corinthians 11:13-14

When you come across arrogant individuals who feign meekness and regularly accuse, discredit and slander meek, sincere believers it’s a big red flag. As with this case in Corinth, they’re false Christians masquerading in key positions in the church. Don’t buy their lies and don’t allow your mind to be poisoned against innocent brothers & sisters in the Lord. “By their fruit you will recognize them.”

Sectarian “Accountability” That Actually Hinders the Truth

Another kind of accountability gone bad is sectarian “accountability” that, in reality, can hamper the acquisition & spread of truth. Let me explain. Christianity consists of hundreds or thousands of sects/camps/groups/denominations, big and small. Each group has some kind of school of training and a means for ministry ordination & licensing. There’s nothing wrong with being part of such a camp as long as the group in question remains open to biblical correction and endeavors to fulfill the Great Commission, the problem only enters the picture when believers become sectarian-minded, which is factionism, a work of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21).

Each of these camps have a “statement of faith,” a list of doctrines they consider essential in order to be a member. In other words, the people of every sect agree to agree that certain doctrines — teachings — are true to the Holy Scriptures and requisite to being a Christian. Some of the groups take a harder approach to their list of official doctrines than others, but they all insist that their ministers — their leaders — embrace their core doctrines, whatever these might be.

This is healthy as long as the doctrine in question is actually biblical, that is, true; however, it becomes unhealthy when it’s not. In the latter case, members of the sect agree to believe a doctrine that is false, a lie, and leaders hold their members accountable to the lie, especially those who are ministers or aspire to be ministers. So if you’re a member and discover from the Scriptures that an official doctrine of the sect is false, you’ll be expelled from the group or, at least, expelled from ministering the Word in it.

A good example is the false doctrine that human beings intrinsically possess immortality apart from Christ, otherwise known as the “immortal soul” (also dubbed the “eternal spirit”). Actually the Bible refutes this teaching point blank: 2 Timothy 1:10 plainly reveals that immortality and eternal life are only available through Christ. Immortality is something people are called to apprehend and not something we intrinsically possess apart from Christ, as shown in Romans 2:7. The Scriptures say “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them” (John 3:36). You can read details here.

How does this tie-in to accountability? Leaders of sects that embrace the immortal soul apart from Christ as an official doctrine hold their ministers accountable to supporting that doctrine. In short, ministers in such camps are forced to embrace error because they’ll be kicked out if they don’t. If they are full-time ministers this means that their “bread & butter” is dependent upon supporting a false doctrine. Thus they are pressured to advocate error. A believer from an Evangelical camp wrote me and said he was convinced that the immortal-soul-apart-from-Christ doctrine was erroneous and that the Bible plainly supported literal everlasting destruction for unrepentant people who suffer the “second death” (Revelation 20:11-15, Matthew 10:28, Hebrews 10:26-27 & Luke 19:27). When he informed the leaders of his assembly he was told that he could stay, but he wouldn’t be allowed to teach in any capacity.

Here’s a personal example regarding a different doctrine: In 2001 I was getting training and seeking credentials with a certain sect. Carol & I went out to lunch with the head elder when the topic of spiritual gifts came up and he said to me, “If you talk on speaking in tongues it’ll be your last sermon.” You see? If a sect adheres to false doctrine — in this case the doctrine of cessationism — the hierarchy will hold you accountable to supporting their official doctrines, even if they’re incorrect. Cessationism is the erroneous belief that speaking in tongues and gifts of the Spirit were done away with once the biblical canon was completed.

While you can certainly hold to cessationism and still be a Christian, it will limit your spiritual walk and service since it discourages believers from receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit & the benefits thereof, which you can read about here. The Bible teaches us to “eagerly desire” spiritual gifts, as shown in 1 Corinthians 12:1, 31, 14:1, 39, which would include the gift of personal tongues, otherwise known as glossolalia (gloss-ah-LAY-lee-ah). Cessationism encourages believers to do the precise opposite of what the Scriptures plainly instruct — it encourages us to eagerly deny spiritual gifts when God’s Word encourages us to eagerly desire them!

This is accountability gone wrong. It hinders the apprehension & spread of Scriptural truth and perpetuates false doctrine. We’ll look into this more as we progress.

I should add that if you’re a minister and you get a gig to preach at an assembly of a sect separate from your own you should, generally speaking, respect their official doctrines and wisely serve within the parameters thereof. After all, your goal is to minister to the people — feed them, build them up, heal — not cause undue strife (Ephesians 4:11-13). However, if you are led of the Spirit to say something that offers doctrinal correction then, by all means, do so (they might never welcome you back though, lol).

Ministers Being “Examples” to the Flock

This section ties-in to the topic of accountability so be patient and you’ll see why I include it.

A genuine minister I respect preferred small-group assemblies and so criticized pastors of large fellowships on the grounds that it’s impossible to be an example to people you can’t spend quality time with because the assembly is so big. It’s true that fivefold ministers and elders are called to be examples to younger believers, spiritually speaking (1 Peter 5:3, 1 Corinthians 11:1 & 1 Timothy 4:12), but does this mean that spending considerable time with them is the only way to be a good example? If so, how much time does this require? How much privacy is a fivefold minister or elder allowed? Didn’t Paul say strong believers need to keep some things private to prevent those with weak consciences from stumbling? (Romans 14:22). How far do we take this?

I’ve functioned in both small group settings and mega-churches and I’ve seen God work in both. There’s nothing wrong with preferring one over the other, but it’s wrong to condemn the one you don’t favor because (1) a solid scriptural argument can be made for both and (2) the LORD is big enough to minister in either setting, and everything in between. Remember, God is not one-dimensional.

Consider Yeshua, who was a daily example to the 12 disciples & friends who traveled with him for three years, and also to the other 72 disciples to a lesser degree (Luke 10:1,17). Yet how much of an example was he to the thousands who came to see him minister? There’s no way he could regularly spend time with all these people and maintain a tight relationship with the Father and minister effectively; that is, fulfill his calling.

What Christ did was spend quality time with those within his inner circle — particularly Peter, James and John — and they would, in turn, set a similar example with those within their sphere of influence. It’s the domino effect of positive social impact. This is precisely how legitimate pastors of big assemblies set the example for their hundreds or thousands of members, not by having bosom buddy relationships with every congregant which, needless to say, is impossible.

Getting back to the minister’s criticisms, he chastised pastors of huge churches by accusing them of having some sinful practice on the side that they were supposedly hiding. He claimed that this was the real reason they weren’t interested in being examples to the flock. Wow, what an accusation and what a blanket statement. Surely no pastor of a small fellowship would ever do this! (sarcasm). If this were true, then consider the pastor of an assembly I used to go to that had less than 20 attendees: he fell from the ministry after being caught with his hand in the money jar, amongst other fleshly activities. Simply put, to accuse all pastors of huge churches of not setting a proper example and enjoying some wicked sin on the side is ridiculous.

Eye-Rolling Legalistic “Accountability”

This kind of reasoning stems from a legalistic understanding of accountability. It assumes that believers are all a bunch of weak fools just waiting to rush into sin and hypocrisy, even seasoned fivefold ministers. As such, we need to protect our brothers & sisters by snooping around in their houses and nosing into their personal affairs. In fact, this is the main reason we need “accountability partners.” After all, without the watchful eye of some prying elder we’re all doomed to going astray. What a sick mentality.

Sure, there will always be immature believers we need to keep an eye on in a protective sense, particularly those in the fundamental stage of spiritual growth, i.e. STAGE TWO, but we have to be careful that this doesn’t become a form of bondage or authoritarianism. It’s better to give people the freedom to make a mistake and learn from it than to eye them overbearingly like some mother hen. The former fosters independence while the latter cultivates a dependent, immature spirit. We don’t need domineering authoritarians or moronic “accountability partners,” we need gatherings of warriors and warrioresses!

As for those “believers” in our midst who can’t seem to do anything remotely spiritual without someone hovering over them and twisting their arm, isn’t it possible that they’re not believers at all? Perhaps they’re goats in sheep’s clothing, so to speak. Let ’em go! The Church is better off without counterfeits. If they’re truly genuine they’ll come back at some point of their own accord.

This will come as a shock to those with a legalistic understanding of accountability, but there are numerous areas of believers’ lives — including fivefold ministers — that are no one’s business. One obvious example is what a person does in the bathroom. Unless a sin is involved, what I do when I go out with my wife or what I enjoy for recreation is no one’s business but mine, my wife’s and the Lord’s. It’s the same thing with how people choose to make a living, assuming it’s not criminal. Or what vehicle they choose to drive or what style of clothes they wear, assuming they’re not immodest.

We’ll address faultfinding & nosiness further in a moment, let’s first look at…

Submitting to Ministers / Submitting to Each Other

The Bible instructs believers to submit to their spiritual leaders, like pastors & teachers, so that their service will be a joy and not a burden (Hebrews 13:17). Diligent servant-leaders should be honored, especially those who preach & teach (1 Thessalonians 5:12 & 1 Timothy 5:17), but there’s a healthy way to submit to them and an unhealthy way. Furthermore, this doesn’t mean submit in the absolute sense. If your spiritual leader told you to jump off a cliff, should you do it? If he/she encouraged you to engage in sexual immorality, would you do it? If s/he taught blatant false doctrine and demanded you accept it, should you? Obviously not, so there are wise limits to this kind of submission. You can read details here.

Christ is the “Chief Shepherd” in the worldwide Church whereas fivefold ministers are under-shepherds (1 Peter 5:1-5). This shows that ministers are accountable to the Lord (Luke 12:42-48).

I encourage submitting to one another in Christ, as instructed in the New Testament (Ephesians 5:21 & 1 Corinthians 16:15-16). Obviously the most fruitbearing believers would rank at the top of the list, which presumably includes your spiritual leader(s), although not necessarily.

I should specify that by “fruitbearing” I’m talking about bearing fruit of the spirit as opposed to works of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-23 ). The Lord pointed out that you can distinguish a true minister from a false minister by their fruit (Matthew 7:15-23). Do you see a “minister” constantly faultfinding, accusing and slandering other believers? It tells you everything you need to know. I emphasize this so that submitting to ministers, like pastors, isn’t a one-way street, which can lead to abuse.

In short, the minister is accountable to subordinate believers as well as those over him/her in the spiritual pecking order. This is why Paul stressed this by the Spirit — so that pastors & other fivefold ministers don’t become arrogant and unaccountable in their top positions at ministries. Remember, God opposes the proud (James 4:6 & 1 Peter 5:5). This brings up…

Who Oversees the Minister?

While we considered this earlier, let’s go a little deeper. Who oversees the pastor? Usually someone higher up in the pastor’s organization that doesn’t regularly attend the assembly in question, like a regional leader. It may also be pastors from other fellowships in the area who may or may not be part of the minister’s sect. How closely do these people oversee the pastor? How often do they communicate? Not all that closely or often, right?

Furthermore, who oversees those who oversee the pastor? I’m talking about ministers higher up in the chain of authority of the sect in question. My point is that at some juncture in spiritual growth close human oversight becomes minuscule, even irrelevant. Why? Because the believers have matured. They’ve established a relationship with God; they walk in the spirit and not in the flesh; and they’re quick to humbly ‘fess up when they do miss it (1 John 1:8-9 & Matthew 3:8). This is in line with what a pastor friend told me:

My job is to become unnecessary in the life of the believer.

This should be the goal of all ministers — disciple people to the point where they walk with God of their own accord, guided by the Spirit, and have no need of close pastoral oversight. If some ministerial work needs done — like praying for a relative in the hospital or sharing the Word with someone — the disciple doesn’t call the pastor but rather does it himself/herself. Unfortunately, some ministers foster a dependent spirit with their congregants because — consciously or subconsciously — they don’t want to lose them and, in some cases, they enjoy having people dependent on them. This is an unhealthy and unscriptural attitude to say the least.

As noted earlier, not all fivefold ministers are “official” in the sense that they belong to an official sect, some are independent. Independent ministers are just as necessary as “official” ministers, but both can be corrupted. See this article for details.

Independent ministries are usually non-sectarian and don’t function within a specific sect and thus they don’t operate within a delineated authority structure as official ministers do. But this doesn’t negate that independent ministers are accountable since (1) they are accountable to the LORD & the God-breathed Scriptures first and foremost and (2) to the body of Christ at large, which includes their inner circle of believers and mentors. Keep in mind that most effective correction takes place through (1) having a humble, teachable heart that craves greater knowledge and (2) the process of learning. Direct face-to-face correction is secondary. You can read more about this here.

Consider Paul, who left the structure of the Jerusalem church and went off to minister to the Gentiles, as led of the Spirit (Acts 18:6, 26:15-23, Galatians 2:7 & Romans 15:15-16). His three long missionary journeys and the years he was a prisoner, including house arrest where he wrote the four prison epistles, comprised almost two decades of his life. Paul didn’t function within an official authority structure during this time. In fact, he was the top Christian authority in these travels as he preached the message of reconciliation, started assemblies across the landscape and wrote epistles by the Spirit, but this didn’t mean he wasn’t accountable. Again, he was accountable to the LORD and fellow believers in general (all of whom were technically “under” him, by the way).

It’s also important to point out that Paul didn’t view any leader in the Jerusalem church as “God Jr.” (Galatians 2:6 & 2:9). The Mighty Christ is the only head of the worldwide Church, i.e. the spiritually-regenerated “called-out ones” across the globe (Ephesians 1:22 & Colossians 1:18). Was Paul belittling these leaders in these verses of Galatians? No, he was providing balanced perspective by the Spirit so no person or persons in the body of Christ come to be considered infallible and untouchable; rather “Christ is all and in all” (Colossians 3:11 & Romans 10:12).

Actually, Jesus Christ was an independent minister. Yes, he was a Judaic believer who regularly attended synagogue, but he didn’t identify with and operate strictly within the parameters of the various Hebrew factions of the 1^st century: Pharisees, Sadducees, Herodians, Essenes, Zealots, etc. Being independent and devoted to God & the Scriptures first and foremost, Christ wasn’t biased based around sectarian allegiances; Christians today shouldn’t either.

John the Baptist was another independent minister. For those not in the know, the New Testament started with John (Luke 16:16). He hailed from the desert wilderness wherein his clothes were made of camel hair and he ate locusts & wild honey (Matthew 3:1-11). Contrary to the claims of some, John didn’t identify with the Essenes (e.g. those at Qumrân) since the differences between John’s message/activities, and those of this sect of Judaism, are as significant as any alleged similarities. Yet this doesn’t mean John didn’t fellowship with them on occasion wherein accountability worked both ways.

The obvious weakness of being an official minister is that you can become a pathetic “yes man” or “yes woman” who’s afraid to call out false doctrines/practices/corruptions within the sect or correct someone who’s over them in the authority chain for fear of losing favor and their position or even being defrocked altogether.

Martin Luther, for example, dared to speak out against a number of his denomination’s unbiblical doctrines & practices and so he lost his job and credentials, was branded a heretic and banished to live in hiding, his books were burned and Pope Adrian VI declared him to be the antichrist. Why did Luther do something so costly? Because he was accountable to the LORD and the Word of God first and foremost (James 3:1).

As he was believed to have said said, “Unless I am convinced by Scripture and plain reason – I do not accept the authority of popes and councils for they have contradicted each other – my conscience is captive to the Word of God… Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise.” Observe that he did not consider himself accountable to popes or councils, but rather to the authority of the LORD and the God-breathed Scriptures (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Consider these contrasting examples of official leaders in Israel: After King David’s adultery with Bathsheba and his failed attempts to get valiant Uriah to sleep with Bathsheba to cover up his sin, David contacted Israel’s military commander, Joab, and instructed him to put Uriah in the front line where the fighting was fiercest and then have the other soldiers withdraw so Uriah would die in battle. This is murder in an indirect form, but murder nevertheless. Joab should have rejected this wicked order since Uriah was a noble, brave warrior, but he instead chose to be a pathetic “yes man” (2 Samuel 11:14-21). Shortly later, the prophet Nathan refused to be like this. He boldly confronted David’s corruption and spoke the truth, come what may (2 Samuel 12:1-14).

Joab failed to hold the King accountable whereas Nathan did. When you see corruption in the leadership of the body of Christ you can either weakly go along with it, like Joab, or hold the person accountable whatever the cost, like Nathan. If you choose the former you’ll have to answer for it at the Judgment Seat because the Lord will hold you accountable.

The obvious challenge for independent ministers is their lack of an official hierarchy and their potential for creative interpretations of the Scriptures (as if official sects don’t have their share of questionable positions, e.g. “once saved always saved” and the grossly erroneous amillennialism). However, humble submission to the LORD, the rightly-divided Word of God and the body of Christ at large alleviates this issue wherein needed corrections are regularly made.

Of course, being part of a reputable official sect and functioning under a designated chain of authority isn’t a guarantee of proper accountability and righteousness. The pastor I mentioned above who was ousted after he got caught with his hand in the proverbial cookie jar was from the Assemblies of God, which is the last thing from a loose sect. Several members of the congregation and inner circle were members of his extended family and yet he went a long time before being found out, confronted and disciplined (although it’s certainly commendable that this eventually happened). It goes without saying that, if someone wants to practice sin as a lifestyle, they’ll find a way to do it and hide it, whether they operate within an official sect/assembly and the power structure thereof or not.

Also, just because an official sect supports a doctrine, this doesn’t make the teaching true. Moreover, if it is a false doctrine it doesn’t make it okay for ministers in that sect to spread the erroneous teaching, even though it’s advocated by their sect. While their fellow ministers may applaud them, they will be held accountable for false doctrine when they stand before the Lord (James 3:1).

Legalists Are Unreasonably Judgmental FAULTFINDERS

Holding one another accountable is beneficial, but I think it’s necessary to include a warning about faultfinding.

Those who tend to excessively harp on accountability (always in the cliched, simplistic sense) also tend to be hell-bent on picking out people’s flaws and condemning them accordingly. They’re faultfinders, impure and simple, which is a severely fleshly characteristic according to the Scriptures (Jude 1:16 & Romans 15:7). Even worse, they’re often guilty of the very things they criticize in others. This isn’t righteous judging, like Paul’s judgment and public rebuke of Peter’s legalism in Galatians 2:11-14, but hypocritical judging. Notice what Jesus said about this type of judging:

Do not judge, or you too will be judged. ² For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. ³ Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? ⁴ How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? ⁵ You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

Matthew 7:1-5

As you can see, Christ wasn’t denouncing righteous judging, like judging a fellow believer’s bad fruit and offering a corrective word, as when Paul reprimanded Peter, which — by the way — is an example of biblical accountability. Jesus was condemning hypocritical judging, which is criticizing others for things that the criticizer himself (or herself) practices.

It goes without saying that being a grumpy faultfinder is a big red flag. Those preoccupied with faultfinding are either immature believers stuck in STAGE TWO or they’re counterfeit believers actually lost in STAGE ONE. If you’re not familiar with the Four Stages of spiritual growth see this article.

Faultfinders Are at Odds With the True Ministerial Spirit — to Build Up and Give LIFE

The spirit of faultfinding & condemnation is in utter contrast to the true ministerial spirit, which Paul summed up nicely when he spoke of the authority ministers have for building believers up and not tearing them down (2 Corinthians 10:8 & 13:10). He also stressed this in Ephesians 4:11-13 where he detailed the purpose of all fivefold ministers: “to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up”. In other words, true believers and genuine ministers are to overflow with life, not death. Why? Because we’re children of God and the LORD is the Fountain of Life (Psalm 36:9). This explains Christ’s prime directive: to give people life and life to the full, not death (John 10:10).

You don’t have to be a spiritual Einstein to recognize a wicked spirit of condemnation. Years ago my sister, Jennifer, was looking for a church in Southern California and ended up visiting one for three Sundays in a row, but she decided not to stay. Why? Because after all three services she left feeling beat up and condemned rather than inspired and encouraged. She felt the life sucked out of her rather than put into her. Needless to say, only a glutton for punishment would stay in such an assembly. This isn’t to suggest that there’s no place for denouncing sins and encouraging repentance at services. Skilled ministers who are led of the Spirit will bring about a spirit of repentance through the ministry of the Word, but will also remove the burden of guilt, instill the Lord’s peace and motivate individuals onward. In other words, even though they denounce sin and spur repentance their ministry is encouraging and inspiring. This is the minister’s job.

A good example of such an inspiring spirit can be observed in Jesus after his resurrection. Christ appeared to two of the disciples who were understandably discouraged after his unjust crucifixion. The Messiah met up with them as they were walking along the road and they talked for a bit, but they were prevented from recognizing him. After the Lord departed, the two disciples reflected on the encounter:

“Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”

Luke 24:32

This is the effect Christ-like ministers should have on believers. You know you’re hanging with godly believers when you leave with your heart burning with inspiration and you see things in God’s Word you never saw before.

Luke 24 goes on to show us what Christ did on the day he ascended, which was weeks later: “he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven” (verses 50-51). The point? Even as Jesus was leaving this Earth he was blessing people — it was the last thing he did before going to the Father! This is how Christ-like ministers should be — constantly blessing people and building them up, not frothing at the mouth with constant vague accusations, condemning and tearing down.

So accountability is a positive thing when it is scriptural — very much so — but be on your guard against legalistic forms of “accountability.”

Closing Thoughts

“Iron sharpens iron” (Proverbs 27:17) and “many advisers bring success” (Proverbs 15:22) with the greatest advisor being the Holy Spirit (John 14:26-28, 16:13 & 1 John 2:27). Believers are to submit to the LORD & each other and therefore are accountable to one another based on the truths of the Word of God (Ephesians 5:21).

But, to be balanced, here’s an important axiom to consider: All people are flawed and have a downside, even the best of us — even the greatest minister or hero you can name (Psalm 130:3-4, Ecclesiastes 7:20, Proverbs 20:9 & 1 John 1:8). A big time minister said he has hanged with the top international ministers you can cite and he said, without exception, they were all flawed and had a downside, one way or another. As such, it makes best sense to have as few people over you as possible in your endeavors, particularly as you mature. This is the Conservative perspective wherein government should be small and limited whereas the LIEberal perspective is that government should be huge with endless (useless) bureaucrats.

In any ministry or business there’s a head with a vision, along with the corresponding inner circle/board. If you can’t agree with the head’s vision then you should leave, otherwise there will be di-vision. I’m not talking about condoning sin or gross error. If you see either you obviously should confront the individual as led of the Spirit, keeping in mind that there’s always a profitable and unprofitable way to do this.

The New Testament encourages believers to humbly submit to the heads of the ministry they’re involved with (Hebrews 13:17) and honor diligent servant-leaders (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13) “so that their work will be a joy, not a burden.” If you can’t do this, or can no longer do this, then please leave and go somewhere that you can agree with the vision or — if led of the Spirit — start your own work, like Paul was led to conduct his own ministry to the Gentiles, covered earlier. In the latter event you’ll be the head of your ministry, but you’ll still be accountable to (1) the LORD & the God-breathed Scriptures and (2) the worldwide body of Christ based on biblical truth.

Ultimately, every believer will give account at the Judgment Seat:

¹⁰For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

¹¹Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade others. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience.

2 Corinthians 5:10-11

This article is also a chapter in…

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Related Topics:

The Basics of Christianity

How to CONFRONT & CORRECT (and How NOT to)

Forgiveness—Should You Forgive EVERYONE for EVERYTHING ALL of the Time?

Why You should Always FORGIVE When the Offender Is Repentant

Why the BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS Is So Vital

Do you feel you’re too sinful to serve God? Do you struggle with a sense of unworthiness that hinders your communion with the Lord (that is, your prayer life)? Do you think you’re too unrighteous to fulfill God’s call on your life? The LORD has provided a piece of spiritual armor to set you FREE and empower you to serve effectively; it’s the breastplate of righteousness (Ephesians 6:14).

This vital piece of armor refers to accepting the gift of righteousness the LORD has provided you in Christ (Romans 5:17) and living out of your new nature — your spirit — because it was born righteous when you accepted the gospel and underwent spiritual regeneration (2 Corinthians 5:21; Titus 3:5). This is your “new self, which was created to be like God in true righteousness” (Ephesians 4:22-24). As you learn to walk according to this new nature with the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit you’ll naturally walk in practical righteousness. So putting on your breastplate of righteousness is one-and-the-same as walking in the spirit (Galatians 5:16).

Of course, as a human being with a flesh, you’ll inevitably sin; this includes the more common sins like envy, jealousy, rivalry, hatred, gossip, lying, greed or lust. Those who have their “breastplate” on will humbly ’fess up and receive God’s forgiveness when they miss it, which “purifies you from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8-9). Doing this is “keeping with repentance” (Matthew & Luke 3:8). The repentance/forgiveness dynamic is essential to spiritual growth because it ensures God’s grace continually flowing in your life and your ongoing progress. It keeps your spiritual arteries clear of the clog-up of unconfessed sin. *

* Incredibly, there’s this widespread false teaching amongst Evangelicals today which suggests that believers never have to repent of anything, ever. Gee, Christ must have been walking in gross error when he instructed the Ephesian Christians to repent in Revelation 2:5 (sarcasm).

A Roman soldier’s breastplate guarded his heart and other vital organs. Just so, the breastplate of righteousness guards your figurative heart — your mind — and prevents it from being corrupted by things that would eventually destroy you, including oppressive guilt and a destructive sense of unworthiness (Proverbs 4:23).

Endeavor to live out of your new nature, which was “created to be like God in true righteousness.” The Bible calls this “participating in the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4). Cultivate a pliable, humble heart that’s quick & willing to ’fess up if you succumb to the corrupt desires of the old nature. God is faithful to (1) dismiss the sin and (2) “purify you from all unrighteousness.” Guard your heart as the wellspring of life by regularly rooting-out negative, destructive thoughts & desires (Proverbs 4:23).

For important details, this sermon explains what the breastplate of righteousness is, why you need it and how to put it on; it’s easy (all Scripture passages are cited in the video for your convenience):

How to OVERCOME LUST

Sexual lust concerns out-of-control preoccupation in deed or thought with porn, fornication, adultery, sexual fantasy, as well as deviant practices, like homosexuality, pedophilia and bestiality.

If you’re not a believer in Christ, the first step to freedom from lust is turning to the LORD in repentance & faith (Acts 20:21 & Romans 10:9-10) wherein you’ll receive spiritual regeneration (John 3:3-6; Titus 3:5). This means you’ll acquire the spiritual software necessary to overcome any sin bondage, not to mention the help of the indwelling Spirit.

If you’re a believer and you’re struggling with sexual lust, you’re not alone; many other Christians do too. I did at one time as well. The awesome news is that there’s freedom in Christ for everyone in bondage to lust, whatever its form! The sin of lust is similar to any other life-dominating flesh bondage — like alcoholism, drug abuse, out-of-control gambling, greed, hatred, fits of rage, gossip/slander, and so on — in that the antidote revealed in the Holy Scriptures is the same: The Bible offers a simple 3-point strategy on how to walk free from any sin, including a severe lust problem, wherein you tackle the issue on three fronts (1) mental, (2), physical and (3) spiritual. This proven 3-point strategy is detailed in this article.

Here’s a video version of the plan:

Related Topics:

Your Thoughts RUN Your Life!

SPIRITUAL GROWTH Is Like Climbing a Mountain

The Seven Keys to SPIRITUAL GROWTH

Spiritual Growth — The Four Stages

Beauty, Objectification and Lust

Are Homosexuals “Born that Way”?

What Are THE BASICS of Christianity?

How to Be a GIANT-KILLER

Would you like to be a giant-killer, like David, albeit in a spiritual sense? Of course you would. Let’s give the account of David and Goliath a fresh read and glean several gems of truth on how to be a giant-killer straight from the Scriptures… (scroll down if you’re already well familiar with the account)

Now the Philistines gathered their forces for war and assembled at Sokoh in Judah. They pitched camp at Ephes Dammim, between Sokoh and Azekah. ²Saul and the Israelites assembled and camped in the Valley of Elah and drew up their battle line to meet the Philistines. ³The Philistines occupied one hill and the Israelites another, with the valley between them.

⁴A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. His height was six cubits and a span [about 9 feet, 9 inches]. ⁵He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels [about 125 pounds]; ⁶on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back. ⁷His spear shaft was like a weaver’s rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels [about 15 pounds]. His shield bearer went ahead of him.

⁸Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me. ⁹If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us.” ¹⁰Then the Philistine said, “This day I defy the armies of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other.” ¹¹On hearing the Philistine’s words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified.

¹²Now David was the son of an Ephrathite named Jesse, who was from Bethlehem in Judah. Jesse had eight sons, and in Saul’s time he was very old. ¹³Jesse’s three oldest sons had followed Saul to the war: The firstborn was Eliab; the second, Abinadab; and the third, Shammah. ¹⁴David was the youngest. The three oldest followed Saul, ¹⁵but David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father’s sheep at Bethlehem.

¹⁶For forty days the Philistine came forward every morning and evening and took his stand.

¹⁷Now Jesse said to his son David, “Take this ephah of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread for your brothers and hurry to their camp. ¹⁸Take along these ten cheeses to the commander of their unit. See how your brothers are and bring back some assurance from them. ¹⁹They are with Saul and all the men of Israel in the Valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines.”

²⁰Early in the morning David left the flock in the care of a shepherd, loaded up and set out, as Jesse had directed. He reached the camp as the army was going out to its battle positions, shouting the war cry. ²¹Israel and the Philistines were drawing up their lines facing each other. ²²David left his things with the keeper of supplies, ran to the battle lines and asked his brothers how they were. ²³As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, stepped out from his lines and shouted his usual defiance, and David heard it. ²⁴Whenever the Israelites saw the man, they all fled from him in great fear.

²⁵Now the Israelites had been saying, “Do you see how this man keeps coming out? He comes out to defy Israel. The king will give great wealth to the man who kills him. He will also give him his daughter in marriage and will exempt his family from taxes in Israel.”

²⁶David asked the men standing near him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?”

²⁷They repeated to him what they had been saying and told him, “This is what will be done for the man who kills him.”

²⁸When Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, “Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle.”

²⁹“Now what have I done?” said David. “Can’t I even speak?” ³⁰He then turned away to someone else and brought up the same matter, and the men answered him as before. ³¹What David said was overheard and reported to Saul, and Saul sent for him.

³²David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.”

³³Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.”

³⁴But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, ³⁵I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. ³⁶Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. ³⁷The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.”

Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.”

³⁸Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head. ³⁹David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them.

“I cannot go in these,” he said to Saul, “because I am not used to them.” So he took them off. ⁴⁰Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.

⁴¹Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David. ⁴²He looked David over and saw that he was little more than a boy, glowing with health and handsome, and he despised him. ⁴³He said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. ⁴⁴“Come here,” he said, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and the wild animals!”

⁴⁵David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. ⁴⁶This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. ⁴⁷All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”

⁴⁸As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. ⁴⁹Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground.

⁵⁰So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.

⁵¹David ran and stood over him. He took hold of the Philistine’s sword and drew it from the sheath. After he killed him, he cut off his head with the sword.

When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they turned and ran. ⁵²Then the men of Israel and Judah surged forward with a shout and pursued the Philistines to the entrance of Gath and to the gates of Ekron. Their dead were strewn along the Shaaraim road to Gath and Ekron. ⁵³When the Israelites returned from chasing the Philistines, they plundered their camp.

1 Samuel 17:1-53

This account reveals 9 traits of a giant-killer as follows:

Giant-Killers Walk by Faith, NOT by Sight. The Israelite soldiers were “terrified” because they were walking by sight (verse 11). Their senses took in the data that Goliath was 9.5 feet tall, weighed over a thousand pounds with his armor & weapons and was utterly intimidating in manner & word. Their brains took in this information and moved them to flee. David, by contrast, didn’t respond this way because he was walking by faith, which means he was living out of the sixth sense (2 Corinthians 5:7; 2 Corinthians 4:18; Hebrews 11:1). Thus David boldly faced the intimidating Goliath, even though he wasn’t a soldier and was barely more than a boy at about 17-18 years-old.
Giant-Killers Understand Their Covenant With God. ‘Covenant’ means contract. It’s an agreement between two parties with conditions. The LORD works with humanity through covenants. David understood this. After hearing Goliath’s arrogant challenge, he responded, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (verse 26). The reason David referred to Goliath as “uncircumcised” is because circumcision was the sign of the Abrahamic covenant that the Israelites were under (Genesis 17:1-14) (They were simultaneously under the Mosaic covenant — Leviticus 12:3). David was pointing out that Goliath didn’t have a covenant with the Almighty whereas the Israelites did. As such, they need not fear this colossal warrior no matter how intimidating he was.
Giant-Killers Know When to Grow-UP. We observe this in David’s reply to King Saul after the monarch argued “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth” (verse 33). David’s literal response began with this statement: “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father” (verse 34 NRSV). Notice that David spoke of being a shepherd boy in the past tense even though he was tending sheep earlier that very day! In other words, David instinctively sensed that this occasion was going to be a turning point in his life and so he no longer saw himself — or spoke of himself — as a lowly shepherd boy; that was something he “used” to do. Sure enough, he graduated from being a shepherd boy to being Israel’s top warrior that very day! The lesson? When the Spirit moves upon you to let something go that links you to your past, particularly something that ties into your identity — how you & others perceive you — DO IT. Everyone grows older, but not everyone grows up. This is true physically and spiritually. There are Christians out there who are 20, 30, 40 years-old in the Lord, but they refuse to grow up spiritually and therefore are still in the child stage of spiritual growth. Giant-killers are not like that.
Giant-Killers Celebrate & Boast of God’s Power in Past Victories. David’s response to King Saul reveals how he had the great faith it took to take on Goliath: He said that when he tended his father’s sheep a lion and a bear attacked the lambs on two separate occasions and thus David struck the predators and slew them; he reasoned that, just as the LORD gave him victory over the lion and the bear when he boldly acted, so God would give him victory over Goliath (1 Samuel 17:34-37). We could relate this to us today: If you haven’t been tested with a situation where you needed $100 or $1700 and exercised your faith to receive it (Mark 11:24; John 16:24), you’re not likely going to have the faith to receive $12,000 when it’s needed, or more. If you haven’t exercised your faith to receive healing for the common cold or back pain, you’re not likely going to have the faith to overcome the ‘Goliath’ of cancer. Those smaller items would be your ‘lion’ or ‘bear’ whereas the bigger challenges would be your ‘Goliath.’ Are you following? So I encourage you to praise God when you face those smaller things because God is allowing them in your life so that you can work your faith muscles, which will naturally prepare you for your ‘Goliath’ down the road.
Giant-Killers Are Led by the Spirit NOT by What Everyone Else is Doing. This can be observed in verses 38-40 when King Saul insisted that David wear full armor and use his personal sword in squaring off with the giant. But David wasn’t feeling it and so rejected the armor & sword. He didn’t care “what everyone else was doing” and went with what he had a peace about — using a sling-shot. We need to do the same if we want to conquer our ‘giants.’ Disregard “what everyone else is doing” and be led of the Spirit (Romans 8:14); “let the peace of Christ reign in your hearts” (Colossians 3:15). In other words, don’t do or say anything you don’t have a peace about doing, even if it happens to be the hip thang to do.
Giant-Killers Are Bold as a Lion and Willing to Risk Everything. What was at stake in David’s situation taking on Goliath? His life! In short, everything. If you want victory over your giants you must be bold and willing to take huge risks as well (Proverbs 28:1). Life’s a fight, FIGHT IT. And be willing to risk everything when the Spirit leads you. At the same time, don’t be a rash fool (Proverbs 19:2). Get tight with the Lord so you appropriately discern the leading of the Spirit as opposed to the misleading of your flesh (unrighteous anger, impatience, rashness, folly, etc.).
Giant-Killers Are eager to Obey With Violent Faith. Christ said that the kingdom of heaven is taken hold of and advanced by those with “forceful” or “violent” faith and diligence (Matthew 11:12). Yes, the “poor in spirit” possess the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3) but genuine meekness obviously includes bold tenacity, particularly when it comes to spiritual warfare, which is the example set for us by Christ himself in the gospels. So rise up in bold faith and don’t shrink back (Hebrews 10:39)! You’ll never outgrow spiritual warfare; you must simply learn to fight. That’s what this article is for – learning to fight, God’s way, so you can effectively slay your giants. The LORD’ll teach you how to fight in your superior covenant (Hebrews 8:6) just as he taught David how to fight in his (Psalm 18:34 & 144:1).
Giant-Killers Speak the Word of Faith. The Bible teaches that words have the power of life and death (Proverbs 18:21) and Christ emphasized the power of speaking in faith (Mark 11:23). In the literal rendition of that passage the mighty Messiah stressed speaking three times as opposed to believing, which he noted once. So if you’re having trouble believing something biblical or something the Spirit wants you to get a hold of, start speaking it in faith, even if you’re struggling with believing it. Paul taught on believing & speaking too (2 Corinthians 4:13). Both Goliath and David understood this powerful principle because they both utilized it in their pursuit of victory, as shown in verses 41-47. Since Goliath was the champion of the Philistines for many years, he obviously had much success with this principle of believing & speaking. The difference between the two, however, is that David was in covenant with God while Goliath was not. This tipped the scales in the former shepherd boy’s favor and thus he beat Goliath even though — physically speaking — the chances for victory were minuscule. Do you want victory over the giants that surface in your life and threaten you & your loved ones? Of course you do. Then learn to speak God’s blessings & truths into the situation by faith; and then take action led of the Spirit (Romans 8:14).
Giant-Killers Realize That a “Goliath” is a Stepping Stone to a Better Season in Life. David’s encounter with Goliath was a life-threatening occasion, yet because David understood his covenant with his Creator and boldly walked in faith accordingly, this serious challenge ended positively by drastically changing David’s life for the good: One day he was a lil’ unknown shepherd boy and the next he was an acclaimed warrior of Israel (1 Samuel 18:5-7), not to mention he received the formidable reward promised by King Saul — a great financial prize, the king’s daughter in marriage and tax exemption for he & his family (1 Samuel 17:25).

For inspiring exposition on this topic be sure to catch this live sermon that features Scripture citations in the video for your convenience:

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Scriptural MEDITATION and Why It’s Important

When most people hear the word ‘meditation’ they automatically think of TM, aka Transcendental Meditation, but that’s not our topic here. We’re talking about biblical meditation.

Meditation comes straight from the Scriptures. Here’s a good example from the first book of the Bible:

He [Isaac] went out to the field one evening to meditate, and as he looked up, he saw camels approaching.

Genesis 24:63

The Hebrew word for ‘meditate’ in this verse means to muse. What was Isaac musing on since there were no scriptural texts at the time? Possibly a word from the LORD since God occasionally spoke to his servants back then, as is done to this day via the Holy Spirit. Or perhaps Isaac mused over his divine calling; or possibly he reflected in awe over God’s creation, including the magnificent starry panorama, which naturally reveals the Creator (Romans 1:20 & Psalm 19:1).

Here are a couple other examples of meditation in the Bible:

¹Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
²but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
³That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.

Psalm 1:1-3

¹¹I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.
¹²Praise be to you, Lord;
teach me your decrees.
¹³With my lips I recount
all the laws that come from your mouth.
¹⁴I rejoice in following your statutes
as one rejoices in great riches.
¹⁵I meditate on your precepts
and consider your ways.
¹⁶I delight in your decrees;
I will not neglect your word.

Psalm 119:15

The Hebrew word for ‘meditate’ in the latter verse is siyach (SEE-akh) which means “to muse, complain, talk (of).” The idea is that you’re pondering over something, reflecting on it; so much so that you speak of it, both to yourself and others when the opportunity presents itself. The fact that meditate can also mean “to complain” makes sense since, if you’re constantly complaining about something, it’s because you’re focused on it and therefore have been meditating on it.

This reveals that we can meditate on good things or bad things. Hence meditation is only healthy depending on (1) what you’re meditating on and (2) what ideology you combine it with. A person that embraces LIEberalism, for instance, might meditate on something positive and it helps them to some degree, but then they combine it with loony Leftist ideology and so it’s a mixed bag in their life.

Likewise, a Christian could practice meditation and it blesses them to some measure, but then they allow hatred to take root in their heart – ironically through meditation – and it cancels out their positive meditation. The moral is that we all have to guard our hearts from negative things taking root and producing bad fruit (Proverbs 4:23).

Why Is Meditation Important?

Several reasons, but I’m only going to stress one here: When you meditate on something, you’re chewing on it (or stewing over it). The idea/thought in question is thus fed and it will grow in your heart, whatever it might be. Once it’s lodged in your heart through meditation you’ll live accordingly.

Consider, for example, meditating on a certain passage of Scripture or a biblical topic and the corresponding passages. One of the ways faith grows is by exposing yourself to the word of God (Romans 10:17). The specific word may come through reading the Bible yourself or through hearing a sermon, whether in person or via audio/video. The more you chew on a passage or topic – that is, muse over it, speak it – the more faith will grow in that particular area. For instance, if you want faith to receive a healing, then expose yourself to passages about faith & healing.

The only way a believer will practice the word of God or live in light of it, is if the word in question becomes a part of him/her. Otherwise they’ll hear the word or read the word and walk away not remembering it. James addressed this in the Scriptures:

²²Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. ²³Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror ²⁴and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. ²⁵But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.

James 1:22-25

So when you hear/read the word, the best way to ensure that you’ll practice it – or live in light of it – is by making sure you chew it and swallow it, which occurs via meditation. People who hear God’s word and don’t practice it or live in light of it do so because they never chewed it & swallowed it; they never meditated on it. As such, it never became a part of them. The Lord was in essence getting across this vital point when he quoted from the Old Testament:

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'”

Matthew 4:4

Just as we need physical sustenance in order to live, so we need spiritual sustenance to walk in the abundant life we’re called (John 10:10). Christ said “The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life” (John 6:63 ESV). If you want to be filled with “spirit and life” it’s necessary to learn to chew the word of God you hear/read and swallow it so that it becomes a part of you.

For inspiring details on this topic — including examples of meditating on key passages, like Psalm 23 — check out this audio sermon video which cites all the relevant passages for your convenience:

Related Topics:

Your Thoughts RUN Your Life!

How to TAKE CAPTIVE Thoughts (Noémas—Mindsets, Ideologies)

How to OBTAIN YOUR DESIRES

Heart – Is it “Desperately Wicked”? (It Depends)

Does the Bible Support SLAVERY? (No)

LIE-beral critics of the Bible claim that it supports slavery. Does it? No, Paul boldly included slave trading in a list of sins:

We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. ⁹We also know that law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers of mothers, for murderers, ¹⁰ for adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers – and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine ¹¹ that conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God,

1 Timothy 1:8-11

He also said this:

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Galatians 3:28

As you can see, there’s neither slave nor free person “in Christ Jesus.”

This explains why Paul encouraged his friend and fellow Christian, Philemon, to set free his runaway slave, Onesimus, when Paul sent Onesimus back to Philemon. It’s not overtly stated, but obviously insinuated, e.g. “knowing that you will do even more than I ask” (Philemon 1:14-21).

The institution of slavery in the Roman world of the 1st century was a widespread, ironclad fact of life, and the New Testament’s instructions to slaves and owners must be viewed in this historical light.

Nevertheless, Paul’s instructions to slaves and masters in Ephesians 6:5-9 were utterly revolutionary at the time. The focus wasn’t to challenge the morality of the system but rather to transform people within the system from within; that is, in their spirits and hearts. Freedom always starts within and then proceeds without; and I don’t mean just freedom from conventional slavery. Trying to change people from the outside in, by contrast, doesn’t work because it’s merely a garnishment. This is why the Old Covenant that the Israelites had with God didn’t work—it was merely a set of rules to obey without inward regeneration. The New Covenant, by contrast, provides the necessary spiritual rebirth (Titus 3:5) and this is the main reason it’s a “superior covenant” (Hebrews 8:6).

While the priority of New Testament ministers was to transform people from within rather than tackle slavery head-on, Paul plainly instructed slaves:

Were you a slave when you were called (to the Lord)? Don’t let it trouble you — although if you can gain your freedom, do so

1 Corinthians 7:21

As you can see, the bible actually doesn’t support slavery in the least.

Add to this the fact that the greatest abolitionists of the 18th and 19th centuries were devout Christians, like William Wilberforce and William Lloyd Garrison.

As for the voluntary servants permitted amongst Hebrews according to the Torah, this wasn’t slavery as we understand it today. Individuals could sell their services for up to six years to repay debts or what have you; on the seventh year they were released, unless they loved their “masters” and wanted to stay (Exodus 21:2-6). As such, Hebrew “slaves” were actually hired hands and only became lifelong servants based on the desire of the servant (and the master).

What about Hebrews being real slaves? Notice how the LORD condemned this as evil outright:

If someone is caught kidnapping a fellow Israelite and treating or selling them as a slave, the kidnapper must die. You must purge the evil from among you.

Deuteronomy 24:7

What about real slaves from other countries who fled to Israel? Notice what the LORD commanded:

If a slave has taken refuge with you, do not hand them over to their master. ¹⁶Let them live among you wherever they like and in whatever town they choose. Do not oppress them.

Deuteronomy 23:15-16

Wow, that just blows the LIE-beral lie that the Bible supports human bondage, huh?

Furthermore, the Old Testament is clear about apprehending people and selling them as if they were property:

“Whoever steals a man and sells him, and anyone found in possession of him, shall be put to death.”

Exodus 21:16 (ESV)

As you can see, stealing people and selling them as chattel was a crime with the penalty of death.

It is true that the Mosaic law allowed the Israelites in the Old Covenant to take foreign slaves as an option in military conquest:

10When you march up to attack a city, make its people an offer of peace. 11If they accept and open their gates, all the people in it shall be subject to forced labor and shall work for you.

Deuteronomy 20:10-11

This was similar to serfdom, as opposed to what we understand as chattel slavery, and was obviously more humane in comparison to execution. Plus no where does the LORD instruct the Hebrews to abuse foreign captives; in fact, God reminds them in the Torah that they were slaves in Egypt for 4oo years in order to encourage compassion (Deuteronomy 24:18).

Captive foreign women even had the potential of becoming wives to Hebrew men and therefore members of the Israelite community:

10When you go to war against your enemies and the Lord your God delivers them into your hands and you take captives, 11if you notice among the captives a beautiful woman and are attracted to her, you may take her as your wife. 12Bring her into your home and have her shave her head, trim her nails 13and put aside the clothes she was wearing when captured. After she has lived in your house and mourned her father and mother for a full month, then you may go to her and be her husband and she shall be your wife. 14If you are not pleased with her, let her go wherever she wishes. You must not sell her or treat her as a slave, since you have dishonored her.

Deuteronomy 21:10-14

In light of all this, how anyone can misconstrue that the Bible supports slavery is beyond me. In fact, Christianity’s all about FREEDOM from slavery and far more than just the conventional kind, as this verse shows:

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery

Galatians 5:1

The LORD wants every believer set free from the yoke of legalistic religiosity, which you can read about here, as well as free from the yoke of the flesh, which you can read about here.

A 5-Minute Video on the History of Slavery (that LIEberals Don’t Want You to Know About)

What Did Christ Mean By EMPTY (IDLE) WORDS in Matthew 12:36?

In Matthew 12:36 the Lord said that people will be held accountable for every “empty” word they speak when they stand before their Creator. The Greek word translated as “empty” is argos (ar-GOS), which means “idle,” “thoughtless” or “unprofitable.” The various English versions of the Bible translate it as “empty,” “idle,” “careless” and so on, which you can observe here. What “empty” words was Christ specifically referring to?

To answer, let’s read the full passage:

“Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. ³⁴You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. ³⁵A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. ³⁶But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. ³⁷For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Matthew 12:33-37

Verse 36 naturally provokes the question: What words specifically does the Lord consider empty, careless or idle? Since Scripture interprets Scripture, other verses that address spoken words will help in answering the question, like James 3:2-12. (For helpful insights on the power of words, see this article).

It helps to grasp that Christ spoke in an ambiguous way at times to provoke those who cared enough — that is, those who have “ears to hear” — to seek for clearer personal answers, as shown in this article and this article.

So I encourage chewing on the various passages that address the power of words or personal confession and seeking the Lord to reveal to you what words you are specifically speaking that are empty/careless/idle. Let the Spirit guide you in the matter personally (Romans 8:14 & John 16:13) and keep in repentance if you miss it (1 John 1:8-9 & Matthew & Luke 3:8). Please know that “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1), but the Lord will hold us accountable for impenitent empty words at the Judgment Seat of Christ.

Also keep in mind that the morality concerning the usage of any given word comes down to the intent of the heart of the speaker, including how s/he defines the word in question.

For instance, when I was 14 I was talking with my mother wherein I used a word that shocked her and she swiftly rebuked me. However, to me, the word simply meant to screw someone over; but, to her, it was vulgar and inappropriate. I was ignorant at the time of the word’s more literal definition. This factors into the equation when the Lord holds us accountable to the words we speak.

What about singing song lyrics? Is doing so speaking empty/idle words? Singing song lyrics would be speaking words someone else wrote and therefore wouldn’t spring from one’s heart, which is what the Lord is mainly concerned with in the above passage (verse 34 & Luke 6:45), so there shouldn’t be an issue with doing this, unless of course the lyrics are blasphemous or evil in nature (verses 31-32). And, if they are, why would you want to sing them in the first place?

Related Topics:

Why GOSSIP & SLANDER Are So Evil

WORDS Have the Power of Life and Death

The Basics of Christianity

How God Sees YOU (video)

Photo by Brett Jordan

What Is MARRIAGE? (and Related Topics)

Marriage was defined by our Creator at the very beginning of physical creation:

That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.

Genesis 2:24

Christ confirmed this definition of marriage:

“Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ ⁵and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? ⁶So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

Matthew 19:4-6

This definition is also conveyed in Mark 10:6-9. Paul confirmed it as well in Ephesians 5:31.

What we conclude from this is that marriage is a lifelong-committed relationship between a biological man and a biological woman, which makes them “one flesh” in God’s eyes. It’s a covenant between a man and a woman — a vital and enduring social contract (Proverbs 2:17). We observe this in the divinely-orchestrated marriage of Isaac and Rebecca:

Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, and he married Rebekah. So she became his wife, and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.

Genesis 24:67

Notice that there was no wedding ceremony in the conventional sense that we understand today; the marriage was official due to the agreement between the two families and, most importantly, Isaac and Rebecca. The financial arrangements were established beforehand (you can read the whole account here). There was no minister or judge required to pronounce them husband & wife and no written document is mentioned. The couple and their families had a verbal contract, a financial agreement and Isaac & Rebecca’s decisive willingness.

The bottom line is that this is what a marriage is: A man & a woman agreeing to be united as man & wife — “one flesh” — as long as they live. It’s a lifelong commitment between a biological male and female (which automatically discounts the idea of same-sex marriage, i.e. “gay” marriage).

While being “one flesh” presumes sexual intercourse will occur, that is not the definition of marriage, as Joseph was married to Mary before consummation, as observed here:

This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹ Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

²⁰ But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹ She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

²² All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ²³ “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

²⁴ When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. ²⁵ But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

Matthew 1:18-25

This makes sense because, if sexual intercourse was the sole definition of marriage — of being “one flesh” — then couples would no longer be married if they ceased having intercourse, such as older couples or cases wherein either husband or wife cannot have sex for one reason or another.

This biblical definition of marriage shows that a man and woman could legitimately marry in a remote location, such as if they were castaways on a deserted island or settlers in remote areas of the globe. But, obviously, they’d want to make it legal if/when they returned to civilization. Speaking of which…

Why Make Marriage “Legal”?

Answer: Because (1) believers are to be submitted to the righteous laws of the governing authorities (Romans 13:1-6) and (2) to avoid “all appearance of evil” (1 Thessalonians 5:22 KJV). The latter is important in order to be an effective witness to others (2 Corinthians 8:21).

The former is important because it reveals the couple’s willingness to submit to the community, which would include the state. Right before Paul gave instructions on marriage he instructed believers to “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ” (Ephesians 5:21-33).

Another glaring reason to make one’s marriage legal is that marriage is the defining point of fornication, adultery and divorce:

Fornication is sex before marriage
Adultery is sex outside of one’s marriage
Divorce is the dissolution of marriage

When who is married and who is not married is not clear it leads to moral ambiguity and the corresponding lawlessness.

Is a “Common Law Marriage” Acceptable for Believers?

A common law marriage is a marriage wherein a couple mutually agrees to cohabitate as committed man & wife without a civil or religious ceremony, which should be distinguished from whimsically living together in fornication with no intent of commitment. The Lord distinguishes the two and cannot be fooled (John 4:16-18). Common law marriage is acceptable for believers in situations where there is no access to legal marriage, like if they’re stuck on a deserted island. The case of Isaac & Rebecca, noted above, is another example, but in their situation there was no state to acknowledge their marriage, although it was acknowledged by their families.

In modern day nations, however, there’s no reason not to make one’s marriage clear to society by making it legally binding. Even in cases where the state acknowledges common law marriages, believers should make their marital union more concrete for appearances sake so as not to be a bad witness, as noted above.

But let’s say the couple doesn’t want to get legally married because their taxes will go up or the woman will lose government assistance if she documents herself as married. If the couple does this, they are lying about their marital status to the government for reasons of monetary gain (greed). This obviously would not be a case of justifiable lying, as when the Hebrew midwives lied to Pharaoh to save the lives of male babies (Exodus 1:15-21). It is a shaky foundation on which to set a marriage, not to mention it reflects lack of faith in God’s provision for their new life together.

In situations where a couple rejects the traditional concept of a wedding – whether pronounced by a minister or a judge – and only have a relationship within the commitment of common law marriage, they are fully bound in marriage together. In other words, they are indeed married. But they have an issue with rebellion — bucking the system, thinking that they are above the law, disrespecting customs and traditions of their culture, dishonoring their families and community.

Yes, they are married. But what about submitting their matrimony to the fellowship of the community and the authority of the state? Submission is not a popular subject because the flesh doesn’t like to acknowledge or submit to someone else’s power. But submitting to one another and the governing authorities – physical and spiritual – is a Christ-like trait (Ephesians 5:21; 1 Peter 5:5; Romans 13:1-6). So this is an issue of pride, not a marriage issue. Believing men & women who decide to be married should do the paperwork.

There’s another obvious problem with couples who refuse to make their marriage more binding through a ceremony & legal document: It smacks of “leaving the door open” in case their relationship doesn’t work out, which makes it easier to bail when difficulties inevitably arise. If either spouse chooses to abandon the relationship they have a readymade excuse: “Well, we weren’t technically married.”

Wedding Ceremonies Are Rites of Passage

While Isaac & Rebecca didn’t have much of a wedding ceremony (Genesis 24:67), we know more elaborate ceremonies took place because Christ’s first miracle took place at a wedding celebration in Cana (John 2:1-11). The idea of a written contract can be found in the apocryphal book of Tobit:

¹²Then Raguel summoned his daughter Sarah. When she came to him he took her by the hand and gave her to Tobias, saying, ‘Take her to be your wife in accordance with the law and decree written in the book of Moses. Take her and bring her safely to your father. And may the God of heaven prosper your journey with his peace.’ ¹³Then he called her mother and told her to bring writing material; and he wrote out a copy of a marriage contract, to the effect that he gave her to him as wife according to the decree of the law of Moses. ¹⁴Then they began to eat and drink.

Tobit 7:12-14 (NRSVA)

This simple “ceremony” consisted of the father handing his daughter over to the groom with his blessing and writing a contract regarding the family agreement, which was documented proof of their marriage. Is this not basically what takes place in weddings today?

While this is an apocryphal passage, it nevertheless shows that marriages were legitimized via written documentation in the 8^th Century BC, which is when the events of the book take place (721 BC). The book itself, however, was written somewhere between 225-175 BC, which means that Tobit shows that written marriage contracts can be traced back at least to the 3^rd Century, BC.

Whether the ceremony is elaborate like the wedding banquet at Cana or simple like this one or Isaac & Rebecca’s wedding (Genesis 24:67), it’s not the formality that makes the marriage real, but rather the intent and design of the bride and groom’s heart. Even in the event that a man & woman who decide to marry are stuck on a deserted island they would certainly have some kind of ceremony wherein they agreed to be married and thus committed to one another for life. For instance, enslaved people in the 1800s couldn’t legally marry, but that didn’t stop them from having a “jumping the broom” ceremony.

Whether elaborate or simple, the ceremony is a rite of passage wherein the reality of their new status is established and then commemorated in years to come. The couple and their community see this event – this date – as a turning point in their life journey, separating their prior singleness from their ongoing unity as “one flesh.”

Neither does the written contract make a marriage reality. The son of a friend of mine got married a few years ago in a state where you are required to have the minister — or whoever the officiator is — sign the marriage license application and then return the paper work to the county clerk; in a few weeks you’d receive the legal marriage certificate. Yet the couple went on their honeymoon the next morning and completely forgot about doing the paperwork until almost a year later when they finally got it straight. Does this mean they weren’t married for nine months? Were they “living in sin” for that period of time? Of course not. They were married the day they agreed to be united in holy matrimony. The written document has to do with the government legally acknowledging the marriage that already existed.

I remember a couple of old movie stars, like Kirk Douglas, making statements that they didn’t believe men can be monogamous. But this is a scapegoat to commit adultery or live in fornication. It explains why the bride & groom vow to be faithful to one another. In other words, yes, humans – and especially males – have a predilection for successive sexual/romantic partners and this is why it’s necessary for married couples to vow to be committed to one another till death do them part.

What’s the Purpose of Marriage?

The scriptural definition of marriage is: A man & a woman agreeing to be united as man & wife – “one flesh” – as long as they live (Genesis 2:24). But what is God’s reason for marriage? Simple: Social chaos would result from unbridled or casual pairings seeing as how the strategic underpinning which the family unit offers society would disintegrate. In other words, God set up the lifetime commitment of husband & wife – the marital covenant – as the firm base for a healthy society. Show me a community where the family unit breaks down or is nonexistent due to fornication, unfaithfulness or the government’s encouragement and I’ll show you a lawless society with many glaring problems.

Just as important, the LORD instituted marriage as the means by which a man and a woman become “one flesh” in it’s fullest and most satisfying sense. Casual sex may have it’s allure, not to mention temporary fleshly satisfaction, but it results in death in one form or another since “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Nothing beats the ongoing joy and peace of a healthy marriage and family!

What About Polygamy?

While the LORD allowed Hebrew men to marry multiple wives for a couple reasons, polygamy is not God’s best for marriage, as clearly detailed in the beginning (Matthew 19:4-6). Polygamous marriages chronicled in Scripture suffered contention with the inevitable rivalry of the wives (e.g. 1 Samuel 1:1-8).

In the New Covenant, by contrast, God instructed that leaders in the Church should have but one spouse (1 Timothy 3:2, 3:12; Titus 1:6), which was to be an example to the believers under them (1 Timothy 4:12; 1 Peter 5:3). So, while the New Testament doesn’t outright forbid polygamy, it definitely encourages God’s ideal as originally stated in Genesis – one husband, one wife, till death do them part.

But why did the LORD allow polygamy in the Old Testament? A couple reasons come to mind: The world at the time generally consisted of patriarchal societies where females relied on their fathers, brothers and husbands for provision & protection. Thus marriage, even if it was polygamous, protected women from a life of poverty, prostitution or slavery. Polygamy also facilitated God’s Genesis directive to “be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth” (Genesis 1:28, 9:1 & 9:7) seeing as how husbands could impregnate other wives while one was pregnant/giving birth. This allowed men to have several children per year, as opposed to just one, and this was conducive to the increase & spread of humanity on Earth.

What About Divorce?

The Bible’s definition of marriage shows that it is meant to last until one of the spouses dies. “God hates divorce,” the Scriptures say (Malachi 2:16). The Mosaic Law only permitted divorce because of the hardness of the Hebrews’ hearts (Matthew 19:8).

That said, Christ acknowledged that unfaithfulness is grounds for divorce (Matthew 5:32; 19:9; Luke 16:18). However, if the guilty spouse is genuinely repentant I encourage working it out and persevering. In other words, while divorcing due to unfaithfulness is permissible, it’s not mandated. At the end of the day, though, it’s up to the offended spouse in question and the leading of the Spirit.

Further grounds for divorce would be abandonment or impenitent criminal abuse:

But if the unbeliever leaves, let it be so. The brother or the sister is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace.

1 Corinthians 7:15

Concerning abuse, the verse stresses that “God has called us to live in peace” in relation to the marriage covenant. Obviously this divine calling cannot be accomplished or maintained if one of the spouses is seriously abusive and unrepentant about it.

Every individual is unique and every marital situation is unique. So I always encourage seeking the Lord on what to do when your spouse is unfaithful or wickedly abusive. Obviously if the offender is stubbornly impenitent the marriage will not work out. As it is written, “Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?” (Amos 3:3 NKJV).

Speaking of one spouse being stubbornly impenitent and this leading to the break-up of the marriage, consider the LORD’s judgment on the men of Judah:

“Therefore I will give their wives to other men and their fields to new owners. From the least to the greatest, all are greedy for gain; prophets and priests alike, all practice deceit.”

Jeremiah 8:10

Since the men of Judah were foolishly unrepentant, God’s judgment was going to fall (keeping in mind that where God’s great mercy ends, judgment begins). This judgment would manifest partially in the LORD giving their wives over to other men. Chew on that.

At the end of the day believers are to be led of the Spirit (Romans 8:14) and do what they have a peace about doing (Colossians 3:15; Philippians 4:7).

What About Remarriage?

If an individual divorces for one of the legitimate reasons noted above, s/he can remain single, which has its benefits according to Scripture (1 Corinthians 7:7,28,32-34), or remarry if led of the Spirit to do so. Obviously you don’t want to make rash decisions about marrying an individual.

My wife, Carol, divorced her former husband on the grounds of unfaithfulness on repeated occasions. The fact that he was a pathological liar didn’t help matters. The judgment of Jeremiah 8:10 came upon him (see the previous section). Led of the Spirit, Carol & I married and have been one-flesh for over 25 years as of this writing (the opening photo is us in 1995).

If someone divorces for biblically illegitimate reasons they’ll have to work it out with the LORD as far as staying single, remarrying their former spouse or possibly marrying someone else. It’s between them and their Maker. Do what you have the faith to do (Romans 14:23; Titus 1:15).

Divorcing for illegitimate reasons is a sin, but nowhere does Scripture say that divorce is an unforgiveable offense. As with any transgression, the LORD will forgive us when we humbly confess (1 John 1:8-9) and God casts the sin into the sea of forgetfulness (Micah 7:19). Then you move on guided by the Spirit.

Anyone – including Christian servant-leaders – who imply that they never sin is a liar (Proverbs 20:9; Ecclesiastes 7:20; 1 John 1:8).

Now let’s take a second look at…

What Is the Purpose of Marriage?

The marriage covenant between a man & woman has several purposes:

Intimate fellowship with another soul – spiritually, mentally and physically (Matthew 19:4-6);
Procreation;
A legitimate outlet for sexual activity and the corresponding pleasure (Song of Solomon);
Preventing the spread of immorality and the corresponding sexual diseases (1 Corinthians 7:2);
And providing a strategic foundational sanctuary for your children wherein kids are lovingly brought up in the training and instruction of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4).

Yet there’s a deeper purpose as marriage is actually a type of God’s relationship with those of whom the Creator reconciles (Ephesians 5:31–32).

New Testament Instructions for Married Couples

Here’s what Paul instructed married couples by the Holy Spirit:

²¹ Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

²² Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. ²³ For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. ²⁴ Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her ²⁶ to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, ²⁷ and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. ²⁸ In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. ²⁹ After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— ³⁰ for we are members of his body. ³¹ “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” ³² This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. ³³ However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

Ephesians 5:21-33

Any important decision in marriage should obviously be prayed about and discussed by the couple; then they should do what they agree to do since they’re “one flesh.” Interestingly, Abraham was the progenitor of the Israelites and the “father of faith” (Romans 3:27-4:25) and it was his wife, Sarah, who made the decision to acquire Hagar so Abraham could have children through her since Sarah couldn’t bear offspring at the time (Genesis 16). It was also her decision to exile Hagar & Ishmael (the latter being Abraham & Hagar’s child) after she became jealous. My point is that Abraham complied with both decisions (Genesis 21). Yet one of the spouses has to have the final say on a matter in cases of disagreement and that is, according to the Scriptures, the husband since he is the “head.”

You’ll note in the Ephesians passage that the husband’s headship isn’t an excuse for abuse. In fact the text exhorts the husbands to love their wives three times …

in a self-sacrificial manner as Christ loves the Church (verse 25)
as their own bodies (verse 28)
as themselves (verse 33)

Why should husbands love their wives “as their own bodies” – “as themselves”? Because a married couple is not two, but one. As such, what you do to your spouse, you do to yourself. Thus wives are instructed to respect their husband; if they don’t, they’re disrespecting themselves.

Should a Believer Marry an Unbeliever?

No. If a believer does this s/he will automatically get the devil as a father-in-law (John 8:44; 1 John 3:10) and the couple will be unequally yoked (2 Corinthians 6:14).

In cases where one of the spouses of an already-married couple gets saved, the Scriptures instruct the believer to continue in the marriage unless the unbelieving spouse decides to abandon the union (1 Corinthians 7:15). Obviously the other two legitimate grounds for divorce noted earlier apply as well.

Closing Thoughts

The purpose of this article is to provide general scriptural instructions on marriage and related topics. The main purpose is to understand the biblical definition of marriage, which is a covenant — an agreement — of a committed relationship between a biological male & female, which doesn’t require a pronouncement by an official, whether a minister or judge, nor does it demand a written document for verification.

This should help the Church relate to and serve couples who — for whatever reason — haven’t (yet) made their marriages more legally binding in a conventional sense. This is not to suggest, of course, that every couple who’s living together is married; many are just living in fornication until they choose to leave at whim, which obviously is not marriage (John 4:16-18).

For believers, it’s wise to make our marriages legally-binding for the reasons noted above, including respect & submission to the community and corresponding authorities, which makes for a good Christian witness. This explains why a pastor might counsel a Common Law-married couple to make their marriage more legally binding by doing the paperwork, particularly if they want to join the assembly in question.

Beyond that, we should be careful about nosing into a couple’s marital details and simply take them at their word; after all, that’s what the LORD does (Matthew 12:36-37; Proverbs 18:21). Such things are between them and their Maker. Let the Word of God and the Holy Spirit guide them, convict them, etc.

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Insights on HOLY WATER and SAYING GRACE

The Bible doesn’t say anything about “holy water,” but the concept would apply to anything we consume to live — which would include what we drink — and is relative to this passage:

For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, ⁵because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.

1 Timothy 4:4-5

This reveals the purpose of “saying grace,” which is:

To thank our Creator for the food & drink à la Matthew 15:36 & 1 Corinthians 11:23-25.
To consecrate it by the word of God & prayer.

‘Consecrate’ means to “set apart as sacred” or “make holy” — i.e. purify — which explains the English Standard Version’s translation of the text:

For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, ⁵for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.

1 Timothy 4:4-5 (ESV)

So by speaking the word of God & praying over what you consume — that is, blessing it — you are by faith purging any potential impurities. Say, for instance, a restaurant is inadvertently serving contaminated food and everyone gets sick who ate that particular food except the believers who prayed over their vittles and actually believed. Another example would be if someone poisoned your food or beverage, like a guy slipping a knock-out drug in a woman’s drink.

This explains how a believer walking in faith could unknowingly drink poison and not be hurt by it (Mark 16:18).

Does this mean you have to pray over all foods & drinks just before partaking, including every little snack? You can, if your faith requires it (see Romans 14:23). Not to mention it’s a good idea to do so when you eat with others, especially publicly, for the sake of the other believers present, if not yourself. However, if you already have your “shield of faith” up you’re good to go as is, although you can certainly “say grace” to express thanks and as a positive confession or courtesy. To explain, consider when Paul was bit by a venomous snake:

After we were brought safely through, we then learned that the island was called Malta. ²The native people showed us unusual kindness, for they kindled a fire and welcomed us all, because it had begun to rain and was cold. ³When Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and put them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand. ⁴When the native people saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “No doubt this man is a murderer. Though he has escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live.” ⁵He, however, shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. ⁶They were waiting for him to swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But when they had waited a long time and saw no misfortune come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god.

Acts 28:1-6

Paul was already walking in a state of faith — and therefore had his “shield of faith” up — and, as such, suffered no ill effects when the viper bit him. Notice he didn’t drop everything and say a prayer or speak in faith. Why not? Because he was already walking in faith. It’s the same principle with partaking of food & drink: If the believer is already walking in faith he or she is covered when partaking of vittles and thus any impurities will not harm him/her.

Beware of the Legalistic “Saying Grace” Police

About a dozen years ago I was at a Christian assembly where I innocently picked up a cupcake in the lobby and proceeded to take a bite. A woman was nearby and she rebuked me for eating the cupcake without technically “saying grace.” This was a cheerless woman who always insisted on being called “Apostle Such-&-Such” (even though she wasn’t an apostle in the remotest sense). She was not aware that (1) I was already walking in faith and thus my shield of faith was “up,” (2) the pastor had already prayed over the snacks earlier when the woman wasn’t present and (3) I was thankful for the cupcake even if I didn’t verbally express it on this particular occasion.

This shows that giving thanks & praying over foods/drinks can devolve into a Pharisaical custom wherein staunch legalists judge and condemn accordingly.

It goes without saying that we need to be careful to not allow the wonderful practice of giving thanks & praying over foods to become an eye-rolling legalistic ritual.

The Six Basic Doctrines of Christianity

Can Christians Drink Alcoholic Beverages?

The Issue of Eating Meat Sacrificed to Idols

Legalism — Understanding Its Many Forms

ACCOUNTABILITY — the Good, the Bad and the Eye-Rolling

Some Deeper Questions

Examples of Believers Holding Fellow Believers Accountable

Recent Examples of Accountability From My Own Life

Accountability Gone Bad

Sectarian “Accountability” That Actually Hinders the Truth

Ministers Being “Examples” to the Flock

Eye-Rolling Legalistic “Accountability”

Submitting to Ministers / Submitting to Each Other

Who Oversees the Minister?

Legalists Are Unreasonably Judgmental FAULTFINDERS

Faultfinders Are at Odds With the True Ministerial Spirit — to Build Up and Give LIFE

Closing Thoughts

Why the BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS Is So Vital

Related Topics:

How to OVERCOME LUST

How to Be a GIANT-KILLER

This article is available in book form as chapter 23 of…

Related Topics:

Scriptural MEDITATION and Why It’s Important

Why Is Meditation Important?

Does the Bible Support SLAVERY? (No)

Related Topics:

A 5-Minute Video on the History of Slavery (that LIEberals Don’t Want You to Know About)

What Did Christ Mean By EMPTY (IDLE) WORDS in Matthew 12:36?

What Is MARRIAGE? (and Related Topics)

Why Make Marriage “Legal”?

Is a “Common Law Marriage” Acceptable for Believers?

Wedding Ceremonies Are Rites of Passage

What’s the Purpose of Marriage?

What About Polygamy?

What About Divorce?

What About Remarriage?

What Is the Purpose of Marriage?

New Testament Instructions for Married Couples

Should a Believer Marry an Unbeliever?

Closing Thoughts

This article is also available in book form as a chapter in…

Related Topics:

Insights on HOLY WATER and SAYING GRACE

Beware of the Legalistic “Saying Grace” Police

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