Tag: accountability

Personal Accountability

1 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.” 2 And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground. 3 In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, 4 and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, 5 but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. 6 The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.”

8 Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. 9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” 10 And the Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground.

Genesis 4:1-10

Introduction

The story of Cain and Abel is a powerful reminder of how fragile human relationships can be. Even when those relationships are within a family. The Story is also a sad one because it captures the first instance of one person taking the life of another.

Life is a precious gift. It is one that we do not always appreciate. But we become aware of its value when we lose a loved one or when we fear losing our own life. In many ways, this is what makes the story of Cain and able so tragic. Not only is a family broken, not only our brothers at out with each other but in the reversible act sets in motion severe consequences.

Personal accountability is something we learn to do as we mature. But it is something we must learn to do.

One of the challenges we all must encounter in life is understanding that every choice we make will have consequences. Some consequences are easier to see. But most consequences to the choices we make may go unnoticed. This is why we should do all we can to be wise and how we conduct ourselves.

The story of Cain and Abel and how God confronts Cain about his actions is a powerful reminder. Not only must we all give an account for our lives but we will give an account for how we treated others. We cannot control what other people do. What we can do is do all we can to live a life that is consistent with God’s character.

With this in mind let’s see what we can glean from the events that took place in the Scripture above.

I. Why did God ask Cain the question, “Where is your Brother?”

  1. I’ve always found God’s question became to be interesting. But when we consider the question in light of who God is and what he knows we can see that the purpose of the question was for the benefit of the reader.
  2. When God asked Cain where his brother was, was it because the God didn’t know? No.
    • Did God want to see if Cain knew where Able was? No, God already knew where Able was.
    • When God asked the question he is not seeking information. Usually when God asks a question it’s to test if we will acknowledge that he already knows. To see if we will lie or tell the truth.
  3. Was it because God wasn’t sure? No, God was not surprised by what Cain had done.
    • Often times we read the Bible we do so based on incorrect assumptions.
    • If when we read the Bible we assume that God is seeking information we will arrive at incorrect conclusions. As I said above when God asked the question he is clarifying something for the person he is questioning.
  4. God asks the question to reveal Cain’s, and ultimately our own inclination to lie about what we’ve done.
    • When we are confronted by what we have done we are not all that quick to admit it.

II. There is no place where we can go to hid from God.

  1. If there is one thing we should learn to accept as followers of Christ and believers of God is that there is no place where we can go that God is not already there.
    • And while this my cause anxiety for some and concern for others, it should really be reason to be thankful.
    • We should be thankful there is no reason to lie to God. Even when we end up doing it anyway.
  2. We shouldn’t even try to do it. But we do and this is where most of us make a critical mistake in our relationship with God.
    • The mistake we make is thinking that if we confess to God that God’s opinion of us will change. But if he already knows and he still desires to have a relationship with us, that our confidence in God’s grace and mercy should increase. Not decrease.
  3. David understood this. What he rights in Psalm 139 can be very scary because of what it implies for us.
  4. Read Psalm 139:1-12

O Lord, You have searched me and known me. 2 You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. 3 You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways. 4 For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether. 5 You have hedged me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it.

7 Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? 8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. 9 If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10 Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me. 11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,” Even the night shall be light about me; 12 Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, But the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You.

NKJV
  1. David’s recognition that there is no place where we can go to hide from God’s presence should encourage us to accept that there is no place we need to go to hide from his presence.
    • To be in God’s presence is to be where we should long to be at all times.

III. Personal Accountability is about accepting that nothing is hidden and that truth and honesty are always the best way to respond to God.

  1. This is not always easy. As a matter of fact it is pretty hard to do. But that is the challenge.
  2. We may be accountable to many different people for different reasons (work, school, parents, boy/girlfriend).
  3. In the end we are accountable to God and what it is He wants from and for us in our lives.
  4. Cain’s response to God betrayed him because Cain knew that he was his brother’s keeper.
    • There was no hiding it. Anything other than acceptance of this fact was a lie, not so much to the world, but to himself.
  5. I think that Cain knew the moment he asked the question that he was wrong. Cain’s concerns that when others heard what he had done he would be in danger where real.

Conclusion

Personal accountability is something we learn to do as we mature. But it is something we must learn to do. When we don’t we will find ourselves responding to God the way that Cain did. We will know that we have done wrong but because of our guilt and shame, we will try to keep her from God.

Originally Delivered on Sunday, January 21, 2007. It has been edited and expanded.

Personal Responsibility

6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.

8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” 11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” 12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

Genesis 3:6-13

Introduction

The story of the Fall of humanity in the Garden of Eden is the opening scene in the story of God’s work of redemption. That may seem an odd way of saying it. But, if you stop and think about it, it’s true. If God had decided that he was going to start again, we would not have the story!

The fact we do have this retelling of what happened is evidence that God had a greater purpose in mind. He was not dismayed or discouraged by what happened. I would even say God was prepared for it.

In light of God’s grace to continue working with the human race, we can ask some questions about what does it look like to be held responsible for our mistakes? In particular, I wonder how we make sense of what God said and did when he confronted the first couple?

As we consider these questions, I am sure others will come up. And as they do, feel free to write them down and let me know. I would be interested in considering them as well.

The subject of personal responsibility can be difficult to address. Not because we don’t all have an instinctive sense of what should happen. It is difficult because we are not always eager to apply the same standard to ourselves!

If we are ever going to mature as people; to grow in wisdom we have to do our best to not pass off the consequences of our choices to others. We have to accept that our actions were the catalyst for what ended up happening.

With this in mind, I think the story of the Fall provides us with an excellent backdrop for a conversation about Personal Responsibility.

I. Who was responsible for what happened in the Garden of Eden?

  1. Who is the one that is most often blamed for what happened in the garden?
  2. The one responsible was Adam.
    • It was to Adam to whom God had given the authority to care and tend for the garden and everything in it. This responsibility included Eve, his wife.
  3. This story is less about who is to blame and more about what happens when we as individuals fail to take our responsibilities seriously.
  4. The story of the fall has to do with fulfilling the responsibility or responsibilities God has given to each one of us.

II. What is responsibility?

  1. In short, it is the ability to respond to what is presented to me.
    • Example 1: If I see a car approaching someone who does not see it, I have a responsibility to warn the person in danger.
    • Example 2: If I see a car approaching someone who does not see it, but I am at home and don’t see the car, then I can’t be responsible for warning the person in danger. I don’t have the ability to respond to a danger I am not aware of.
  2. We should begin to look around at the different areas of our lives to see where I have the ability to respond, and then take the necessary steps to change what needs to be changed.
  3. When we assume responsibility for something completely out of our control, we also feel guilt for something we had no power to change, or even influence.

III. Most of what we get ourselves into is our fault.

  1. Take more initiative in ordering your life by God’s ways and commands rather than your own. (Ps. 37:23-24)
  2. The first place to look when something begins to go in a way we didn’t want or plan is to look at ourselves. We must then decide if we are following the will of God in it or not.
  3. Until we make this assessment, we will do our own thing, and the blame God for it.

Originally Delivered on Sunday, January 14, 2007. It has been edited and expanded.

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