The following is an excerpt from our daily devotional series “Back to the Basics,” written by IFA contributing writer Gloria Robles.

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working (James 5:16).

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One word that is not very popular among many Christians today is accountability. The reason that word is unpopular is that it requires submission. Many Christians associate submission with control — and this need not be the case. Control is typically about power by all means. Submission, in our context, is about obedience to duly constituted authority. Sadly, many people find the idea of submission to be problematic, to the point that they end up leaving a church over it.

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The early Church had a proper understanding of both submission and accountability. Phillip the evangelist was ministering powerfully in Samaria. The Church in Jerusalem got word about what was happening, and the elders decided to send the apostles Peter and John to go and oversee. Phillip humbly submitted to the authority of the apostles, and they wound up working together joyfully, side by side, with no hard feelings or bitterness.

When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit … (Acts 8:14–15 NIV).

Surprisingly, some have argued that accountability isn’t biblical. But it is: So then each of us will give an account of himself to God (Rom. 14:12).

Every Christian will give an account to God. This is said in scripture, but did you know that we should also be accountable to one another as members of the Church? The early Church understood that being Christians did not mean we would be perfect. We do mess up. We fall down, but we get back up and move forward. That’s why we are exhorted in James 6 to confess our sins to one another and to pray for one another. This was addressed to the Church.

We all need someone before whom we can be vulnerable and to whom we can admit: “I really messed up”; or, “I’m struggling with this issue, and I need help.” Find someone who is trustworthy, mature, and strong in the faith, and reach out. If you are female, it is wise to reach out to a female confidante. And if you are male, the same principle applies: find a man of God to work with.

Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ (Gal. 6:1–2 NIV).

Again, this was written to the Church. If we see someone in sin, our job is to restore that person’s relationship to the Lord gently — but how we have ignored this verse. Sadly, many Christians are busy doing the devil’s work for him. We accuse our own brothers and sisters, day and night. When a church finds out that someone has been caught in sin, many times the majority will point the finger, gossip, and condemn. And that judgment comes 100-fold when that person is a pastor.

How would the Church look today if we held each other accountable and lifted each other up, instead of tearing each other down? How would the Church look if we could all be vulnerable enough to confess our struggles and sins one to another? Imagine the freedom and deliverance we would see!

Because we Christians have tended to be so judgmental, many choose rather to suffer in silence than to try and reach out for freedom. They remain bound by shame due to the fear of finger-pointing and whispering by their brothers and sisters in the Lord. I imagine that if pastors had more accountability — to their families and to their churches — maybe there would be fewer ministry scandals. But also, if pastors had people to whom they could turn with their struggles, without fear of harsh and judgmental attitudes, perhaps the ministry burnout, dropout, and suicide rates would all be lower, and the mental issues would be fewer.

Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you (Heb. 13:17 NIV).

Submission and accountability should not be things we fear, especially when a Church pursues them in accordance with the word of God. Everyone “loves” the pastor — until a word of correction is given, and then he becomes the most hated person in the church. Pastoral reproof is not easy, and I’m sure no pastor really enjoys having to do it. But it is a biblical mandate, and it is the job of every pastor, for the building up, edification, and maturity of the saints.

Church, we need each other. Let the devil do the accusing, while we instead pray for our brothers, our sisters, our pastors, our elders. Pray for the Church.

Reflection: 

Take time to examine your heart. Are you refusing to be accountable to anyone at all? Have you been guilty of tearing down any Christian who has stumbled? The Bible tells us that we must be humble, or we ourselves may be tempted into the very same sins as those we may be criticizing or seeking to correct. We must confess our sins to the Lord first, and repent, but there may be times we might need to confess sins one to another. If you don’t have a trusted friend, take that to the Lord. Ask Him to give you one. And maybe you can become that trusted friend to someone else.

Prayer: 

Father, here I am. My heart is fully exposed before You. Forgive me, Lord, if I have been less than transparent about my own sin, while too glibly calling out the sin of a brother or sister in Christ. Help your Church to be a people unafraid to be honest one with another, so that we may find the freedom You desire for us to have. Make us a people who won’t run from accountability but rather embrace it to help us mature in our faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another (Prov. 27:17 NIV).

And so encourage one another and help one another, just as you are now doing (1 Thess. 5:11 GNT).

If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it (1 Cor. 12:26–27 NIV).

Are you being accountable to others in your church?

IFA contributing writer Gloria Robles is a passionate intercessor with a prophetic voice for today. For more from Gloria, go to Spotify or Anchor and listen to her podcast, Something To Share. Photo Credit: Bjorn Brekelmans/Getty Images.