Absolutes and Accountability

God has established a divine pattern of accountability to Him. Many embrace a doctorine of christian or scriptural liberties. Since the creation of man, God has established a divine pattern of accountability to Him.

Genesis 2:15-17 (The Message): God took the Man and set him down in the Garden of Eden to work the ground and keep it in order. God commanded the Man, “You can eat from any tree in the garden, except from the Tree-of-Knowledge-of-Good-and-Evil. Don't eat from it. The moment you eat from that tree, you're dead."

Jeremiah chapter 7 reveals God’s accountability plan. Living in a culture that accepts relativism over absolute truth causes us to disagree with the fact that when God speaks there is no room for discussion. God says what He means and means what He says. However, the modern way of thinking is getting far from this concept of absolutes.

Jeremiah was called to speak the Word of the Lord to the people. Jeremiah 7:8-11(The Message): Get smart! Your leaders are handing you a pack of lies, and you're swallowing them! Use your heads! Do you think you can rob and murder, have sex with the neighborhood wives, tell lies nonstop, worship the local gods, and buy every novel religious commodity on the market—and then march into this Temple, set apart for my worship, and say, "We're safe!" thinking that the place itself gives you a license to go on with all this outrageous sacrilege? A cave full of criminals! Do you think you can turn this Temple, set apart for my worship, into something like that? Well, think again. I've got eyes in my head. I can see what's going on. God's Decree!

Years before Jeremiah’s time God reveled to Moses His will for the conduct of His chosen people. This was not optional—it was law. This included the Ten Commandments. God’s message through Jeremiah was quite clear—you have been disobedient and you must be accountable.

It seems many people are confused with the fact that because good things are happening in a church, organization or family the relationship with God is correct. Some justify acts of kindness and church growth as tolerance from God of sin within a church or person. However, God warned that doing some things right did not cover other wrongs. Our destiny is not based solely on love, tolerance, giving to the poor, or other good deeds or actions in life. The Scripture is very clear that one is not saved by works (Ephesians 2:8, 9). Jeremiah said God would not excuse their sinfulness, even if they went to the right place to worship. God was holding them accountable. God knows what we are doing. His sees every move (Jeremiah 7:11).

I pray that I will not embrace a relative attitude. I want to accept God’s Word as an absolute for my life. I must be accountable for every action, deed, and word. Just as Adam and Eve were commanded to not eat of the tree I believe there are scriptural commands for my life. I can’t blame the serpent, my spouse, or others for my actions or motives. God will hold me accountable for every action.