BEN F. VICK, JR.
"And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods. And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward" (Luke 16:1-2).
One definition of "accountable" is "liable to be called on to render an account; answerable; as, every man is accountable to God for his conduct." All of us are accountable. When the rich man had heard that his steward had wasted his goods, he called him into account. Some seem to think they are so high and mighty that they are not answerable to anyone. But no person is so great that he or she is not accountable to someone.
Children are a blessing from the Lord (Gen 4:1; 33:5; 41:50-52; Psa.127:3). Parents have a great responsibility to rear their children right. The Law of Moses required parents to instill a love for the Lord in their children, which entailed regular, consistent teaching. "Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey. Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates" (Deut. 6:3-9). What words did Moses command them? Love the Lord God with all your heart, soul, and might.
Question: Are you, as a parent, instilling a love for the Lord or a passion for this world in the hearts of your children? Each parent shall give an account of their stewardship as to whether they have squandered or wasted opportunities to teach their children what is most important in life. It has been said: I cannot hear what you say because your actions ring so loudly in my ears. I do not remember all my godly mother said, but I recall her great and godly example. What shall your children remember about you? What shall a child profit if it gains all the education that can be obtained (and I am not against education) only to grow up and lose its soul? Are we investing in our children's souls by teaching them how to worship?
Employees are accountable to their employers. We see this principle in the instructions given to servants in the New Testament. Paul wrote, "Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free" (Eph.6:5-8). Do you give a day's work for a day's pay? There are too many slackers in various areas of employment today. There must have been some in the first century, too, or Paul would not have addressed servants' obligations to masters.
Members of the church are accountable to the elders of the church. The writer of Hebrews said, "Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls…." (Heb.13:17). Elders or shepherds are only authorized to make decisions in the realm of judgment. All members, including each elder, are under the oversight of the eldership. Elders are not to lord over God's heritage. They should take into consideration the congregation's interest and welfare. But congregational rule is not the teachings of the New Testament. Any decision that affects the congregation is to be made by the elders, not one man, a group of men, or the congregation. Otherwise, we will have departed from the teachings of God's Word. The work of the church runs smoothly when members let the elders know that they will be out of town or that they are sick. This is especially true for men assigned certain work in worship assemblies. How long would one keep a job if he did not tell his employer he would be away? It is also good to let the shepherds know when one of his loved ones is sick. Then we can announce it, and all can pray for that person.
The same verse cited above about members also teaches that elders will give an account to God for those placed under their charge. The writer said, "for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you" (Heb. 13:17). Every member of the body of Christ is valuable. Each needs to be fed the Word of God. The shepherds are to tend the flock. In commenting on the two Greek words, both translated as "feed" in John 21:15-17, Trench says:
The lesson, in fact, which we learn from this is a most important one, and one which the Church, and all that bear rule in the Church, have need diligently to lay to heart; this namely, that whatever else of discipline and rule may be superadded thereto, still, the feeding of the flock, the finding for them of spiritual food, is the first and last; nothing else will supply the room of this, nor may be allowed to put this out of that foremost place which by right it should occupy. How often, in a false ecclesiastical system, the preaching of the Word loses its preeminence; the βόσκειν [Greek Word for "feed" in John 21:15,17] falls into the background, is swallowed up in the ποιμαίνειν [Greek Word for "feed" in John 21:16.] which presently becomes no true ποιμαίνειν, because it is not a βόσκειν as well, but such a ‘shepherding' rather as God's Word by the prophet Ezekiel has denounced (xxxiv.2,3, 8, 10; Zech.xi.15-17; Matt. xxiii.)
All will one day give an account to God. Paul wrote, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad" (2 Cor 5:10; Rom. 14:10).