Accountability & One’s Rights

Accountability & One’s Rights                                   January 23, 2022

“But you, why do you judge (unrighteous judgment) your (Christian) brother?  Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt?  For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God.  For it is written, ‘As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall give praise to God’ (Isaiah 45:23).  So then each one of us shall give account of himself to God” (Romans 14:10-12).

Unfortunately, we live in a society where few people want to be held accountable to anyone for anything.  They want to do whatever they want to do and express whatever they want to say without being questioned or punished.  They justify their actions by referring to the Charter of Rights & Freedoms and demand that no one can refuse them their rights and if they do then they need to be held accountable for having denied them their rights.

Actually ,when it comes to rights, the only right we have is one given to us by Jesus Christ.  The apostle John tells us what this right is in John 1:12-13 which states, “But as many as received Jesus, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, whom were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” Imagine that – we have the right to become a child of God and become a part of His spiritual family with all the privileges and joys that go along with that.  There is no greater right than this and yet how many in this world know little to nothing about this right being available to them?

However, there are those who do know about this right from Christ but refuse to accept it?  This rejection is not new to Jesus for when He lived here on earth He was often rejected by the leaders of the Jewish people (John 12:46-50).  Ironic isn’t it?  The very One who gives us rights is rejected by those demanding their rights.  Why is this so?  Well, in becoming a child of God we need to deny ourselves of the rights that we want in order to become like our Savior, Jesus Christ (Matthew 16:24-28).

Knowing that each of us shall give an account of his/her life before God on the day of Judgment should cause us to think less of ourselves and more of others like Jesus did when He lived on earth.  Life should not be focused on what I want but rather on what God wants and expects of us.  To ignore the right to become a child of God after all that He has done for us has serious consequences.  By the way, all those spending eternity in hell have no rights whatsoever.  That can only be found and enjoyed by those in heaven who have accepted the right to become a child of God by being born again into God’s family.

When it comes to our rights and following Jesus, He gives us the following suggestion: “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself (his rights), and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.  For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.  For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself (his soul)” (Luke 9:23-25; Mark 8:36).

When it comes to rights, which is most important – yours or the ones God offers you?

Brian Thompson