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Accountability

Feb 26
Love0

Stop Misquoting Jesus

By Accountability, Christian Living, Jesus, Judgment No Comments

After preaching the Bible for over twenty years, I continue to be amazed by the transformative impact simply declaring the truth of Scripture can have on people’s lives. On a weekly basis, I witness firsthand how the Word of God is profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness (2 Tim. 3:16) for those who will simply yield to it.

Equally astounding, though, is the swift backlash that often comes from those who reject the plain meaning of Scripture in order to defend what is contrary to God’s commands. The mental gymnastics required to deny basic biblical realities would be entertaining if the stakes were not so high. Those who resent moral absolutes as toxic and oppressive fail to realize that they, according to Scripture, walk in the futility of their minds, alienated from God because of the hardness of their hearts (Eph. 4:17-18).

Yet, there is one verse of Scripture that even those who deride and scorn the Bible love to quote authoritatively as they defend all kinds of carnality. Making definitive truth claims often chides detractors to respond, “Ah, Ah, Ah! Judge not lest you be judged (Matt. 7:1)!” Think I’m exaggerating? Consider the following Christian claims:

  • Arrogance is a subtle form of idolatry that God will resist (James 4:6).
  • Lying is offensive to the God of truth and has its origin in hell (John 8:44).
  • Adultery is never justifiable because marriage is a picture of Christ and His church (Eph. 5:22-33).
  • Abortion is murder because God weaves us together in the womb (Psa. 139:13-16).
  • Homosexuality is sinful because it violates God’s natural design (Rom. 1:24-27).
  • All religions are not the same. All roads do not lead to heaven (Matt. 7:13-14).
  • Jesus is not the best way of salvation; He is the only way of salvation (Acts 4:12).

Ideas like these are not revolutionary; they are as old as Christianity itself. Yet, in a post-Christian world where the new religion is self-autonomy, our culture often responds to assertions like these with disgust and vitriol. Even more remarkable, though, is how many people will claim that these historical positions contradict the very Bible that revealed them. Sometimes those who reject most of what Jesus said are eager to quote Matthew 7:1 when they disagree with the moral assessment of another. Who are you to judge? Doesn’t the Bible say judge not?

Sadly, far too many Christians do not know how to respond when antagonists twist and mock the Bible for manipulative purposes. So great is our fear of being too judgmental that some have referred to Jesus’ words in this portion of the Sermon on the Mount as the eleventh commandment. Stripping this verse from its original context makes it the perfect crutch for those anxious to gaslight anyone brave enough to speak what is biblically accurate but unpopular. Ironically, those who cite Jesus’ warning are often the most judgmental toward those with whom they disagree!

Contrary to internet theologians eager to dismiss the Bible with the Bible, Jesus’ instruction about judging others is not a prohibition against discernment and moral accountability. Neither is He suggesting that Christians should never make judgment calls about the behaviors of others. Just a few verses later, Jesus Himself judges that some are like dogs who are resentful of what is holy, and others are like swine that are undeserving of pearls (Matt. 7:6). Later, in the same passage, Jesus warns that we should beware of false prophets, which is hardly possible apart from making judgment calls (Matt. 7:15). Next, He says, “You will know them by their fruits (Matt. 7:16, 20).” Again, insights like these are impractical if it is always wrong to issue any kind of moral verdict. Surely Jesus is not being inconsistent by disobeying His own command!

Instead, our Savior is admonishing us to judge carefully, realizing that the standards we impose on others will be the same criterion by which God evaluates us as well. His point is not that we should never judge, but that we should refuse to do so hypocritically. Thus, before judging others we should honestly evaluate ourselves. To help us grasp this understanding, Jesus provided a powerful analogy immediately after his precept. Imagine noticing a splinter in your brother’s eye but failing to see the log in your own (Matt. 7:3-4)! The solution is not, as many recklessly assume, to ignore the speck in another’s eye indefinitely, but to remove the 2X4 in your own eye first before seeking to help others (Matt. 7:5).

Clearly, Jesus is not suggesting that believers shy away from issues of right and wrong, or that we remain silent due to the ridicule of critics. In a world where the only rule is that there are no rules, Christians are called to be salt and light, which means we do not retreat from speaking what is true and we are just as deliberate to live what is true. May God give us the discernment and commitment to do so.

Adam B. Dooley
February 26, 2026

Oct 22
Love0

Love in the First Degree

By Accountability, Christian Living, Faithfulness, Holiness, Love, Obedience, Priorities, Righteousness, Salvation No Comments

“Loving God and loving people is all that matters.”

Those were the words in an angry email I received the day after preaching a sermon about personal holiness. Intended as a less than subtle rebuke, the writer was eager to correct what he labeled as my “overemphasis on obedience.” Any directives about resisting temptation or regulating behavior were, he insisted, hateful and legalistic. Or, to put it differently, conforming to the standards of Scripture was an unnecessary distraction to the simple hermeneutic of loving God and loving others sincerely.

On the surface, the argument is convincing. After all, Jesus Himself identified the two greatest commandments as loving God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30) while also loving your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:31). The problem, though, is a false dichotomy that fails to consider how we best exhibit genuine love for God.

The moment we substitute loving God for obeying God, we step outside the boundaries of our Savior’s intention for His people. Nowhere does the Bible teach that we simply love God rather than obey Him. Quite the contrary, the consistent witness of Scripture reveals that the greatest expression of our love is obedience. In fact, Jesus not only insisted that we love Him, but He also clarified how we can best do so. “If you love me,” He said, “you will keep my commandments (John 14:15).”

Concluding that since salvation is a gift of grace, we are free to live however we choose is both reckless and misleading. The Apostle John warns us that, because “God is light and in Him is no darkness at all, if we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth (1 John 1:5-6).” The analogy of darkness presents the deceptive waywardness of sin as antithetical to the light of a relationship with Jesus.

True believers refuse to misconstrue the grace of God as an excuse for remaining in their transgressions. No one was clearer on this point than the Apostle Paul, who asked rhetorically, “Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be (Rom. 6:1-2)!” Though we are born again by grace through faith apart from good works (Eph. 2:8-9), the goal of salvation is transformed lives characterized by radical change (Eph. 2:10). The seed of redemption is, without question, the grace of God revealed in the gospel of Jesus, but the fruit of salvation is obedience to and joy in the ways of God.

Perhaps an illustration will shed light on the marriage between our love for God and the actions He commands. Admittedly, no human relationship can completely mirror our connection to Christ, but let me share a story that comes close. Years ago, while dying of a crippling neurological disease, David Ireland came to grips with the reality that he would never hold, kiss, or play catch with the unborn child in his wife’s womb. In his book, Letters to an Unborn Child, Ireland desperately communicated his love for his future son or daughter.

In one of his letters to the child, David included the following description of his remarkable wife: “Your mother is very special. Few men know what it’s like to receive appreciation for taking their wives out to dinner when it entails what it does for us.”

“It means that she has to dress me, shave me, brush my teeth, comb my hair, wheel me out of the house and down the steps, open the garage and put me in the car, take the pedals off the chair, stand me up, sit me in the seat of the car, twist me around so that I’m comfortable, fold the wheelchair, put it in the car, go around to the other side of the car, start it up, back it out, get out of the car, pull the garage door down, get back into the car, and drive off to the restaurant.”

“And then, it starts all over again; she gets out of the car, unfolds the wheelchair, opens the door, spins me around, stands me up, seats me in the wheelchair, pushes the pedals out, closes and locks the car, wheels me into the restaurant, then takes the pedals off the wheelchair so I won’t be uncomfortable. We sit down to have dinner, and she feeds me throughout the entire meal. And when it’s over she pays the bill, pushes the wheelchair out to the car again, and reverses the same routine. And when it’s over—finished—with real warmth she’ll say, “Honey, thank you for taking me out to dinner.”  I never quite know how to answer.”

The point is that you will do anything for someone that you love. For Christians, that means obeying God is never a burden. Gratitude, rather than guilt, drives every believer to honor Christ in word and deed.

Good works may not be the cause of our relationship with the Almighty, but they are the consequence of it. Scripture describes faith in God that fails to produce life change as dead and worthless (James 2:14-26), even as it encourages us to look for deeds appropriate to repentance (Acts 26:20). Jesus Himself explained, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free (John 8:31-32).”

Openly celebrating or continually practicing sinful behavior is entirely contrary to saving faith, no matter how passionately we insist otherwise. Frankly, doing so is the opposite of loving our Savior.

Adam B. Dooley
October 22, 2025

Aug 27
Love0

Accountability in the Body of Christ

By Accountability, Church, Discipleship No Comments

“You cannot continue as a member of this church while you are actively unfaithful to your wife.”
“You cannot remain a member in good standing if you continually sow discord in the body.”
“You cannot deny the bodily resurrection of the saints and call this your church home.”

These are just a few examples of the real conversations I have had over the years in an attempt to reinforce our congregational commitment to truth in the body of Christ. Each one represents a difficult but necessary effort of accountability among believers. I realize that words like accountability and discipline are not popular today, largely because they feel harsh and unloving. Perhaps some of our confusion stems from the popular misinterpretation of Jesus’ command to judge not lest you be judged (Matt. 7:1).

Yet, Scripture unequivocally instructs members of the local church to restore those who stray in a spirit of gentleness (Gal. 6:1). Our Lord reminds us to judge ourselves first and more severely than others, precisely because we will need to make judgments about others at times (Matt. 7:3-5). Jesus also outlines the necessary steps which ensure that discipline within the church is fair and redemptive (Matt. 18:15-20).

When the church at Corinth celebrated the sexual deviance of a member, the Apostle Paul rebuked their arrogance before calling for the man’s excommunication from the fellowship (1 Cor. 5:1, 5, 7, 13). Their efforts to be affirming, accepting, and inclusive were the opposite of God’s expectation, insulting the Savior who washed, sanctified, and justified them (1 Cor. 6:9-11). Likewise, one of the greater weaknesses of modern Christianity is the reckless insistence that the acceptance of bad behavior is an expression of love.

The broader principle Paul offers believers today is that we should not “associate with a so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler (1 Cor. 5:11).” Note the emphasis is on those who parade themselves as Christ followers. Accountability is God’s prescription within the church, not outside it.

Christians are not called to judge unbelievers (1 Cor. 5:9) knowing that they are outside of God’s grace and recipients of divine judgment (1 Cor. 5:13). Instead, we should befriend non-Christians, pray for them, and continually seek to share the good news of the gospel (Matt. 5:13-15; Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 1:8). Tragically, we often invert these principles. Far too many believers are guilty of judging those outside the church whom God wants us to reach while ignoring those inside the church whom God wants us to judge. We are to evangelize the former while preserving the integrity of the latter.

The difference, you see, is one of expectation. We should expect unbelievers to live in wickedness, openly defying the Lord’s commandments. Those who are dead in trespasses and sins will walk according to the course of this world (Eph. 2:1-2). The standard for professing believers is much higher, though, because of the transformative work of the Spirit who dwells in us (John 14:16-21).

So why does the Lord require accountability among His people?

Of all the reasons given in Scripture, the opportunity for repentance is perhaps the most persuasive. Without mincing words, Paul insisted that delivering the immoral man to Satan “for the destruction of his flesh” was the best hope for the salvation of his spirit (1 Cor. 5:5). Clearly, the goal was not public shame, but eternal repentance and salvation. If this professing believer was unsaved, he might come to the faith. Or, if he was simply a wayward, prodigal son, he would assuredly turn from his wickedness. Either way, the goal of holding him accountable for his actions was restoration not retaliation.

What requires accountability? And when should a congregation exercise discipline?

Albert Mohler offers three helpful categories that would justify turning a member out of the church. First, are matters of doctrinal fidelity. Put simply, we are not free to believe whatever we want to believe while remaining part of Christ’s body. Those who do not abide in the teachings of Jesus do not have God (2 John 9). You cannot, for example, deny that the Son is God in human flesh, that the Trinity exists, or that salvation is by grace through faith and call yourself a Christian. These are heretical doctrines that put people outside of the faith.

Second, are matters of morality, or purity of life issues. Here, we are not free to live however we choose and continue as a member of the Lord’s church. When crafting a picture of unrighteousness, Paul includes fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, the effeminate, homosexuals, thieves, the covetous, drunkards, revilers, and swindlers as those in unbelief (1 Cor. 6:9-10). While the list is not exhaustive, the point is that these are behaviors God saves people out of, not lifestyles we should remain in (1 Cor. 6:12).

Third, are matters of unity. No congregant is free to cause division within the church. Scripture admonishes us to keep our eyes on those who cause dissensions (Rom. 16:17) and to reject a factious man after a first and second warning (Titus 3:10-11). Sitting by idly while schisms grow can cause significant damage in a congregation.

No matter the reason for the drastic actions that accountability sometimes requires, repentance and restoration must always be the goal. Measures like these are always meant to help and never hurt. Accountability matters in the local church.

Adam B. Dooley
August 27, 2025

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