Will You Please Hold Me Accountable?

Life Lessons from 1 Corinthians, Chapter 5

I remember sharing a sticky situation I was in with a good Christian friend. And I remember her giving me loving correction and warning. They were the words I needed to hear.

In 1 Corinthians 5, Paul rebukes the believers in Corinth for allowing the sin of a fellow believer to go uncorrected.

“I can hardly believe the report about the sexual immorality going on among you—something that even pagans don’t do. I am told that a man in your church is living in sin with his stepmother.^[a] ²You are so proud of yourselves, but you should be mourning in sorrow and shame. And you should remove this man from your fellowship.” 1 Corinthians 5:1-2

If left uncorrected, the sinful actions of this man would not only harm the man but could also harm the church.

“Your boasting about this is terrible. Don’t you realize that this sin is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough?⁷Get rid of the old “yeast” by removing this wicked person from among you.” 1 Corinthians 5:6-7a

I hope the church heeded Paul’s warning. I don’t know the man’s background, and I am not sure how it turned out, but I hope he took the correction well and repented (turned from) his sin. His response would have undoubtedly had a lot to do with how his fellow believers approached him.

The motivation behind our correction of a fellow believer should be love, protection,

and a desire for them to return to fellowship with Christ and His church.

If my friend had not loved and cared for me, I would not have listened to her opinion and advice. I knew she wanted the best for me. I also knew that when I confided in her, it would stay between her and me and not become the subject of gossip.

We all need a trusted friend with whom we can confide. And we all need a friend with Godly wisdom who cares for us spiritually and is not afraid to tell us the truth when needed. I’m thankful for my friend, and I strive to be that kind of friend to others. We all need accountability.

Who do you know that needs loving correction? And what is your motivation for approaching a fellow believer who needs accountability? Is your motivation love for the person? Do you desire for them to turn from their sin? Will you lovingly receive them back into fellowship when they demonstrate true repentance?

I ask you to hold me accountable, and I offer to do the same for you!