Accountability
The Bible encourages confession, warns against the hardness of the heart, and urges us to be devoted to one another in love. We ultimately model our accountability before God by voluntarily developing safe and honest accountability relationships with one another.
Accountability is the relational process by which Christians meet semi-regularly to ask deliberate questions, honestly confess sins, humbly display mercy, and build one another up in the grace of God for spiritual transformation and growth (Ps. 39:3; 51:4; Prov. 20:5; 28:13; Heb. 3:12; Jm. 5:17).
Sample Accountability Questions:
- What has been more important to you than God in the last week?
- Has your life displayed a love for Jesus and a joy because of Jesus this last week?
- What in the Bible this week has taught you, rebuked you, corrected you, or trained you in righteousness?
- Have you given yourself to deep, heartfelt prayer—adoring God, confessing sin, interceding for others?
- Is there any sin that you’ve become aware of but love too much to repent of?
- How have you responded when others have pointed out sin in your life?
- When you’ve seen someone sin, have you humbly challenged them or proudly gossiped about them?
- Have you been deliberate in caring for and discipling your family this week?
- Is your public life and devotion for Jesus a mirror of your private life and devotion to Jesus?
- Have you been bold in sharing Jesus with others or have you shied away from it?
- Have you been deliberate about building relationships with those who don’t know Jesus?
- Have you been good and faithful with what God has given you in terms of time, money, and gifts?
- Is there anyone you need to forgive or seek forgiveness from?
- Are you allowing bitterness to build up towards anyone?
- Have you been with someone this week that could be misunderstood or deemed inappropriate?
- Have there been times when you have lost self-control because of alcohol, drugs, anger, or lust?
- Has your use of social media—time spent on it and what you have posted on it—honored Jesus this week?