21 Days of Prayer: Day 17

Discipleship: Accountability

“I opposed him to his face . . . when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel . . .”

GALATIANS 2:11-14.

Accountability is something we want for others, but rarely want for ourselves. We want others to be held accountable for their actions, but we do not want to be held accountable for our own.

Early Church Father, Augustine, once wrote: “A brotherly person rejoices on my account when he approves me, but when he disapproves, he is loving me. To such people I will reveal myself. They will take heart from my good traits, and sigh with sadness at my bad ones. My good points are instilled by you and are your gifts. My bad points are my faults and your judgements on them. Let them take heart from the one and regret the other. Let both praise and tears ascend in your sight from brotherly hearts, your censers. ...But you Lord...Make perfect my imperfections.”


We may not want accountability, but we desperately need it. We need to allow others, who are trusted followers of Christ, access to our hearts to expose our blind spots and tendencies toward sin. Even the most mature of us need someone in our lives to call us out on any behavior that is not of Christ.


This is exactly what Paul did with Peter. Think about it! Paul called Peter out! Now, we know Paul as the writer of most of the New Testament, a deep theologian and successful church planter. Yet, at this moment, Peter was the leader of the Church. Peter was one of the original disciples of Jesus. Peter had all of the clout and prestige, but none of this made him exempt from accountability. Peter would eat with the Gentiles, but when the Jewish believers came around, Peter ghosted the Gentile believers. It was so bad, Peter even caused Barnabas, the son of encouragement, to fall into this hypocrisy. How bad does it have to be to cause a man nicknamed “the son of encouragement” to treat others this way?


Paul was having none of this! Paul could not allow Peter, Barnabas, and others to act in a way that “was not in step with the truth of the gospel.” Paul said of Peter, “I opposed him to his face.” He called him out! Why? The truth of the gospel is more important than the position of Peter. The truth of the gospel is more important than what is comfortable. Accountability holds us to keep “in step with the truth of the gospel.”


What does true biblical accountability look like? Is it just forcing everyone to do the same thing the same way or is there something more to it? What can we learn about accountability from this text?

    1. Biblical Accountability is private before it is public. Notice that Paul “opposed him (Peter) to his face . . .” In a day of subtexts and subtweets, we like to rebuke people in public before we approach them in private. True biblical accountability is a private, personal exchange between two trusted believers. It begins with a personal relationship with that person. Rarely do you rebuke someone with whom you have no personal relationship. 

    2. Biblical Accountability may begin privately, but it could end publicly. Though this is not always the case, it is possible the rebuke must happen in public. This is usually the case in the event of a public sin, such as Peter’s hypocrisy: “I said to Cephas before them all . . .” There are times when someone has sinned publicly that they may need to be rebuked publicly. When in doubt, keep accountability and rebuke private.

    3. Biblical Accountability is based on what is actual, not what is suspected. Notice that Paul says that “I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned.” There was no question that Peter has sinned. Paul was not guessing or suspecting; he knew it to be true. Accountability is not about keeping people from doing what we think they are doing. It is to hold people accountable for what they are actually doing. Accountability should be a deterrent from sinning and from trying to hide that sin. It requires trust and transparency. It requires truth.

    4. Biblical Accountability holds all of us against the same standard. Paul did not hold Peter accountable or rebuke him because Paul simply did not like what Peter did. Paul was not using himself as the standard; the standard was the Gospel: “when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel . . .” Accountability is not about making people just like us; it is about helping people to be more like Christ.

    5. No believer is above or beyond accountability. This means that Peter was just as accountable as Paul and Paul was just as accountable as Barnabas. In the same way, we are just as accountable as all believers. No believer outgrows or is too mature for accountability. We all need to be held accountable by someone who is a trusted follower of Christ. To not have someone in our life to hold us accountable leads to eventual self-destruction: “It is easy to dodge our responsibilities, but we cannot dodge the consequences of dodging our responsibilities” -Sir Josiah Stamp.

Biblical accountability is vital to spiritual growth. This is why accountability is such an important part of our D Groups. In D Groups, individuals hold each other accountable by asking several questions each week including:

- Have you spent time in the Word and in prayer this week? 

- Have you shared the gospel, shared your story, or taken intentional steps toward that end by building a relationship with an unbeliever this week? 

- Have you spent quality time with your family this week? 

- Have you viewed, read, or listened to anything immoral this week? 

- Have you had or have you entertained any lustful thoughts or tempting attitudes this week? 

- Have you told any lies or half-truths to put yourself in a positive light before others?

- Have you participated in any divisive behavior that has caused relational strain or damage this week? 

- Have you lied about any of your answers today? 

It may be uncomfortable; it may be difficult. However, it is worth every moment to encourage each other to grow in Christ.

The ancient Romans had a tradition. Whenever one of their engineers constructed an arch, as the capstone was hoisted into place, the engineer assumed accountability for his work in the most profound way possible: he stood under the arch. 

Are you willing to have this kind of accountability in your life?

Personal Questions:

    1. Why was it so important for Paul to confront Peter and hold him accountable? 

    2. How would you have felt to be Paul in this situation? Would you have handled it the same way? Why/Why not?
    3. How would you have felt to be Peter in this situation? Would you have handled it the same way? Why/Why not? 
    4. Do you have a trusted follower of Christ in your life that holds you accountable on a consistent basis? 

    5.  What is the greatest hindrances to biblical accountability in your life?

Prayer Points:

  • Pray that you will seek to be completely transparent and accountable to be “in step with the truth of the gospel.” 

  • If you do not have someone who holds you accountable on a consistent basis, pray that God will send you someone.

  • Pray that you will be the trusted follower of Christ that others can rely on for accountability.

  • Pray that all accountability at Redeemer Community Church will be according to love, unity, spiritual growth, and for the glory of the Gospel.