"What does the Bible say on the importance of accountability?"

With much temptation already in the world today, Satan is working overtime to create more. We must have a brother or sister we can count on when we are facing temptations that threaten our spiritual lives. King David was alone the evening he was tempted by Satan. You may have thought it was Bathsheba that tempted him, but the Bible tells us we fight a war not of flesh but of the spirit, “For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world's rulers of the darkness of this age, and against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). David learned a costly lesson by allowing temptation to overcome him—God struck his son with sickness and allowed him to die.

Knowing we are in a battle against the spiritual forces of darkness, we should want as much help as we can gather around us. In Ephesians, Paul goes on to tell us that we must be equipped with all the power that God supplies to fight this battle: “Therefore, put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand” (Ephesians 6:13). Notice that Paul said “that you may be able to withstand.” He realized that even if we equip ourselves with everything God has to offer in defense of evil, we are still human and we may not always be able to resist Satan’s temptations. So, what more can we do to stand against evil and temptation? We know without a doubt that temptation will come.

Satan knows our weaknesses, and he knows when we are vulnerable. He knows when a married couple is squabbling. He knows when a child has been punished by his parents and might be feeling spiteful. He knows when things aren’t going well at work and reminds us of that bar that is on the way home. Where do we find help if we have done all we can do to fight the battle? We want to do what’s right in the sight of God, yet we are weak humans. What do we do?

Proverbs 27:17 says, “Iron sharpens iron; so a man sharpens his friend's countenance.” A friend’s countenance is a look or expression indicative of encouragement or of moral support. When is the last time you had a friend call you just to ask how you were doing? When is the last time you called a friend and asked her if she needed to talk? Encouragement and moral support from a friend are sometimes the missing ingredients in fighting the battle against Satan.

The writer of Hebrews summed it up when he said, “Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins” (Hebrews 10:19-26).

[1] Begin each day walking with your best friend and Lord, Jesus Christ;

[2] With an open, loving heart that Jesus provides, draw near to friends (your accountability team);

[3] Remember your confession of faith to the One who can change lives;

[4] Encourage one another (your accountability team) in love, urging each other to love and to do good to others, as you continue to meet together (with your team or church family);

[5] Satisfied that you have done everything possible to avoid sin and to help your brothers and sisters to remain strong in their faith, praise God for what He is doing in your life!

Article: gotquestions.org

Here a few accountable scriptures: Mat.12:36,18:23// Luke.12:20, 12:48, 16:2, 19:15, 21:36// Rom.14:12//I Pet.4:4,5//Rev.20:12,13.
Accountability or being answerable to God is a very sobering thing, it is like unto this; “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God, but call to remembrance the former days…

Notice that Paul said “that you may be able to withstand.” He realized that even if we equip ourselves with everything God has to offer in defense of evil, we are still human and we may not always be able to resist Satan’s temptations. So, what more can we do to stand against evil and temptation?

Get an accountability team?

I`m sorry but I absolutely dont agree with this message, it proposes that the whole armor of GOD is not enough, that even if GOD equips us we are still lacking. What?

As "edifying" as fellowship with our brothers or sisters may be, the Scripture does not teach that they are our "accountability team" and we need them to keep from falling.

Does it not tell us that the "shield of faith, with which you will be able to put out ALL the flaming arrows of the evil one"

Is that another s faith, or our own? Shall the armor only give us ability to resist some temptation and not all?

Does scripture not also tell us that if we are born of the Spirit we will overcome?

1Jn 5:4 Everyone who is born from God has overcome the world. Our faith is the victory that overcomes the world.

It seems to me, the crucial thing, the "more" that we need, but which is the breath of the "full armor of God" is not an accountability team, but to live in the Spirit.

Gal 5:16 So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will never fulfill the desires of the flesh.


Jud 1:24 Now to the One who is able to keep you from falling and to make you stand faultless in his glorious presence with rejoicing,
Jud 1:25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority before all time and for all eternity! Amen.

An "accountablity team" is a good idea. However there are times when those team members just aren't available. Also a team or even a person has to be equipped to help in your area in vulnerablity. If your area of vulnerablity is porn and your accountablity person(s) strengths are in drinking or drugs or devotions, etc. then they will be of little help. They can encourage but thats about it. More over they may not even be aware of your personal triggers which allow you to stumble and thus have no way of helping you through them or setting up fire drills.

Putting on the Full Armor of God is a great start. Do you know how to corretly fight in that armor? If you don't then you might as well parade naked. More over there is a weapon in the Full Armor of God. Its the Sword which is the Word of God. Do you know how to use the sword? Do you know when the thrust or parry or block? Using a sword is something that takes time to do well and a lifetime to master.

More than that there is a time to statigically retreat. When confronted by Potiphar's Wife and her advances what did he do? He fled. He ran away. Why because there was no other way to confront that situation. He told her no, nicely. She pursued. He gave reason why it was wrong. She pursued. He ran she lied and he suffered but he also lived because Potiphar believe his testimony. Yes he suffered prison but it was a lesser evil than the one he could have commited.

There was no one Joseph could turn to for help and the Full Armor of God was of no use in that type of attack. Joseph used what I call a fire drill. A fire drill is a plan to remove the temptation from in front of you by the most expediant means possible. The scriptures provide us with a full arsenal and a battle plan. In order to use that arsenal and
execute that battle plan we need training. When I joined the Marines I was very strong and could shot the wings off a fly at 50 yards. By the time I left I was even stronger, much faster, was capable of handling a variety of situation in combat and could shot the legs off a fly one by one at 900 yards. My point? Training makes a difference.

So by all means get accountablity parners, put on the Full Armor of God and draw your Sword. But most of all get trained for combat otherwise you will fall no matter how well equipped you are.

Good post...Jesus also talked about accountability in the parable of talents. Matthew 25:14-30

Originally Posted by Chad

"What does the Bible say on the importance of accountability?"

With much temptation already in the world today, Satan is working overtime to create more. We must have a brother or sister we can count on when we are facing temptations that threaten our spiritual lives. King David was alone the evening he was tempted by Satan. You may have thought it was Bathsheba that tempted him, but the Bible tells us we fight a war not of flesh but of the spirit, “For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world's rulers of the darkness of this age, and against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). David learned a costly lesson by allowing temptation to overcome him—God struck his son with sickness and allowed him to die.

Knowing we are in a battle against the spiritual forces of darkness, we should want as much help as we can gather around us. In Ephesians, Paul goes on to tell us that we must be equipped with all the power that God supplies to fight this battle: “Therefore, put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand” (Ephesians 6:13). Notice that Paul said “that you may be able to withstand.” He realized that even if we equip ourselves with everything God has to offer in defense of evil, we are still human and we may not always be able to resist Satan’s temptations. So, what more can we do to stand against evil and temptation? We know without a doubt that temptation will come.

Satan knows our weaknesses, and he knows when we are vulnerable. He knows when a married couple is squabbling. He knows when a child has been punished by his parents and might be feeling spiteful. He knows when things aren’t going well at work and reminds us of that bar that is on the way home. Where do we find help if we have done all we can do to fight the battle? We want to do what’s right in the sight of God, yet we are weak humans. What do we do?

Proverbs 27:17 says, “Iron sharpens iron; so a man sharpens his friend's countenance.” A friend’s countenance is a look or expression indicative of encouragement or of moral support. When is the last time you had a friend call you just to ask how you were doing? When is the last time you called a friend and asked her if she needed to talk? Encouragement and moral support from a friend are sometimes the missing ingredients in fighting the battle against Satan.

The writer of Hebrews summed it up when he said, “Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins” (Hebrews 10:19-26).

[1] Begin each day walking with your best friend and Lord, Jesus Christ;

[2] With an open, loving heart that Jesus provides, draw near to friends (your accountability team);

[3] Remember your confession of faith to the One who can change lives;

[4] Encourage one another (your accountability team) in love, urging each other to love and to do good to others, as you continue to meet together (with your team or church family);

[5] Satisfied that you have done everything possible to avoid sin and to help your brothers and sisters to remain strong in their faith, praise God for what He is doing in your life!

Article: gotquestions.org

Excellent post!! Thank you.

James4: ⁶But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. ⁷Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

1Peter 5:5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all [of you] be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble

Ephesians 5:21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

Unwillingness to submit yourself to God or to one another is pride. Therefor we need to do both. First to God then, in keeping with submission to God, one to another.

Psalm 111:10 The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do [his commandments]: his praise endureth for ever.

Originally Posted by Coconut

Get an accountability team?

I`m sorry but I absolutely dont agree with this message, it proposes that the whole armor of GOD is not enough, that even if GOD equips us we are still lacking. What?

As "edifying" as fellowship with our brothers or sisters may be, the Scripture does not teach that they are our "accountability team" and we need them to keep from falling.

Does it not tell us that the "shield of faith, with which you will be able to put out ALL the flaming arrows of the evil one"

Is that another s faith, or our own? Shall the armor only give us ability to resist some temptation and not all?

Does scripture not also tell us that if we are born of the Spirit we will overcome?

1Jn 5:4 Everyone who is born from God has overcome the world. Our faith is the victory that overcomes the world.

It seems to me, the crucial thing, the "more" that we need, but which is the breath of the "full armor of God" is not an accountability team, but to live in the Spirit.

Gal 5:16 So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will never fulfill the desires of the flesh.


Jud 1:24 Now to the One who is able to keep you from falling and to make you stand faultless in his glorious presence with rejoicing,
Jud 1:25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority before all time and for all eternity! Amen.

Galatians 5:16 is one of my favorites for turning from sin. In 1Timothy 1:15 Paul doesn't say he 'was' the chief sinner, he said "I am" which means even though he lived by the Spirit, he also knows he is a sinner and states such.

As far as the ‘accountability team” Matthew 18:15-17 makes it clear. For example, if you see someone in the church who claims to be a Christian and follower of Christ in an adulterous affair; you are to go to him (or her) first. If this person does not listen to you, then you are to take one or two more with you. If he still refuses to listen and repent of his sin, then you tell the church. If he still refuses to listen to even the church then he is to be treated as the Gentiles and tax collectors (unsaved person who is to be witnessed to not treated like a member of the church who is obedient to God)

Luke 17:3 is more church discipline in rebuking him till he repent.

And 2 Corinthians 2:1-11 says to comfort him and confirm your love for him, or the sorrow he feels from the sin against God might swallow him up in despair.

Unfortunately most churches these days are politically correct rather than God correct. And even fewer use firm godly love to discipline their members so that the children are taught that sin is not ok.

(just a footnote here) Luke 17:3 however, does not give us the excuse to refuse individual forgiveness until an offender ‘repents’ to us, which I used as my excuse for many years. Most of the people we are commanded to forgive won’t ever come to us asking that we forgive. We can forgive the person. Only God can forgive the sin when they come to Him.

i have not been accountable at all here lately going on 6mos havent been going to church nor reading im not leading my family in the right way and i fully expect to pay for this.
but i went to the lords house today and i ask him to take our hand again, but i know that i am wrong for leading this way