Jesus and Responsibility

In receiving the abundant grace and mercy of Jesus, we may be tempted to believe there is no accountability for our actions or personal responsibility for our choices; however, Scripture in both Old and New Testaments is clear that our choices have consequences (see Deut 30:11-20; Proverbs 11:18, 22:8; 2 Cor 9:6, Gal 6:7-8, James 3:18).  It is built into the fabric of creation, and is even expressed as a law of physics, that actions produce reactions.  The reason God created such a system was out of love for us.  Imagine for a moment what our lives would be like if our actions produced no predictable results.  How could we ever learn what is beneficial (blessings of Deuteronomy) and what is harmful (curses)?  Without resulting consequences, we would be repeating the same harmful actions over and over again, but never learning.  We would also be living in a world ruled by chaos, without order and without understanding or wisdom. 

I have heard two excellent illustrations of this truth.  The first was from Charles Stanley, who said, “if I throw a baseball at a window, and the moment the ball releases from my hand I ask Jesus to forgive me, He will forgive me; but the ball will still hit the window, the glass will still break, and I will still need to clean up the broken glass and replace the window.”  In other words, asking forgiveness from Jesus does not remove the responsibility for making amends for our actions.  As was the case with Zacchaeus (Luke 10:1-10), Jesus asks us to restore what has been stolen, even as our sin is forgiven.  The other illustration was from John Eldredge, who throwing down a tennis ball said “choice” and as the ball bounced back up to his hand, he said “consequence.”  He was making the point that each choice we make has a predictable result, and that this pattern of action-reaction had been established by God.  What would it be like if we threw down a ball, and had no idea where it would wind up based on our throw? 

So it was love that determined choice and consequence, which gave us responsibility and in so doing produced real freedom.  Accountability, then, is part of love, and removing responsibility or consequences for choices ultimately removes freedom.  This truth is applicable in all of our relationships – from our partnership with Jesus to our marital relationships to our parenting to our friendships.  Remember, as Stanley eloquently illustrated, Jesus will forgive our sins but will not remove responsibility for the consequences of our choices.  In so doing, He shows His love for us in a deeper, and far more respectful, manner.  We need to do the same in our relationships with others.