OUR ACCOUNTABILITY TO GOD.
By John Nevins Andrews
“So then,” says St. Paul, “every one of us shall give account of himself to God.” Rom. 14:12. In another place he says, “Not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth.” 2 Cor. 10:18. The time will come when every one must answer before God for his own conduct. We must give account to him, not only for the evil that we have done, but also for the good that we have neglected to do. Our time, our strength, our health, our property, our talents, all belong to God; and for the use of these valuable gifts which he has intrusted to us we must render account to him. We are not responsible for the sin of Adam, nor for the fact that we belong to a fallen race, for these things are not our fault. But the fountain of grace and mercy has been opened to us by the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are responsible if we neglect to repent of our sins. We are responsible if we neglect the gospel of Christ, and remain in our natural unconverted state. Every sinner is responsible to God for neglecting the great salvation which has been provided. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is so rich and so abundant that it makes the salvation of every sinner possible. “To-day if ye will hear his voice,” says the apostle, “harden not your hearts.” Heb. 3:7, 8. We are responsible for every day in which we neglect this gracious invitation, and the Spirit of God may at any time become grieved with us, and cut short our day of grace. The blood of Christ has power to cleanse the sinner from his guilt, but it will not do it without his co-operation. He must repent, and obey the gospel. It is possible for him to do it to-day, and he is responsible for every day in which he neglects to obey. The invitation of the gospel is extended to all classes of men. The poor and the lowly are not forgotten. Those who are ignorant and of feeble intellect are as freely invited as the rich, the noble, and the learned of earth. “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden,” says Christ, “and I will give you rest.” Matt. 11:28. The invitation is to every person that feels his need of Christ. The condition is the unreserved surrender of the heart to God. The time to accept this invitation is the present moment, and our eternal destiny will be determined by the decision which we make. We are responsible for every hour in which we neglect the grace of God. The day of Judgment will call us to account for refusing to accept the gracious offer of pardon through the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Those who have named the name of Christ are under obligation to depart from all iniquity. 2 Tim. 2:19. They are commanded to walk even as Christ walked, and they will be called to account if they neglect to do it. They are the representatives of Christ upon earth; and they must walk worthy of Him who has called them unto glory and unto virtue. They have been bought with a price. They must therefore glorify God with every power of their being. They cannot hide their talent in the earth. God has the first claim upon them. They are not to study their own convenience and their own interest, but the honor of God. If it be necessary, the Christian must lay down his own life rather than deny Christ. It is impossible that difficulties should continue to exist among Christians. They may arise, because the great adversary is always watching to make trouble. But the Christian will regard the counsel of the word of God: “Let all bitterness and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice; and be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” Eph. 4:31, 32. Quarrels cannot exist among those who are animated by this spirit. The Son of God did not wait for sinners to humble themselves before him, and to show suitable signs of repentance, before he should do anything for their salvation. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Rom. 5:8. Those who think that they are least in fault are very apt to suppose that they are not at all responsible for quarrels which may exist, and that they have nothing to do in the case until the party which is deepest in the fault shall humble himself and take the principal burden of the guilt. But this is not at all according to the spirit of the Christian religion. Christ died for his enemies. He was even slain by the very race for whom he died. When men have his spirit within their hearts, there comes a speedy end to all quarrels. Such persons are apt to regard themselves as the ones most in fault, and to consider that if they had possessed the spirit of Christ the wrongs which the other side has committed would probably never have existed.
The spirit of Christ causes men to see how dangerous a thing is self-justification, and makes them understand that not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth. It opens their eyes to see how the cause of God suffers and is hindered and reproached by the evil influence of quarrels among brethren. They look forward to the Judgment, and consider the strict account which they must render to God, and then they say in their hearts, “I will, by the grace of God, put away my part in this iniquity, whether others will do it or not; for I must be hid in the day of God’s anger, when he shall lay judgment to the line and righteousness to the plummet, when the hailstones shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding-place.”
J. N. A.