Personal Responsibility

(Exodus 21)

The nation of Israel needed civil law to exist as an orderly society and God provided a very detailed and fair system for the people to live under. Many of our laws find their basis in the laws of the Old Testament. The overwhelming message contained in these laws is that of personal responsibility. God had given each person a free will to exercise in their conduct and decision making. He could have made them parrots to sit on his shoulder and repeat His words and thoughts; but instead He made them in His image and gave them a good mind and the ability to choose.

Included in this gift of "free will" from God is the idea of personal responsibility. When the Jew chose to break God's law, there would be consequences. If he wronged his neighbor, restitution must be made. If his carelessness caused someone else harm, he was personally responsible to fix it. Kill your neighbors goat, give him a new goat. Your bull kills the neighbors bull, and your bull had a bad reputation, your neighbor gets a new bull and you get the carcass of the dead animal. Your animal grazes on the field of another, you must give your neighbor the best of your crops. On and on, it is always personal responsibility.

God expected them and He expects us to examine situations and chose the right response based on His law. That is way it has always been; He tells us how we are to conduct ourselves and we chose whether or not to comply. When we comply, He blesses. When we rebel, He punishes.

“Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord! And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
So the people answered and said: “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods.” (Joshua 24:14-16)

Following God or rejecting Him has always been a choice that man must make. He gives us free will and tells us who He is and what He has done for us; then let's us choose whether to follow Him or our own desires. Some would argue that we are not able to make that choice, that our eternal destiny was already determined before we were born. They would say that some people are born to be destroyed, while others were born for eternal life. While I agree that some will chose to reject God and will be punished, I believe that the Bible makes it very clear that it is a matter of personal responsibility. Every person has the ability to respond to a loving God, but not everyone will. Better phrased, not everyone will respond in a way that moves them from the lost column to the saved column.

I am responsible to listen to God's word in order to have faith. (Romans 10:17) I am responsible to study to show myself approved. (2 Timothy 2:15) It is my responsibility to respond to the gospel and take action to become God's child. (Acts 2:36-38, Acts 8:12) I am responsible to live out a life of service to God, even unto death. (Revelation 2:10) God leaves the choices to me. He tells me the outcome of rebellion and HE tells me the blessings of obedience. After that, it is up to me to chose for myself this day who I will serve. The choice is up to you, it is up to me. The call has gone forth, the invitation is always available.... The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life. (Revelation 22:17) Whoever wishes!