Abominations in the Sight of God

Boa Constrictor Snake

In the Church today, we rarely ever hear the word "abomination", if at all, unless it is in reference to something that applied only to the Israelites under the law of Moses. But we need to be reminded once again that abominations still exist for the saints today under the New Covenant in Christ's blood. The holy people of God must still avoid abominations, so it's important to know what things are considered abominations.

Abominations in the New Testament
Let's begin with the Greek word for abomination in the New Testament, which is “bdelugma,” meaning “a detestation, that is, (specifically) idolatry: - abomination.” To put it very simply, an abomination is something God utterly hates and finds disgusting. Idolatry in its various forms is the chief of all abominations and perhaps the most common, but there are many other kinds of abomination, as you shall see.

Jesus spoke about the abomination that causes desolation, spoken of through the prophet Daniel, which will stand in the holy place (Mat 24:15; Mar 13:14). It will probably be some sort of idol set up in the temple by the man of lawlessness, the son of perdition doomed to destruction. The apostle Paul said he "opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God." (2Th 2:4). So the idol would be the son of perdition himself or his image.

The revelation given to the apostle John states that a false prophet will arise who will tell those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast (Rev 13:14), and he will give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed (Rev 13:15; also see Rev 14:9,11; 16:2; 19:20; 20:4)

The Lord also said, that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable to God (Luk 16:15), so that means the things men value greatly are abominations in God's sight. In the context of that passage, the Lord was speaking specifically about wealth, which is at the top of the list of things that men cherish. This is why the prosperity gospel is so dangerous. However, there are many other things that men value highly like status symbols, big titles, political power, business prowess and success, intelligence, educational achievements, physical strength, athletic ability, muscle-bound bodies, perfect outward physical beauty, sex appeal, fashion, fads, and the like.

Abominations are part of what fills the gold cup of the woman on the beast (Rev 17:4), who is known as Babylon, the mother of the abominations of the earth (Rev 17:5).

Abominations in the Old Testament

Tarantula spider

Now that we have seen that abominations still exist under the New Covenant, let's look at the Hebrew Scriptures for more insight. The Hebrew word for abomination is "to‛ebah", meaning "something disgusting (morally), that is, (as noun) an abhorrence; especially idolatry or (concretely) an idol: - abominable (custom, thing), abomination." This is the same meaning as the word for abomination in the New Testament, so there is no difference. In fact, in the Greek translation of the Old Testament, known as the Septuagint, this Hebrew word is translated with the Greek word “bdelugma,” which is also used in the New Testament for abomination.

Here is a list of people and things God considers to be an abomination, according to Scripture:

• Homosexuality (Lev 18:22,26,29,30; 20:13; 1Co 6:9-10)  
• Approaching any blood relative to uncover nakedness or have sexual relations (Lev 18:6,26,29,30)
• Having sexual relations with your mother or step mother (Lev 18:7,26,29,30)
• Having sexual relations with your sister or step sister (Lev 18:9,26,29,30)
• Having sexual relations with your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter (Lev 18:10,26,29,30)
• Having sexual relations with your father’s sister, or your mother’s sister, which is your aunt (Lev 18:12-13,26,29,30)
• Having sexual relations with the wife of your father's brother, which is your aunt (Lev 18:14,26,29,30)
• Having sexual relations with your daughter-in-law. She is your son’s wife (Lev 18:15,26,29,30)
• Having sexual relations with your brother’s wife (Lev 18:16,26,29,30)
• Having sexual relations with both a woman and her daughter, or with either her grandchildren (Lev 18:17,26,29,30)
• Marrying a woman in addition to her sister as a rival while she is alive, to uncover her nakedness (Lev 18:18,26,29,30)
• Approaching a woman to uncover her nakedness during her menstrual impurity (Lev 18:19,26,29,30)
• Having intercourse with your neighbor's wife (Lev 18:20,26,29,30)
• Having intercourse with any animal to be defiled with it (Lev 18:23,26,29,30)
• A woman standing before an animal to mate with it (Lev 18:23,27,29, 30)
• The silver and gold of the pagan idols (Deu 7:25)  
• Graven images (Deu 7:26)
• An idol (Deu 27:15; Isa 44:19; Eze 7:20; 8:6; 14:6; 16:36; 1Co. 12:2; 2Co. 6:16; 1Th. 1:9; 1Jn. 5:21) 
• Making idols (Eze 22:2-12) 
• Idolatry (Eze 16:43; 18:12). Likewise, the New Testament Scriptures teach us that no one who practices idolatry will enter the kingdom of God (Gal. 5:20), so we must flee from idolatry (1Co. 10:14). Let's not forget that even covetousness is a form of idolatry (Col. 3:5).  
• The acts that the pagans did for their gods like human sacrifice, burning sons or daughters in fire, inquiring after the gods. Giving any of your offspring to offer them to Molech (Deu 12:31; Jer 32:35)  
• He who chooses false gods. (Isa 41:24)  
• Sacrificing to Baal, and walking after other gods. (Jer 7:10)  
• Burning sacrifices and worshipping other gods (Jer 44:4)  
• Burning sacrifices to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings and making cakes in her image. (Jer 44:22)  
• Adulterous hearts which turn away from God, and eyes which play the harlot after idols (Eze 6:9,11)  
• Women weeping for the false god Tammuz (Eze 8:13-14)  
• Worthless men going out and seducing the inhabitants of a city to serve other gods. (Deu 13:14)  
• Serving and worshipping other gods, including the sun, moon, heavenly host. (Deu 17:4; Eze 8:15)  
• Making your children pass through the fire, divination, witchcraft, interpreting omens, sorcery, casting spells, mediums, spiritists, those who call upon the dead (Deu 18:9,12)
• Those who make their son or daughter pass through the fire, who use divination who practices witchcraft, who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who casts a spell, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. (Deu 18:12)
• Burning incense as well as burning sons in fire according to the abominations of the nations. (2Ch 28:3)  
• The false gods Ashtoreth, Chemosh, and Milcom were the abomination of the Sidonians, of Moab, and Ammon respectively. (2Ki 23:13)  
• The things that the Hittites, Amorites,  Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites did for their gods. (Deu 20:18)  
• Sacrificing to demons, neglecting the Rock who “begot you”, forgetting the God who “gave you birth” (Deu 32:16)  
• Building high places, erecting altars to false gods, worshipping and serving the host of heaven, building altars for all the host of heaven in the house of the Lord, making your children pass through the fire, practicing witchcraft and divination, dealing with mediums and spiritists, setting the carved image of a false God in the house of the Lord, seducing God’s people to do evil (2Ki 21:11; 2Ch 33:2)  
• Ahaz walked in the ways of Israel’s kings, even makings his sons pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the nations. (2Ki 16:3)  
• Evil deeds committed by King Manasseh, according to the nations. (2Ki 21:2; Also see 2Ch 33:2)
• Kings committing wicked acts (Pro 16:12) 
• Sacrificing blemished/defective animals (Deu 17:1).  
• The person who dresses in clothing of the opposite sex (Deu 22:5)
• Practicing ritual prostitution, as in the work of cult prostitutes (1Ki 14:23-24)  
• Sacred female prostitutes and sacred male prostitutes (Deu 23:18)  
• To bring the wages of a female or male prostitute into the Lord’s house (Deu 23:18)  
• For a man to take back his former wife after having sent her away (since she has been defiled). (Deu 24:4)  
• Those who act unjustly and those who have differing weights and measures (Deu 25:16)  
• Those who justify the wicked and condemn the righteous (Pro 17:15)  
• Differing weights and measures (Pro 20:10, 23)  
• A false balance (Pro 11:1)  
• That which fills the heart of the man who has hatred (Pro 26:25) 
• The devious (Pro 3:32) 
• Haughty eyes (Pro 6:16)  
• Those who are proud in heart (Pro 16:5)  
• A lying tongue (Pro 6:16; 12:22)  
• A false witness who utters lies (Pro 6:16)  
• Hands that shed innocent blood,  (Pro 6:16)  
• A heart that devises wicked plans (Pro 6:16)  
• Evil plans (Pro 15:26) 
• Feet that run rapidly to evil (Pro 6:16)  
• One who spreads strife among brothers. (Pro 6:16)  
• Wickedness (Pro 8:7)  
• The way of the wicked (Pro 15:9)  
• The perverse in heart (Pro 11:20)  
• The prayer of the person who turns his ear away from listening to the law (Pro 28:9)  
• The sacrifice of the wicked (Pro 15:8; 21:27)  
• Pompous and costly devotions of wicked people, such as incense offered with hands full of blood (Isa 1:13)  
• The acts of Sodom and Samaria, which were arrogance, abundant food and careless ease, but not helping the poor and needy. (Eze 16:47,50)  
• Lending money on interest and taking increase (Eze 18:13,24)  
• Stealing, murdering, committing adultery, swearing falsely (Jer 7:10)
• Shedding blood (Eze 22:2-12) 
• Treating father and mother lightly (Eze 22:2-12) 
• Oppression of the alien (Eze 22:2-12) 
• Wronging the fatherless and the widow (Eze 22:2-12) 
• Slanderous men shedding blood (Eze 22:2-12) 
• Eating at the mountain shrines (Eze 22:2-12) 
• Committing acts of lewdness (Eze 22:2-12) 
• Uncovering your fathers' nakedness (Eze 22:2-12) 
• Humbling her who was unclean in her menstrual impurity (Eze 22:2-12) 
• Committing abomination with your neighbor's wife (Eze 22:2-12) 
• Lewdly defiling your daughter-in-law (Eze 22:2-12) 
• Humbling one’s sister (Eze 22:2-12) 
• Taking bribes to shed blood (Eze 22:2-12) 
• Taking interest and profits (Eze 22:2-12) 
• Injuring neighbors for gain by oppression (Eze 22:2-12) 
• Forgetting the Lord (Eze 22:2-12) 
• Despising the Lord’s holy things (Eze 22:2-12) 
• Profaning His Sabbath (Eze 22:2-12) 
• Priests hiding their eyes from the Lord’s Sabbaths (Eze 22:2-12) 
• Priests doing violence to God’s law and profaning His holy things (Eze 22:2-12) 
• Priests making no distinction between the holy and the profane;  priests not teaching the difference between the unclean and the clean (Eze 22:2-12) 
• Princes shedding blood and destroying lives in order to get dishonest gain (Eze 22:2-12) 
• Prophets covering up for such evil rulers, seeing false visions and divining lies for them, saying, 'Thus says the Lord GOD,' when the LORD has not spoken; practicing oppression and committing robbery, wronging the poor and needy and oppressing the sojourner without justice (Eze 22:2-12)  
• Bringing in uncircumcised foreigners to be in the Lord’s sanctuary to profane it, thus making His covenant void, and appointing these foreigners to keep charge of the Lord’s sanctuary." (Eze 44:6-7)
• Giving daughters to sons of the “peoples of the land” and taking their daughters for your sons (Ezr 9:14)  
• Profaning the Lord’s sanctuary by marrying the daughter of a foreign god. (Mal 2:11). The New Testament still teaches us this is evil. "Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, "I will dwell in them and walk among them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. "Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate," says the Lord. "And do not touch what is unclean; And I will welcome you. "And I will be a father to you, And you shall be sons and daughters to Me," Says the Lord Almighty. (2Co 6:14-18) 
• Food-related abominations, regarding the consumption of unclean animals and creeping (swarming) things that go on their belly or walk on all fours or on many legs (Deut 14:3-21; Lev 11:41-43). This one is now apparently obsolete under the New Covenant, since the Lord Jesus declared all food clean (Mk 7:19). And the Lord said that what He has made clean, we must not declare unclean (Ac 10:15). You must not let anyone judge you with regard to what you eat or drink (Col 2:13). Nevertheless, just because you are allowed to eat them does not mean it is healthy to do so either physically or spiritually.

Putting it All Together

Aside from this last one about unclean animals, God still detests all of the abominations listed above. He detested them then and He still detests them now. What was an abomination to God thousands of years ago is still an abomination to Him today. He did not change His mind and decide that He now likes these things or that He does not mind it when people do them. At no point in Scripture does it say that God's grace means we are free to do these things. There are still Sins That Will Keep You From Heaven. It's important that we know about these things, so we don't miss heaven.

While the apostles clearly stated that circumcision is not required for believers, they did reaffirm that believers must avoid certain things that God hates. They set forth the following decree for Gentiles: "For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these essentials: that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication; if you keep yourselves free from such things, you will do well. Farewell." (Act 15:28-29). This decree states that, in addition to abstaining from fornication, we must also still abstain from eating food sacrificed to idols and from blood and from the meat of strangled animals. The New Testament warns us not to touch what is unclean.

In the revelation given to John, the Lord Jesus indicated that He still hates it when believers commit acts of sexual immorality and eat food sacrificed to idols. He said, 'But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols." (Rev 2:20)

And the Scripture is clear that no one who practices what is detestable will enter the Holy City. It states, "And nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life." (Rev 21:27). The Greek word for "abomination" in this verse is “bdelugma,” meaning “a detestation, that is, (specifically) idolatry: - abomination.” All who do these things are offensive to God, since their conduct excites Him to disgust and abhorrence. Anyone who is practicing abomination, it doesn't matter how good of a Christian they or other people think they are, the Bible says they will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Nobody is allowed into heaven who does such things.

Therefore, based on Scripture alone, we have certainly established who and what God considers to be an abomination. “Thus says the Lord God, 'Repent and turn away from your idols and turn your faces away from all your abominations." (Ez 14:6). Let's take heed of these warnings and repent, if you have done these things. Let's walk the straight and narrow path, avoiding all abominations, conducting our lives in holiness and godliness as we wait eagerly for the coming of our Lord Jesus from heaven on the day of God. May the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ and of God the Father abide with His saints forever.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.
 
Author's note: You are invited to read Sins That Will Keep You From Heaven, Aim for Perfection, Godly Attire and Adornment -- Seven Divine Revelations, Carrying Your Cross or Cross Dressing?, Tattoos and Body Piercing, Michael Shigaba's Encounter with Jesus, Alcohol and Cigarettes -- Ten Divine Revelations, Messages from the Lord for Catholics Worshipping Idols, What's Wrong with the Prosperity Gospel?, Keeping Sundays Holy - Part I, Keeping Sundays Holy - Part II, Rock, Rap, and Reggae Music -- Three Divine Revelations, The Origin of Sin, Satan, and Secular Music, Is Contraception a Sin? -- A Divine Revelation, The Forgotten Sin of Worldliness, Led by the Spirit, Called to be Blameless, Holy Living in a Perverted World, Never Trust in Your Own Good Works, Separation from the World, and Fruit in Every Season. You may access the Main Directory for this Seeking the Lord blog for more articles like this, as well as my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

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Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Ultimate Accountability

There are many people who are sincere Christians and even pastors who have no accountability in their lives.  Being accountable means you must give an account for yourself.

Accountability Questions
Here are some accountability questions in God’s Word:

Peter’s Questions to Ananias and Saphira
But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land? "While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God."  (Act 5:3-4)

Peter asked Ananias four accountability questions:

1. Why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land?
2. While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own?
3. And after it was sold, was it not under your control?
4. Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart?

Peter also questioned Sapphira:
And Peter responded to her, "Tell me whether you sold the land for such and such a price?" And she said, "Yes, that was the price." Then Peter said to her, "Why is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out as well."  (Act 5:8-9)

He asked Sapphira two accountability questions:
1. Tell me whether you sold the land for such and such a price?
2. Why is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test?

The rich man asked an accountability question to the manager
Now He was also saying to the disciples, "There was a rich man who had a manager, and this manager was reported to him as squandering his possessions. "And he called him and said to him, 'What is this I hear about you? Give an accounting of your management, for you can no longer be manager.'”  (Luk 16:1-2)

The rich man (employer) asked the manager (employee) one accountability question:
What is this I hear about you? Give an accounting of your management!

God’s accountability questions to Adam and Eve
Accountability is something that is found all throughout Scripture from Genesis to Revelation.  In the Garden of Eden, after they sinned God asked:

And He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?" The man said, "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate." Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" And the woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." (Gen 3:11-13)

God did not question the serpent, through which satan was operating, since satan was already condemned for rebellion and was notorious for that. He had already fallen beyond any hope of repentance, so there was no point in questioning him.  Yet God did ask questions of Adam and Eve.  Not only did God ask them questions, but He sentenced them for their sin after He cursed the serpent.

The LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, Cursed are you more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you will go, And dust you will eat All the days of your life; And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel." To the woman He said, "I will greatly multiply Your pain in childbirth, In pain you will bring forth children; Yet your desire will be for your husband, And he will rule over you." Then to Adam He said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat from it'; Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you will eat of it All the days of your life. "Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; And you will eat the plants of the field; By the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return."  (Gen 3:14-19)

Man is Accountable for His Fellow Man
Man has always been and always will be accountable to God for his fellow man.  God said to Noah:

“And from each human being, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of another human being. Whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall their blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made mankind.” (Gen 9:5-6)

God will demand an accounting from each man for the life of his fellow man, for God has made mankind in the image of God.  This is why God instituted the death penalty.  The Law required the death penalty for various acts, including murder (Exodus 21:12), kidnapping (Exodus 21:16), bestiality (Exodus 22:19), adultery (Leviticus 20:10), homosexuality (Leviticus 20:13), being a false prophet (Deuteronomy 13:5), prostitution and rape (Deuteronomy 22:24), and several other crimes. God takes these things very seriously.

God not only holds man accountable for the physical death of his fellow man, but also his spiritual destruction as well. He said to Ezekiel:

"Son of man, I have appointed you a watchman to the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from My mouth, warn them from Me. "When I say to the wicked, 'You will surely die,' and you do not warn him or speak out to warn the wicked from his wicked way that he may live, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. "Yet if you have warned the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered yourself.” (Eze 3:17-19)

God warned Ezekiel that He would hold him accountable for the blood of the wicked if he failed to warn them and they die in their iniquity.  He repeated this again:

“But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet and the people are not warned, and a sword comes and takes a person from them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require from the watchman's hand. Now as for you, son of man, I have appointed you a watchman for the house of Israel; so you will hear a message from My mouth and give them warning from Me. When I say to the wicked, 'O wicked man, you will surely die,' and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require from your hand. But if you on your part warn a wicked man to turn from his way and he does not turn from his way, he will die in his iniquity, but you have delivered your life.” (Eze 33:6-9)

The apostle Paul alluded to this when He said, “Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God.” (Act 20:26-27)

The reason Paul was innocent of any man’s blood is that he did not neglect to preach the whole counsel of God to warn them.  Are you preaching the whole counsel of God?  Are you warning your fellow man, so that he will not perish?  Elsewhere we read:

“But when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul began devoting himself completely to the word, solemnly testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. But when they resisted and blasphemed, he shook out his garments and said to them, ‘Your blood be on your own heads! I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.’"  (Act 18:5-6)

Paul declared to the Jews who resisted him and blasphemed that their blood would be upon their own heads, since he made a good faith effort to warn them.

All Men Accountable to God
Not only are all men and women accountable to God for the life of their fellow man, but for everything we do while in the body.

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” (2Co 5:10)

"But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken." (Mt 12:36)

“But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to each person according to his deeds.” (Rom 2:5-6)

“But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God…So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God.” (Rom 14:10-12)

Peter warned of the coming judgment, as well, when we will all give an account to God:

“For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water. But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless,” (2Pe 3:5-14)

And in the Revelation given to the apostle John, we see that there is an eternal judgment coming:

“And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds.” (Rev 20:13)

Putting it All Together
So all men are accountable to God. Many people today feel that since we are in the age of grace, accountability is minimized or completely removed for believers, but it's not true.  If anything, it is greater now than under the Old Covenant (see Heb 2:2-3). Accountability is not just an Old Testament practice, but also one that is found in the New Testament.  And God not only holds us accountable for taking the life of our fellow man, He also holds us accountable for the blood of people who perish in sin, because we failed to warn them. In fact, He holds us accountable for every deed we do, whether good or bad, and every empty word we speak.

This is a sobering warning that gives you an opportunity to repent now for any failures on your part, and to cry out for God’s mercy.  Jesus Christ died on the cross to save sinners, and if you will confess your sin to Him, asking for mercy, you can be forgiven.  But more importantly you need to know Him and commit to living for Him for the rest of eternity, since that is what you were created for.  It is the only way you will experience the love, joy, and peace that you were created to enjoy throughout eternity with God.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Image of judgment seat of Christ courtesy of River of Life MD.

Author's note:  Also see Accountable, correctable, and teachable, Is Obedience Optional?, Holy Living in a Perverted World, Salvation with Fear and Trembling, Life is Short. Eternity is Not., Only the Holy -- Three Shocking Testimonies, and The Cost of Discipleship. You can access the Main Directory for Seeking the Lord, or my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."  Now I'd like to ask a very important question.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.