"Responsibility vs. Unreliability"--Authority

Responsibility vs. Unreliability Meditation Commentary

Responsibility is knowing and doing what God and others are expecting of me.

“Owe no man anything, but to love one another; for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.” —Romans 13:8-11

            Responsibility indicates that there is a standard you need to measure up to, and things that are expected of you, which indicates the presence of authority.  Obviously, there are aspects of authority that require responsibility and reliability.  Scenarios involving school, career and parents, are the first that come to mind.   The verses above are interesting in that they highlight the chief aspect of responsibility we have towards other people—which is to love one another.   This can actually be a tough concept to grasp at times.  Sometimes we recognize that we owe people certain things like money, overdue library books, borrowed tools, a favor, a hand, an invitation, respect, time, a paper, a meal, etc., and will agree that people can hold us responsible for not ‘paying’ those things, if we are unreliable in those areas that there is a mutual agreement of responsibility.  A job is a good example.  It is important to be responsible at work because there are agreed upon conditions that if an employer pays the worker a set amount of money, the worker owes the company a certain amount of time.  If a worker does not fit the requirements he or she is responsible for in that job, he or she will be considered unreliable.  How often do we have that mindset regarding love to others, though?  Paul certainly did, as he saw himself as a debtor to all men (Romans 1:14), and the parable Jesus tells in Matthew 18 reinforces the same concept.  Based on the way our Ultimate Authority has treated us, we have a responsibility to treat others the way He wants us to.  If our love for others is conditional and inconsistent, we are unreliable.  Loving others is one of the things that God, as our authority, requires of us.  Responsibility can be a tough thing to grasp or to own up to.  It is not easy to take responsibility for things, but if we see God as an authority, we must acknowledge that there are certain things He requires of us.  (Micah 6:8; Ecclesiastes 12:13)  Easy-believism and a sense of a lack of responsibility is very prevalent in Christian culture, which many people even think is pious because it emphasizes that God does all the work, and do not have to do anything, even choose Him or have faith.  However, if we understand that God is our authority, we understand that while we cannot earn anything from Him, there are certain things He holds us responsible for, as His servants and sons (Mal. 1:6).  Just as the king in Jesus’ parable held the servant, who was forgiven much, accountable for treating the other servant inconsistently in regard to the king’s mercy, God holds us responsible for responding to His grace and love in a child-like and honest and acceptable way.