Top 7 Bible Verses About Responsibility

January 19, 2015 by Jack Wellman 0 Comments

Here are my top 7 Bible verses on responsibility. Can you think of one?

Bearing Your Own Load

Galatians 6:4-5 “But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast
will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. For each will have to bear his
own load.”

Paul is telling the Christians in Galatia that we are all responsible for our own work and not our
neighbors. Every one of us “will have to bear his (or her) own load.” He isn’t talking about not
helping anyone else because in a previous verse he writes that we are to “Bear one another’s
burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Gal 6:2) but he is writing these verses in the context of
chapter 6 where we are to share what we have learned from others (Gal 6:6) but we must reap
what we ourselves sow (Gal 6:8). We are all going to be held accountable or responsible for our
own actions or inactivity for that matter; for our sins of commission as well as our sins of
omission.

Giving an Account to God

Romans 14:10, 12 “For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. So then
each of us will give an account of himself to God.”

I was sharing the gospel with a young man some time ago and he says that he is the way he is
because of the way his mother raised him but I remembered this verse that after you have grown
up and became an adult, you are responsible for your own actions. I told him that he can’t blame
his mother forever and he will certainly reap what he has sown. We will all have to give an
account to God someday for this life and all will have to “stand before the judgment seat of God”
and every one of us will have to “give an account of himself to God.” When you are standing
before God on that day you can’t say “Wait God, let me go get my mother because she’s partly to
blame.” She will have her turn and she will stand alone so know this, we will all stand alone
before God but for those who have trusted in Christ, He will is our Advocate and our sins have
already been forgiven so we won’t have to be judged for those.

Responsible for Other’s Stumbling

Romans 14:15-16 “For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no
longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ
died. So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil.”
I believe the idea here is that although I believe drinking wine is not sin, I would never offer
wine before a brother or sister in Christ who came to dinner to eat with me. I don’t drink but
neither will I judge those who do. Why would I want to do that? This would be especially true
if they were a recovering alcoholic. I don’t want to do anything that would cause my brother or
sister to stumble into sin or to do something that they thought was sin in front of them. I am
responsible for that which intentionally causes my brother or sister to stumble.

No Offense, No Problem
Second Corinthians 6:3 “We put no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault
may be found with our ministry.”

Paul was very concerned that we don’t make non-essentials essentials for others. That is, what
we might feel is wrong for us should never be made to be wrong for others if the Bible is silent
on it. That’s why Paul wrote to “Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not
become a stumbling block to the weak” (1 Cor 8:9). You see a lot of this in both 1 st and 2nd
Corinthians. Paul was careful about causing others to stumble and wrote that “if what I eat
causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause
them to fall” (1 Cor 8:13). Again, if we believe it is offensive to someone, then it is better to do
without, whatever that is.
No Concealed and Carry Permit
Proverbs 28:13 “Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he
who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.”

We had a man who attended our church for a time but he finally quit coming. Our church elder
asked him why. He said that he was not a sinner. I told the elder that’s too bad because Jesus
came to die for sinners. The Apostle John clearly wrote that “If we say we have no sin, we
deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8) and “If we say we have not sinned, we
make him a liar, and his word is not in us” (1 John 1:10). This verse isn’t precisely about that
issue but we do know that all have sinned and fallen far short of God’s glory (Rom 3:23) and that
if someone tries to conceal or hide their sins, God says that person surely wont’ prosper but
whoever it is that “confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.”

Your Calling and Election is Your Responsibility

Second Peter 1:10 “Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your
calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.”

The command to make your calling and election sure is a command, not a suggestion so how do
you make that calling and election known for sure? Peter tells us just prior to verse 10 to “make
every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge
with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and
godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are
yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of
our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Pet 1:5-8). Peter says that if these qualities are increasing, you can be
more certain of your calling and election “For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that
he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.” This is your
responsibility and no one else’s.

Your Responsibility at Work

Colossians 3:23-24 “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for
men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your
reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”

The Wisdom of Solomon tells us that “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might”
(Eccles 9:10) because you are, as Paul tells the Colossians, “serving the Lord Christ” and not
really man. You are responsible for what you do at work and Christians can leave either a good
witness or a bad example and shame the cause of Christ by doing shoddy work or slacking off on
the job.

Conclusion
I love what the late Adrian Rogers once said about a person being saved; “It is not your
responsibility to save someone…it is their response to His ability” but I would add that it is all of
our responsibility to tell others about Christ and the only way that they can be saved (Acts 4:12).
If we don’t tell them, then who will? If you had the cure for cancer and didn’t share it with
others wouldn’t that be criminal negligence? Take your responsibility seriously. Jesus clearly
commanded all believers to go into all the world and make disciples of all men and women (Acts
1:8; Matt 28:18-20). This imperative command is all of our responsibility. I would hope you
would take it seriously.

Another Reading on Patheos to Check Out: What Did Jesus Really Look Like: A Look at the
Bible Facts

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the
Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and
energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the
Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Blind Chance or Intelligent
Design available on Amazon
Bible Verses About Personal Responsibility
Bible verses related to Personal Responsibility from the King James Version (KJV) by Relevance

- Sort By Book Order

Galatians 6:5 - For every man shall bear his own burden.

2 Corinthians 5:10 - For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one
may receive the things [done] in [his] body, according to that he hath done, whether [it be] good
or bad.

1 Timothy 5:8 - But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he
hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.

Proverbs 28:13 - He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh
[them] shall have mercy.

1 Corinthians 13:11 - When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought
as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

2 Peter 1:10 - Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election
sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:

Luke 10:30-37 - And Jesus answering said, A certain [man] went down from Jerusalem to
Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded [him], and
departed, leaving [him] half dead. (Read More...)

Colossians 3:23 - And whatsoever ye do, do [it] heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;

Ezekiel 18:20 - The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the
father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall
be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.

Luke 10:27 - And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and
with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.

Luke 12:48 - But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with
few [stripes]. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom
men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.
2 Timothy 1:7 - For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a
sound mind.

Genesis 4:6-7 - And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance
fallen? (Read More...)

2 Thessalonians 3:11-18 - For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly,
working not at all, but are busybodies. (Read More...)

Deuteronomy 28:1-68 - And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice
of the LORD thy God, to observe [and] to do all his commandments which I command thee this
day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:

Responsibility, To God
Most Relevant Verses
Deuteronomy 24:16
Verse Concepts

"Fathers shall not be put to death for their sons, nor shall sons be put to death for their fathers;
everyone shall be put to death for his own sin.

Ezekiel 18:4
Verse Concepts

"Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine The soul
who sins will die.

Job 19:4
Verse Concepts

"Even if I have truly erred, My error lodges with me.

Psalm 51:4-5
Against You, You only, I have sinned And done what is evil in Your sight, So that You are
justified when You speak And blameless when You judge. Behold, I was brought forth in
iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.

Jeremiah 31:30
Verse Concepts

"But everyone will die for his own iniquity; each man who eats the sour grapes, his teeth will be
set on edge.

Ezekiel 18:20
Verse Concepts

"The person who sins will die The son will not bear the punishment for the father's iniquity, nor
will the father bear the punishment for the son's iniquity; the righteousness of the righteous will
be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself.

Ezekiel 33:1-20

And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, "Son of man, speak to the sons of your people
and say to them, 'If I bring a sword upon a land, and the people of the land take one man from
among them and make him their watchman, and he sees the sword coming upon the land and
blows on the trumpet and warns the people, read more.

Romans 6:23
Verse Concepts

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 5:12
Verse Concepts

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so
death spread to all men, because all sinned--

Genesis 3:1-7

Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made.
And he said to the woman, "Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the
garden'?" The woman said to the serpent, "From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat;
but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat
from it or touch it, or you will die.'" read more.

Isaiah 43:27
Verse Concepts
"Your first forefather sinned, And your spokesmen have transgressed against Me.

1 Corinthians 15:21-22

For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam
all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.

Romans 5:20
Verse Concepts

The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace
abounded all the more,

Romans 7:7-9

What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have
come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law
had not said, "YOU SHALL NOT COVET." But sin, taking opportunity through the
commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind; for apart from the Law sin is dead. I was
once alive apart from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died;

Galatians 3:19
Verse Concepts

Why the Law then? It was added because of transgressions, having been ordained through angels
by the agency of a mediator, until the seed would come to whom the promise had been made.

Matthew 5:22
Verse Concepts

"But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and
whoever says to his brother, 'You good-for-nothing,' shall be guilty before the supreme court; and
whoever says, 'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.

Jeremiah 17:9-10

"The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it? "I, the
LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give to each man according to his ways,
According to the results of his deeds.

Matthew 15:18-19

"But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man. "For
out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness,
slanders.
Matthew 12:36-37

"But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in
the day of judgment. "For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be
condemned."

1 Corinthians 4:5
Verse Concepts

Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will
both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men's hearts; and
then each man's praise will come to him from God.

Job 15:5-6

"For your guilt teaches your mouth, And you choose the language of the crafty. "Your own
mouth condemns you, and not I; And your own lips testify against you.

Romans 2:16
Verse Concepts

on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ
Jesus.

Romans 14:12
Verse Concepts

So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God.

2 Corinthians 5:10
Verse Concepts

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.

1 Peter 4:5
Verse Concepts

but they will give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.

Leviticus 5:17
Verse Concepts

"Now if a person sins and does any of the things which the LORD has commanded not to be
done, though he was unaware, still he is guilty and shall bear his punishment.
Luke 12:48
Verse Concepts

but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few
From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted
much, of him they will ask all the more.

Acts 3:17-19

"And now, brethren, I know that you acted in ignorance, just as your rulers did also. "But the
things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would
suffer, He has thus fulfilled. "Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away,
in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;

Romans 1:20
Verse Concepts

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature,
have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without
excuse.

Acts 17:30
Verse Concepts

"Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all
people everywhere should repent,

Ezekiel 18:30
Verse Concepts

"Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, each according to his conduct," declares the Lord
GOD. "Repent and turn away from all your transgressions, so that iniquity may not become a
stumbling block to you.

Matthew 4:17
Verse Concepts

From that time Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

Mark 1:15
Verse Concepts

and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the
gospel."

Mark 6:12
Verse Concepts

They went out and preached that men should repent.

Luke 24:46-47

and He said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead
the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all
the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

John 3:18
Verse Concepts

"He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already,
because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

John 15:22
Verse Concepts

"If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for
their sin.

Matthew 11:20-24

Then He began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles were done, because they did
not repent. "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had occurred in
Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and
ashes. "Nevertheless I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of
judgment than for you. read more.

Matthew 12:41-42

"The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment, and will condemn it
because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is
here. "The Queen of the South will rise up with this generation at the judgment and will
condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and
behold, something greater than Solomon is here.

Luke 11:31-32

"The Queen of the South will rise up with the men of this generation at the judgment and
condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and
behold, something greater than Solomon is here. "The men of Nineveh will stand up with this
generation at the judgment and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and
behold, something greater than Jonah is here.
John 12:48
Verse Concepts

"He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke
is what will judge him at the last day.