Accountability

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TODAY’S MESSAGE: Safety, Protection and Leadership/Accountability Among God’s People TODAY’S TEXT: ​Mark 9: 36-37,42; ​1 Peter 3:7; Ephesians 5:25-28; 1 Timothy 5:19-22 “And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them,​ ​‘Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me. “‘Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.’” Mark 9: 36-37, 42 “Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you​[​a​]​ of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.” 1 Peter 3:7 “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.” Ephesians 5:25-28 “Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses. As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear.​ ​In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels I charge you to keep these rules without prejudging, doing nothing from partiality. Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, nor take part in the sins of others; keep yourself pure.” 1 Timothy 5:19-22 Our greatest need is to continually know (behold) the wonder of Christ. “Wonderful are the effects when a crucified, glorious Savior is presented by the power of the Spirit, in the light of the Word, to the eye of Faith. This sight destroys the love of sin, heals the wounds of guilt, softens the hard heart, and fills the soul with peace, life and joy. And makes obedience practical, desirable, and pleasant. If we could see this more, we should look less at other things.

“—some vain hope, or vain fear, or vain delight, comes in like a black cloud, and hides our Beloved from our eyes. This shows what poor creatures we are! Notwithstanding our hope that we are converted, we need a new conversion every day.” John Newton. ​Letters of John Newton​. (pp. 59-60) “Thoughts of Christ are assimilating thoughts, sanctifying and transforming thoughts. They that see Christ cannot but love him and desire to be like him, for there is a smitting [infectious] favor in his face. They that are in heaven are like him, because they see him as he is: the beautiful vision brings in full conformity to him. The thought that endears Christ, embitters sin. A man cannot think duly of the loveliness of Christ, without thinking of the loathsomeness of sin. O! When the Sun of righteousness ariseth, there is a heat that accompanies the light, and warms the heart. And, indeed, high thoughts of Christ do warm the heart, and make it burn within him. And heart-warming thoughts tend to burn up corruption, for as Christ comes in the heart, sin must go out, according to the measure and degree of his coming.” Ralph Erskine. ​The Sermon and Other Practical Works of the Reverend and Learned Ralph Erskine. “God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. It is composed of persons related to one another by marriage, blood, or adoption. Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. It is God's unique gift to reveal the union between Christ and His church and to provide for the man and the woman in marriage the framework for intimate companionship, the channel of sexual expression according to biblical standards, and the means for procreation of the human race. The husband and wife are of equal worth before God since both are created in God's image. The marriage relationship models the way God relates to His people. A husband is to love his wife as Christ loved the church. He has the God-given responsibility to provide for, to protect, and to lead his family.” Baptist Faith and Message (2000), Article XVIII, The Family​ (partial​). “The biblical vision of manhood and womanhood is a deeply satisfying gift of grace from a loving God who has the best interests of his creatures at heart. The vision is not onerous or oppressive. It conforms to who we are by God’s good design.” Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. cbmw.org. “At the heart of mature masculinity is a sense of benevolent responsibility to lead, provide for, and protect women in ways appropriate to a man’s differing relationships.” Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. Cbmw.org.

Statement on Abuse  ▪ We believe abuse can be defined as any act or failure to act resulting in imminent risk,  serious injury, death, physical or emotional or sexual harm, or exploitation of another  person.  ▪ We condemn all forms of physical, sexual and/or verbal abuse.  ▪ We believe that the biblical teaching on relationships between men and women does not  support, but condemns abuse (​Prov. 12:18​; ​Eph. 5:25-29​; ​Col. 3:18​; ​1 Tim. 3:3​; ​Titus  1:7-8​; ​1 Pet. 3:7​; 5:3).  ▪ We believe that abuse is not only a sin but is also a crime. It is destructive and evil.  Abuse is a hallmark of the devil and is in direct opposition to the purposes of God.  Abuse must not to be tolerated in the Christian community.  ▪ We believe that the local church and Christian ministries have a responsibility to  establish safe environments; to execute policies and practices that protect against any  form of abuse; to confront abusers and to protect the abused, which includes the  responsibility to report abuse to civil authorities.  ▪ We believe that church and ministry leaders have a special obligation to report abuse to  civil authorities. Moreover, these leaders are responsible for knowing the laws of their  state about reporting the suspicion or accusation of child and spousal abuse, and for  following those laws in good faith.  ▪ We believe that the church must offer tender concern and care for the abused and must  help the abused to find hope and healing through the gospel. The church should do all it  can to provide ongoing counseling and support for the abused. The wounds of abuse  run deep and so patience and mercy are needed over the long-haul as the church cares  for the abused.  ▪ We believe abusers need to confess their crimes both to civil and church authorities, to  repent of their sin, and to trust in Jesus Christ alone for salvation and forgiveness from  their sin.  ▪ We believe that by the power of God’s Spirit, the Christian church can be an instrument  of God’s love and healing for those involved in abusive relationships and an example of  wholeness in a fractured, broken world.  *Adopted by the CBMW Board of Directors March 12, 2018. 

The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood.​ ​Statement on Abuse.​ ​cbmw.org.

“But the same Bible that reveals the complementarian pattern of male leadership in the home and the church also reveals God’s steadfast and unyielding concern for the abused, the threatened, the suffering, and the fearful. There is no excuse whatsoever for the abuse of any form, verbal, emotional, physical, spiritual or sexual. The Bible warns so clearly of those who would abuse power and weaponize authority. Every Christian church and every pastor and every church member must be ready to protect any of Tod’s children threatened by abuse and must hold every abuser fully accountable. The church and any institution or ministry serving the church must be ready to assure safety and support to any woman or child or vulnerable one threatened by abuse.” Albert Mohler. ​The Wrath of God Poured Out—The Humiliation of the Southern Baptist Convention.​ (May 23, 2018).