how are we accountable?

[Jeffinator]

We are utile accountable in Gods eyes for our actions and the things in our heart. However aren't these things out of our control? Example being Phineas Gage who had a rod put through his skull and his personality changed

[Athanasius]

We are utile accountable in Gods eyes for our actions and the things in our heart. However aren't these things out of our control? Example being Phineas Gage who had a rod put through his skull and his personality changed

He had a rod put through his skull, and I'm sure God will account for that. Lacking a rod through your skull, why shouldn't you be responsible for your thoughts and actions? It would seem the problem is poor self-control?

[BrianW]

It's really simple.

God loved the world so much that He sent Jesus down here to walk among us, teach us the way and be the perfect sacrifice for all of our sins. If you believe Him and repent of your sins then you will be born again.
After that you are filled with the Holy Spirit who will teach and correct you and keep you in remembrance of His commands.

Because He did give us some commands and stated "Because you love me you will follow My commands." (Some translations say "If you love Me")


You must repent of your sins and you must work out your salvation. Your sins have been forgiven but some people don't realize that repent means to change your mind about sin (See it as evil ) and have a change of heart about sin. ( Hate it just as much as God does)
So is being born again a work? Nope. But being born again/saved/Christian also isn't just saying a simple prayer that you repeat after someone else and then you walk away and live your life as if it's "business as usual." You don't get a get out of hell free card.

You are to love the Light and hate the darkness. Will you be completely free of sin? No. But you must learn and practice avoiding those things that can lead to sin.

For example: If you can't stop watching movies with a lot of naked woman on them then throw your TV onto the trash heap. If you can't stop looking at porn throw your computer onto the thrash heap. If you can't go out on Fridays nights without getting drunk then either go places that do not serve alcohol or stop going out.

If you slip and fall and mess up then ask God for forgiveness and repent. If you keep messing up and committing the same sins over and over again then you haven't really repented of them have you? Do what you have to do to stop.

Prayer time and just talking with God should be paramount in a Christians life. Reading and learning the scripture should be of paramount importance in a Christians life.

Do you find yourself sinning over and over again lately? How much time have you spent praying and reading the bible lately? Be honest with yourself. Have faith, believe and act upon that faith and belief.
We can rely on His strength and He will strengthen us if we ask Him.

Right now we are under the time of God's grace. Take advantage of this precious gift you've been given while you still can. If you die it's too late. There will come a time when grace's time is over and the time of judgement is upon us. The time is now to do what is right. If you don't it won't be God's fault.

[Jeffinator]

But doesn't that show that what kind of brains we are born with or how they are so easily changed by external factors show that we
Are subject to its bidding?

[Athanasius]

But doesn't that show that what kind of brains we are born with or how they are so easily changed by external factors show that we
Are subject to its bidding?

To an extent, yes. But why do you think that absolves us of responsibility?

[BrianW]

For lack of a better way of saying it and as a person who hasn't been trained in higher level of the sciences:
Each and every one of us were born with Adam & Eve's "Sin Gene." (Probably a bad term for it but hey, it gets the point across)


And what this "Sin Gene" does is to cause us to be born physically alive yet spiritually dead.
So we essentially become the walking dead in our sins and are facing the wrath of God. (Fair, not fair, I don't care. God created us and He makes the rules. Deal with it. Read on. )

Nothing a man can ever do can save him from Gods wrath which is the just punishment for sins. We are shackled and enslaved by the sin in our lives and the evil one will do everything in his power to try and make sure that you remain in those sin shackles and imprisoned. And there is nothing that you can do in and of yourself and under your own power about it. Nothing.

You cannot buy your way into heaven no matter how much gold, silver and precious jewels that you have. You cannot do any amount of good deeds and works to earn your way into heaven. You could tirelessly devote your life to helping others and do many marvelous and great things so that you would be remembered for generations but......it would all be for nothing as far as getting into heaven goes.

So what is the cure for this sin gene? What is the answer? What can save us from this? How do we get out of these chains of sin and released from the dark prison?

God of course. Or more precisely God's free gift of faith & grace.

Because you see it's not about you and what you do. No Christian can honestly boast about being born again and saved because they did nothing but accept the free gift of faith and grace! They are born again because of God's love and His will of wanting us to be saved.

Once you have this free gift of faith and grace and you become born again your sins are forgiven and forgotten by God as if they never were. They are removed from you as far as the east is from the west. You are washed clean by the Blood of the Lamb and are now as clean as clean can possibly be.
And more you now have victory over sin! Nothing and no sin can ever imprison us or claim us again because God's grace gives us power over sin!

So

Sin cannot conquer you unless you reject grace and the victory that Jesus won for you. Sin cannot conquer you unless you remain in the darkness and huddle in the mass of the broken chains of sin.

God has essentially came to you in your prison cell of sin and given you a free gift of faith and grace and said "Come forth! You are free and those chains of sin have no power to hold you! Leave them lay and come forth!"

And then? You just have to step forward into the light and leave them behind. God has given you all that you need to conquer sin!