Before beginning any discussion it helps to define the terms we are using in the discusion. Following, I will list the terms and definition I am using in this series. This will probably be a living post - meaning I will be adding to it over time as needed and I intend to use this post as a reference for all subsquent posts.
Responsibility: an online dictionary defines this word as follows: "the state or fact of having a duty to deal with something or of having control over someone" or something and ensuring that it is taking are of. What this means is that you cannot be responsible to something or someone. But one can only be responsible for someone or something. I have heard people like Dr Leighton Flowers often define "responsible" means "able to respond" but note the definition. The word is decribing the relation between the one who is responsible and the object of that responsibility. It has nothing to do the one's ability to respond to the the duty or obligation. On top of that according to English, one cannot be responsible for that which one has no control over. The reason why I think this needs to be clearly defined because one of the questions that I will address in this series is: Am I responsible for my life circumstances? If you take this definition given, you have to accept that you are responsible for things in your life for which you had control of. Each and everyone of us can point to such things for which we made conscious decisions. As for the other things, I will save those for later. Here is one that will really mess up your noodle: Am I responsible for my sins?
Accountability: from Vocabulary.com -
"Accountability is a noun that describes accepting responsibility, and it can be personal or very public. A government has accountability for decisions and laws affecting its citizens; an individual has accountability for acts and behaviors. Sometimes, though, taking accountability means admitting you made a mistake. Punishment may result, but accountability shows ownership and a willingness to admit mistakes."
This is why I think "Reponsibility" and "Accountability" are often conflated and used interchangeably because you cannot be accountable for what you are not responsible. In other words I am only accountable for which I am responsible because I am in control of what I am responsible. Word salad? Maybe. But now try applying the distinction to the questions I am exploring in this series. One may ask for example: "Who is to blame for the sh*tshow my life has become?" Well depending on the your definition of "Responsible" and "Accoutable" you might answer this question differently.
Ability: the Cambridge Dictionary defines "Ability" as "the power or skill needed to do something, or the fact that someone is able to do something". The reason why this concept comes up is because in order to talk about the subjects I want to cover in this series we must ask questions like "Am I accountable for something if I do not have the ability to control or actuate that something?"
Bible: When I refer to the collection of books - multiple genres of literature - written over 1500 years, on 3 continents, and over 40 authors who could not know one another - all telling one cohesive story about God's plan and record on redeeming humanity from sin and death so that we can have personal and intimate relationship with our creator, God. It is the Word of God and divinely inspired by God. I am referring to the Greek and Hebrew autographs as being inspired - not the translations. Therefore I use muliple translations and word studies to try to understand the Bible more fully. When ever I quote a Bible verse in this series I will also include a link to the translation. Also a word about canonicity. One would ask me which list of ancient works am I considering sacred scripture? Roman Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, Ethiopic? Personally, I grew up and live in the Protestant tradition and all the other canons include the same cannon as the Protestant canon. Therefore you will see most of my Bible quoting will be from the Protestant canon but I may use the Ethiopic canonical books of Enoch, Jubilees, and Jashur as well because these books are referred to in the Protestant canon,
God: Make no mistake when I use the term "God" I am referring to the supreme triune being in Christian tradition. The One who Is. "Theos" in Greek. "Allah" in Arabic. "Yaweh" in Hebrew. God created all things that exists but God is not created nor has there ever been a time or will be a time that God is not. If there is a multiverse, God created that as well. God is One in being, three in person. I affirm the doctrine of the Trinity. God is the Father, and the Son - Jesus the Christ, and the Holy Spirit; each have personhood, co-equal and co-eternal. The Father is not the Son. The Father is not The Holy Spirit. Jesus is not the Father. Jesus is not the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not the Father. The Holy Spirit is not Jesus. And the is only one God.
Predestination: Cambridge dictionary gives the following definition: "the belief that people have no control over events because these things are controlled by God or by fate" I trust that is obvious that this belief would play a role in how one views their life Responsibilities and Accountabilites. I mean how can you be accountable for your mistakes and sins if you have no control over what happens to you? Well, I will get into things like that in the future. But for me "predestination" is more than just referring to just events and actions but would also have an effect on who a person ultimately becomes. Also it carries more than just the idea of "control" but also choice(s). What choices have you made? Which choices have been made for you? When were those choices made?
Destiny: the Cambridge Dictionary defines as "the force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control". Does this definition work for our discussion? I have to be careful here because I have often conflated "destiny" with "purpose" and they are not always interchangeable. For the cause of this series I want to distinguish between the two. I will use "Destiny" as defined here. I think it has been driven by Greek philosophy which held that fate was outside the gods' and human control. In the history of Western Civilization, the idea of fate was replaced with the Judeo-Christian God and until the post-modern age the idea of God's "providence" was the dominiant philosophy. I will get to "providence" later. But for the questions are "Is Destiny Biblical?" and "What is this force controlling everything and for what?"
Purpose: the Cambridge Dictionary define as "why you do something or why something exists". I like that. People discuss it today by referring to "Your 'why'?" It is existenial question that I believe must be pondered by a rational being. "Who am I? Why am I here?" These are important questions dealing with the ideas I am trying to explore in this series. I think that every member of humanity should have such an existential crisis at some point in life. If you never figure out your "why" - your purpose - what is the point? Can you define your own purpose given that you did not make you? How do you understand your responsibilities or accountabilities if you do not know what your purpose is?
Providence: the Cambridge Dictionary defines as "an influence that is not human in origin and is thought to control people's lives". The definitiion has changed over time. When Judeo-Christianity dominated Western Civilization providence was God-centered. I do not think our culture today uses "providence" in modern vernacular often. But in this series we must distinguish between "purpose" and "destiny".
Theodicy: a theological term that is used to describe arguments and explanations of how God is or is not responsible for undeserved evil things happening to people.
Free Will: in this series "Free Will" means the "libertarian" version from philosophy. I am refering to the ability to choose between multiple options with no input affecting the decision outside of the one making the decision. Does God say in Scripture that we have this as a quality of being in the image of God?
Choice: Illusion or not, people can make a selection out of multiple options. We call it "making a choice" and for a human being it selecting an option and rejecting other possible options. This is where free will comes to play. Are the choices you make in life decided on your own without being influenced or pushed to it or pulled from it? If you made those decisions on your own, should you be held accountable?
History: the study of the events and patterns that have happens all over the world to people through time.
Philosophy: the Cambridge Dictionary uses the following definition "the use of reason in understanding such things as the nature of the real world and existence, the use and limits of knowledge, and the principles of moral judgment".
Theology: the study of God and divinity
Transliteration: is translating a word from one language to another by using the corresponding letter of the alphabet in the target language. It comes in handy when two languages have corresponding letters and the word does not exist in the target language.
Translation: is recreating a written document from one language to another so people who read the new document will understand what was written in the source document. A thought-for-thought translation intends to convey meaning and may substitute or add words. A word-for-word translation conveys meaning by translating every word. I use both kinds of translation in my study of the Bible.
Gospel: I will be using "Gospel" two ways. In one way Gospel is the description to the four canonical books of the New Testament - Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. These four books are in the genre of ancient biographies and are 4 perspectives on the life, ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection of our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus the Christ. The other way I will be using the word "Gospel" is to refer to the totality of the four books. The word "Gospel" means "Good News" and there is no better news than Jesus Christ and him crucified for our trangressions and raised to life for our justification.
Jesus: the second person of the Trinity incarnated as Jesus of Nazareth. He is the promised Messiah humanity was waiting for and came to us as a baby in Bethlehem. He was promised throughout the Old Testament and revealed in the New Testament. Throughout his 33 years on earth he lived the life we cannot live - holy and blameless. He presented himself as a willing and perfect sacrifice for all of our sins of past, present, and future. Three days after his torture on the cross, he walked out that tomb with all power in his hands.
Person: I like the way Wikipedia defines "person"
A person (pl.: people or persons, depending on context) is a being who has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of property, or legal responsibility.[1][2][3][4] The defining features of personhood and, consequently, what makes a person count as a person, differ widely among cultures and contexts.[5][6]
So definitely all humans are persons. And only persons can have responsibilities and be accountable to someone or something.
Being: In Merriam-Webster the word "Being" is defined as "The quality or state of having existence; or a thought or concept capable of coming into existence." Today, we usually think of people having being. But over the millinia, the scope of what constitutes being has narrowed and narrowed. I think it has narrowed as people have begun to think of humanity being less and less unique and special in creation. Back in the fourth century, "being" referred to anything that exists. A rock could have being. And then only living things had being. And now, just people. But this is the fundamental mistake about Trinitarian doctrine: conflating "being" and "person" as being the same with no distinction. Judism does it. Islam does it. Jehovah Witnesses do it. Oneness Pentecostals as well make the mistake thinking that 3 persons has to mean the same as 3 beings. We got to be more careful than that. So do we make choices from our being or from our person?
Identity: As a concept, "Identity" is defined in psychology as:
Identity encompasses the memories, experiences, relationships, and values that create one’s sense of self. This amalgamation creates a steady sense of who one is over time, even as new facets are developed and incorporated into one's identity.
This is a hot-button topic today because can one choose whatever Identity they want. Does that choice obligate one to assume responsibilities? Does that mean one is accountable to others who share that Identity? What does Scripture say?
Please comment and if you have any other questions you think should be explored in a series like this one, please suggest it.
