It often seems to me that the older I grow, the more responsibilities I have. They occupy my waking thoughts, disturb my slumber and impinge upon moments of rest and relaxation. I find myself thinking along the lines by Elizabeth Allen.

But time won't turn back-time can't turn back. The carefree days of childhood are gone forever. With maturity comes responsibilities, and there is no escape from our responsibilities. The famed Daniel Webster is reputed to have said that the most solemn subject ever to engage his thinking was the thought of responsibility and accountability to God.

Men and women have sought to evade responsibility in many ways. Some have resorted to drugs and alcohol. Some have retreated into madness. Others, like Adam and Eve of old, have tried to shift responsibility to others. Some of the religious, mental gymnastics I see appear to be another effort to evade responsibility.

In a little religious journal which crosses my desk, a brother who went out from us writes about the textual problems of the Bible. That is, he dabbles with the matter only long enough to express his doubts about the reliability of the Biblical text and to cast aspersions upon the accuracy of the Bible. He takes no stand about the integrity of the Bible but finally gives us his "simple solution": "If we allow, the in-dwelling Holy Spirit of truth imparts the desired truth of God to us." Do you see a problem with that? Well, I certainly do! If the Bible not reliable and accurate, how do we know those passages that deal with the Holy Spirit are properly translated? How do we know there is a Holy Spirit for that matter? Don't we realize that without the Bible, we would know nothing of God, Christ or the Holy Spirit? And that we would know nothing of heaven or hell, or man's origin, purpose or destiny? And if we rely upon the immediate guidance of the Holy Spirit, which Spirit-led group do we allow to guide us and teach us? Are all the hundreds of religious groups led by the same Spirit, and does he lead them to believe all the contradictory doctrines? And if the Spirit still inspires men as He did the apostles, why doesn't someone leap over all the problems of textual criticism and write his own Bible? Surely we can see that what appears so "simple" is more complex than the responsibility to study and search the Scriptures which this brother seeks so desperately to avoid. Psychologists have long maintained that the notion of "getting the Holy Ghost" is the result of men trying to escape from personal responsibility. We cannot escape responsibility-we must come to terms with the hard questions and problems of life.

Another example of trying to evade responsibility is the alibi often heard: "I can't understand the Bible." Some people have told me, "I read the Bible but I just don't get anything out of it." I realize that some people read better than others, but I have also observed that some of the ones who make this objection have no trouble reading the stock market report, the sports page or something else in which they have a real interest. I say that men and women can read the Bible, yes, even the King James Version, and they can understand it. Paul said, "Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is" (Eph 5:17). Paul's exhortation would likely be to "give attendance to reading," because we are accountable, responsible beings and we cannot escape with such pitiful excuses. An older lady was asked why she read the Bible so much and she replied, "I'm afraid I may have missed something."

Attempts at evasion of responsibility frequently hinder the progress of the church and the gospel. Sometimes when congregations have been around fifty or sixty years, people ask: "Why aren't there any elders in this congregation?" And the answer is so easy, isn't it? It rolls off our tongues so lightly: "We don't have anyone qualified." That is supposed to be the end of all controversy. But it isn't. Granted that there are no men qualified? Why aren't some efforts being made to have qualified men? Perhaps preachers, evangelists, leaders and members will all have to answer for this deficiency. And while I am on this topic, what about the responsibility of honest, God-fearing brethren to prepare themselves for such a work? And, what about the responsibility of our women to encourage their husbands to do this work and to keep themselves in such a way that they will not be the cause of his failure to qualify?

Many young men who could preach and serve evade this responsibility. Saints excuse themselves from the responsibility to win the lost and to be fervent in spirit, by saying that no one else is. Evangelists excuse themselves from the responsibility of declaring all the counsel of God by saying that no one else does. Does that excuse us from responsibility and accountability? No, it does not. I am still accountable. I will not be saved because of the neglect or meanness of others. I will not be saved because of the goodness and industry of my wife or brethren. I will not be saved unless I personally have lived a righteous life, and then it will be because of God's wonderful grace. Let us resolve that as painful as it is to face up to responsibility, we will do it because duty demands it. Paul said, "So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God" (Rom 14:12).