by Elder Peter Lim

When one thinks of the term “peer pressure,” images of kids being bullied around by bad influences come to mind. However, in Christianity, this idea is related to the idea of accountability where a person who desires to follow God better willingly submits himself to one or more fellow brothers and seeks to be kept accountable. He submits himself under those who will care enough to ask difficult questions. Accountability is voluntary, sought, and desired, but it may be unpleasant for the moment. It’s the kind of desire that you only want because you know it’s good for you, not because you always truly enjoy it, such as not eating ice cream because you don’t want to gain weight. Of course you want to eat it but in light of the bigger picture (no pun intended) you voluntarily refrain from its creamy goodness and maybe even ask your friends not to let you have any even when you ask for it.

Christian peer pressure can be a good thing when seen in this light, that those who care about you would create an atmosphere where it would be embarrassing and inappropriate to indulge in sin. Some might see this as a negative thing, where someone is pressured to do something that he doesn’t want to do. Keep in mind that what we are talking about is a voluntary submission to the standards of Scripture because we understand how much God hates sin. While it’s true that our love for God ought to be enough from even wanting to sin, we are wretched sinners who are weak and in need of help, even from fellow sinners. This is especially important for elders since they are to be the leaders and examples for the church. In 1 Tim. 5:19-20, it says:

19 Do not receive an accusation against an elder except on the basis of two or three witnesses.
20 Those who continue in sin, rebuke in the presence of all, so that the rest also will be fearful of sinning.

Verse 19 seems to indicate that accusations against elders are not to be taken lightly. They shouldn’t be subjected to any frivolous accusations without multiple witnesses. By the same token, if they are found to be continuing in sin, their rebuke is even more severe and humiliating as they are to be confronted in public, without even mentioning here the due process of Matthew 18. This is because leaders are held to a higher standard and their disqualification is unavoidably more public than it is for the rest of the congregation. Incredibly, this act of rebuke is MEANT to strike fear in the hearts of all. Even the fear of public humiliation can be useful in keeping us accountable not to sin.

Although the rest of the congregation isn’t necessarily held to the same degree of public accountability before the church, they are still held to the same standards of conduct. Elders aren’t singled out as the only ones who are to be free from sin. All Christians are to seek to be holy. (1 Peter 1:15) Fellow brothers and sisters in Christ are here to help with this. So the question is this: Who is helping to keep you accountable? Are you being honest here? Married people are probably thinking about their spouse but are they truly helping to keep you accountable or is that in theory only? Those involved in small group or discipleship relationships can probably rattle off the names of their “accountability partners,” but again, is that in theory only? Do these people exist only to share meals with or to share superficial prayer requests with? It takes time and effort to develop relationships which are at this level of trust and honesty. May we all seek them out and make ourselves vulnerable. Through the help of loving and gentle pressure from our peers, we will mature into better representatives of Christ.