James 2: 15Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
Meeting physical need is obviously important, but what about spiritual needs. What spiritual needs do we have? Micah reminds us that we are to Walk justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God (6:8). How do we do that on a real basis? The very term Christian means more than a disciple of Christ. It's use in Acts 11 derives its meaning from the Greek word Χριστιανός (Christianos) meaning anointed one with a latin adjective ending literally meaning enslaved. So as Paul said many times, we are slaves to Christ meaning He makes the rules and we follow them.
In today's politically correct society, it isn't acceptable to confront someone's behavior or decisions. I maintain, however, that to leave someone in a life of sin is exactly the same as allowing your children to play in a busy street. You're tempting fate (Deut 6:16). Naturally a loving parent rescues the child from danger they may or may not realize.
Accountability is the same. Sometimes we make a series of bad decisions that lead to a propensity to sin. This is always because we're making decisions rooted in self-centeredness, but we often don't see it that way at all. Others have a different perspective and can offer insight to which we may be blind. Failure to identify risky behavior is to condemn someone to (perhaps repeatedly) getting hurt physically, emotionally, or mentally. Worse, the continued sin ensures that the person is not spiritually healthy.
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