“When I say to the wicked, “You will certainly die,” and you do not warn him – you do not speak out to warn the wicked to turn from his wicked deed and wicked lifestyle so that he may live – that wicked person will die for his iniquity, but I will hold you accountable for his death. But as for you, if you warn the wicked and he does not turn from his wicked deed and from his wicked lifestyle, he will die for his iniquity but you will have saved your own life.” Ezekiel 3:18-19 NET https://bible.com/bible/107/ezk.3.18-19.NET
God has a standard by which all men will be held accountable, judged, and rewarded accordingly. That standard is Jesus the Lord, Who is the Judge because He is the Savior Whose life He offered in exchange for our death so that His death could bring us to life. Jesus has commissioned His church to tell His story as witnesses of His work in our lives and to encourage every follower to obey everything that Jesus taught. Our failure to warn the rebellious of their coming encounter with Jesus means they will spend eternity in hell, and we will be held accountable for their punishment. When we share the gospel with our family, friends, and others, we rescue some from eternal damnation and save our lives. These two consequences for the Christian, accountability for the destruction of the wicked because we didn’t share the gospel and salvation of our lives for sharing the gospel, are not dependent upon the response of the one we shared with but dependent upon our obedience to God’s command to go and witness making disciples of all people. We are saved by faith in Jesus and His work, but obedience to His work proves to God and men our faith in Jesus the Savior. People need Jesus to be saved. People who know Jesus are God’s means for rescuing everyone else from destruction. Our obedience to the Great Commission eternally impacts the lives of those we know and see around us. Those commissioned and those hearing the gospel will be held accountable for obeying Jesus.