The Blame Game

Genesis 3
Verse 10 - 13:  Fear and blame enters… Man replies, “I was afraid and I hid…”  Instead of coming clean with God both the man and woman do what humans do best… they blame each other for their sinful actions.

Man (what he said) - "It is the woman you gave me… It’s her fault.  She gave me the fruit and I ate it.  You gave her to me and she told me to eat so it IS her fault...  Well, actually God it is your fault because if you wouldn’t have given her to me then I wouldn’t have eaten."

Man (what he should have said) – "Yes, I ate of the tree and I am sorry please forgive me."

Woman (What she said) – "It’s the snakes fault!  HE tricked me!  If it wasn’t for this vile creature that you created then I would have never eaten of the fruit.  So really, this is all your fault God!"

Woman (What she should have said) – "Yes, I ate of the tree and I am sorry, please forgive me."

We would all do a huge favor to ourselves and to others if we would just take responsibility for our actions when we sin.  This is a hard lesson because blame comes so naturally.  How easy it is to blame others for our faults, sins and wrong doings.  I am guilty of this.  You are guilty.  We are all guilty.     

Here are three realities of sin.  

1)     Sin always severs fellowship with God.  Sin has separated us from God.  This is why we need Jesus.  Jesus has mended our broken relationship with God by offering himself as the perfect sacrifice for sin and this allows those who believe to be restored with God.  When we choose to allow sin to control us then we choose to break fellowship with God.  Most if not all of us know that when we are in the very act of sinning God is usually not in the forefront of our minds.

2)     Sin causes us to be irrational.  The man and woman tried to cover their sins by hiding and covering their nakedness.  This is preposterous; but we often try to cover our sins from God as well.    We try to cover our sins (usually by sinning more) or “fix things” instead of going directly to God and confessing what we have done wrong.  Only the blood of Jesus can cover and I mean fully cover and cleanse us from the awful sins we have committed.

3)     Sin causes us to blame others.  When we sin it is nobody’s fault but your own.  Nobody can force you to sin.  The snake did not force the woman to eat.  The woman did not force the man to eat.  They both ate willingly and they were both to blame. 
It is so much easier to blame someone for the sins I commit.  I can blame someone who said something mean to me as an excuse to treat others poorly.  I can blame the stresses of work as an excuse for being short with my family, friends and loved ones.  I can blame the person who cuts me off on the road as an excuse for having road rage.  I don’t have a problem finding someone to blame for the sins I commit and this my friends is the problem.  We all need to take a step back and know that our sins are a choice we make.  My sin is nobody’s fault but mine.  That’s a hard pill to swallow but it is the truth.