By David Faust
When I was a boy, my older brother, John, and I were playing catch in the yard and a softball crashed through our house’s dining room window. I blamed John and said, “He threw it too high.” John blamed me and told Dad, “He should have caught it.” Frowning as he replaced the broken glass, Dad wasn’t happy with either of us.
People have tried to avoid responsibility ever since the Garden of Eden. Adam blamed his wife and told God, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it” (Genesis 3:12). Eve basically said, “The devil made me do it.” (“The serpent deceived me, and I ate”—Genesis 3:13.) It’s human nature to make excuses and shift the blame. But the fact is, even in a perfect environment, Adam and Eve made poor decisions that got them into trouble.
Stop Passing the Buck
God’s prophet wrote, “The one who sins is the one who will die” (Ezekiel 18:4). It doesn’t help to play the blame game. Yes, prior generations of parents and grandparents have passed along their own habits, hang-ups, and hurts, but eventually we must stop blaming others and take responsibility for our own actions.
At the Last Supper, Jesus announced that one of his disciples was going to betray him. “They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, ‘Surely you don’t mean me, Lord?’” (Matthew 26:22). How terrible it was to realize that one of Jesus’ closest followers was on the verge of betraying him—even while the disciples’ feet were still moist from Jesus washing them! Yet, if we’re honest, we all know the answer to the question, “Is it I, Lord?” Yes, it is I. Like Judas, I have betrayed innocent blood, and so have you. Like Peter, I’ve had my own moments of bitter failure when I have denied Christ by word and deed. And so have you.
Who is a sinner? I am who, that’s who. “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8).
Keep Receiving God’s Grace
Thankfully, the Bible’s very next verse offers relief. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). We must accept responsibility for our own actions and admit our sins to God. We all need to repent, respond to God’s grace with personal faith, and be baptized in response to the gospel (Acts 2:38). Neither our parents, our friends, nor any minister at church can make that decision for us; we must decide for ourselves.
Who is a sinner saved by God’s grace? I am who, that’s who.
Joshua said, “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve” (Joshua 24:15). Every day we must make that choice anew. After we are forgiven and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we have an ongoing responsibility to use the gifts and opportunities God bestows. Who will wash others’ feet? Who will serve those in need? Who will spread the good news of Christ? Who will support the Lord’s work with time, talent, and treasure?
Will you dare to say, “I am who, that’s who”?
Personal Challenge: Offer to the Lord this two-part prayer: (1) “Father, I am sorry for my sin of [blank].” (2) “Father, in gratitude for your mercy and grace, I want to serve you by [blank].”
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