It Wasn't Me!

Luke 18:9-14 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Genesis 3:8-12 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.”

Since the beginning, people have been trying to justify their sin. Most often we justify our sinful actions and thoughts by blaming the people around us: Bad drivers, people that lie to us, people that are a bad influence, people that are quick tempered, God, etc. There are sinners all around us, but that doesn’t mean they are responsible for our responses. Just because your husband has had a history of being lazy doesn’t mean you are justified in your disrespectful behavior toward him. Just because that driver cut you off doesn’t mean you are justified in your road rage. Just because “she said that” doesn’t mean you’re justified in your gossip.

A few years ago I went through a bible study called, “Battling Unbelief” by John Piper. If you’ve read it, you may recall learning this. If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend it! Basically, the premise of this book is that all sin can be boiled down to one major root and that is; Unbelief. Unbelief in who God says he is. Hold on, before you start thinking about your next excuse to justify your unbelief, let me explain. I’m not saying that you don’t believe in God, I’m saying your actions say you don’t. Sounds like an oxymoron, I know. Let’s say you have a quick temper. The Bible says to be slow to anger. The fact that you are quick to anger and unwilling to change that sin in yourself portrays your unbelief that God’s Word is true and good. And that leads to the second most common sin: Pride. Because you don’t believe that what God says is true, you believe that what you think is more important than what He thinks, putting yourself on a pedestal above God, which is pride (… and idolatry…of yourself). You see what a tangled web can be woven out of sin? Simply by being quick tempered when the Bible tells you not to be, you’ve just sinned in about 3 or 4 different areas, not including your sin against the person/people you just yelled at. And you are keeping yourself in that sin when you try to justify it. Justifying your sin isn’t just upsetting God, but it’s harming you, your relationships and your ministry. It’s harming you by not allowing yourself to feel conviction. Every time you justify your sin, you harden your heart to it. It harms the people around you because they are the ones you disrespect, lie to, yell at, hurt, gossip about, steal from, cheat on, etc. It hinders your ministry for the same reasons. Who wants to learn from someone who is disrespecting her husband, gossiping about them, being quick to anger, having no patience, being condescending and self-righteous? Our unrepentant sins affect the people around us more than we realize. No, we are never going to be perfect, but that doesn’t mean we should give up and let our sin run our lives. Christians aren’t supposed to live a passive lifestyle. Everyday is a fight for faith, a fight for freedom. Yes, Jesus conquered it all, but the temptations are all still there. We all still fall into it, so instead of trying to let yourself of the hook, realize that what you are doing is a sin, repent, and believe. Then see what God will do through you.