Who is at Fault?
A guest post by Chad Ramsey.
Adam and Eve Excused Responsibility for Sin.
When God confronted Adam and Eve after they sinned, they both tried to excuse their behavior. Adam attempted to pass the blame along by declaring: “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate” (Genesis 3:12 NKJV).
Eve followed suit and said: “The serpent deceived me, and I ate” (verse 13).
Although neither Adam nor Eve spoke inaccurately when they answered God, their responses did not diminish their culpability in the matter. God held them both accountable for their actions and ultimately forced them to leave the Garden of Eden (verses 23-24).
They could not argue they were prone to sin because of genetics or excuse their behavior because of their environment. They were guilty of violating God’s instructions, and their sin had consequences.
David Took Responsibility for Sin.
We would do well to remember Adam and Eve when we sin. Rather than excusing our actions and deflecting the blame, we must take responsibility. King David provided us with an excellent example of this in Psalm 51. After Nathan the prophet confronted him regarding his adulterous relationship with Bathsheba, David wrote:
“Have mercy upon me, O God, according to your lovingkindness; according to the multitude of your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight” (Psalm 51:1-4).
David did not seek to escape guilt by arguing his passions were too strong to control. Neither did he blame Bathsheba for bathing within view of his rooftop (2 Samuel 11:2).
He understood his actions had consequences. He chose to lust after Bathsheba, and he chose to act upon his lust. David bore the burden for his own choices, and we will do the same. The prophet Ezekiel made this clear when he wrote:
“The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself” (Ezekiel 18:20).
Encouraging Personal Responsibility for Sin.
When an individual freely commits a sin, that individual is at fault. This is true even if the sinner was influenced to act by someone else.
Rather than excusing or ignoring sins, we must acknowledge personal responsibility. We are all tempted by individual desires, and we all face various cultural pressures. Nevertheless, we have the freedom to refrain from sinful behavior.
Adam and Eve did not have to eat the forbidden fruit; David did not have to commit adultery. Temptation can be resisted (1 Corinthians 10:13), but those who fail to resist are personally accountable. Making this point, Paul warned:
“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10).
Chad Ramsey preaches for the Gloster Street Church of Christ in Tupelo, Mississippi. You can access their Bible classes and Chad’s sermons on Gloster Street’s YouTube page.
Chad was - and still is - “my preacher” from when I spent my high school and early college years at Gloster Street. I’m thankful to be able to share some of his writings with you.
