Then we hear our first "Who is to blame?" A slogan is born: "It had to be somebody else. I can't be the guilty one."
Adam said, "The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat" (Gen. 3:12).
Is this tendency to blame someone else a trait of mankind, a human characteristic; or is it the first result of coming face to face with a weakness in Adam that we all must eventually come to grips with at some time in our life?
Did Adam actually think that by placing the blame on Eve he would appear more righteous in the sight of God? In this kind of emotional response, and without time to think, did he somehow seek to conceal his own weakness and failure in the transgression? Certainly he was not, in love and compassion, thinking of Eve in her plight.
Whether this weakness is Satan-inspired or man-inherited, we must deal with it and come face to face with this robber of our security in Christ. This we must do if we are to come into the full inheritance and maturity of our Lord's security for our soul.
This insecurity is with us from our earliest recollection. Some children have heard one of their parents say, "If I had married someone else, we wouldn't be so poor," or "I could have had a better job if my parents had put me through college."
You might have heard an adult blame his or her boss for the failure to get ahead. A person of great success is often described as having been "born with a gold spoon in his mouth" and "really lucky!"
There is an attitude of envy: "I wasn't born with a gold spoon in my mouth!" Sometimes failure is blamed on poor education, lack of opportunity, even on ethnic background.
When we became old enough to participate in sporting events, someone else was always picked out to be blamed for the loss of the game: "The pitcher never threw me a good ball," "The umpire made bad calls," "It was a fluke; that fielder was out of position when he caught my fly ball - it was headed for the stand," "Any team can win when the ref is on its side!"
The long list of reasons why we fail can easily follow us into our relationship with the Lord. I have heard many working pastors say, "If I only had more time to study and pray, I know my church would grow."
Laymen have said the same thing in relation to their own personal growth: "If I sat under that pastor's ministry, I would really grow." A pastor might say, "I have never been appointed to a good church. I only get the burnt-out ones."
The obvious answer to this weakness of criticism, inherited from our parents and contemporaries, is to recognize that it stems from deep-seated insecurities, so deep that often they are buried in the subconscious mind.
By recognizing these insecurities and dealing with them, the beauty of Christ-related security can then be loosed in us and begin to develop.
In Christ Jesus our Lord lies our new sense of security. Not only are we to forget the past by not referring to it, we are to constantly refer to the present and to the fact that we are new creatures in Christ.
Asking, "Who is to blame?" can become much greater than just a security robber. Its ugly tentacles can reach into the depth of a person's soul and cause him even to blame God.
Deep subconscious (I surely hope no one would consciously do it) resentment of God Himself can result from an uncontrolled resentment of others.
"Did not God, our Creator, make all things? Then why did He make me so ugly when others are beautiful? Why me, Lord?"
"Why am I so large and awkward; others so petite and agile?" "Why was I born of poor parents?" "Why was I born in poverty?"
This sort of questioning, if unchecked, can cause us even to resent our Creator. On the other hand, history relates how many of the handicapped went on to great fame and fortune because they stopped feeling sorry for themselves.
Why blame someone else? You are what you are, so go on to become the greatest mature Christian that ever lived. You can do it.
Don't blame anyone for your failure to achieve; just rejoice that your name is written in heaven (Luke 10:20) and see what great things the security of Christ's righteousness can do in you.
Confessions
Thank You, Lord. You said, so I can also say, I am more than a conqueror. I can do all things in Christ, no matter what the circumstances are. Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world. My security is not in what I think I am, but in who You say I am. I will never again blame anyone else. I will arise and meet every new day with joy and faith, forgetting yesterday. I will leave all failures out of my vocabulary. I will become all that You have promised I can become.
A Prayer
"Dear Father, in Jesus' name, I ask Your forgiveness to cover any hidden resentment I might possibly have against You. I know that You created us perfect in the beginning. Because of the fall of Adam and Eve, that beautiful creation has been marred. I am a product of that sin.
Because I am a new creation in You, please help me to allow that life to flow out of me. Please allow Your security to become my security. I will no longer blame anyone. I will endeavor to become all that You originally intended - a beautiful example of Your redeeming love. Amen."
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers