But...it's not MY FAULT

I was in a discussion with my step-mother the other night. We were discussing whether or not living a homosexual lifestyle was actually 'sinful.' She has a male cousin that was born with the proclivities to behave like a girl. Eventually he had a sex change operation. She said, "That can't be sinful, because it wasn't his fault...He was born that way."

All of the sudden, I remembered all the times in my life that I have said, "It's not my fault" or heard that line from my kids.

Here are my questions for you all today...Who gets to decide what sin is or is not? If "I" get to decide it, doesn't that make ME the one in charge, since I am the one setting the rules? And if I am the one in charge, does that not mean that I am my own 'god'?

God is OUR FATHER. That father gets to decide what is our fault or not. If WE are the ones making the choices for our actions, then WE are the ones who are at fault.For no one is worthy NOT EVEN ONE.We can stand up and pat ourselves on the back over and over for what WONDERFUL people we are, but we are sinners. That makes not even one of us worthy of the gift of Jesus that God gave us. He died for ALL of our sins. That doesn't mean he only died for the little sins, he didn't die only for the big sins. He suffered, died and was buried and on the third day rose again to save the world from sin. He died to save everyone that lived and to save everyone that will live.

Now, if we take it upon ourselves to say what is sin and what is not, then we are not listening to God and trusting him. Sin is what seperates us from God. It is the door that WE slam in his face. It is a part of the free will choice HE has given us. He has told us, "I am here, ready and waiting. I am knocking at the door." We have the choice of ignoring Him or opening the door to Him. If we are ignoring him, we are not acknowledging him.

A blind man is walking down the street and is enjoying the beautiful day. He has a walking cane and is using it quite knowledgably, however, up ahead is about to be a demolition and he is going to walk right into it. You can let him know what is happening, or you can let him do as he pleases, continuing to walk toward his doom. Which one is loving? He isn't harming anyone else with his walk. What he is doing is his business, but still the loving action is to let him know, "You are in danger, I am concerned for you."

God created us. God decides what is sin or not. God knows the heart, He knows where we fall short. When we realize where we aren't living up, He is the one who can come to us and give us His grace and mercy, but we can't receive His grace and mercy if we won't open the door and acknowledge to Him what we have done wrong. Does this mean we should be cruel to those that have sinned? NO. That would ALSO be sinful. We must look to our OWN sin before judging another's sin. I used homosexuality as an example above, but it can go for any number of sins...

I chose to eat candy every day when I could have eaten salad, now I am overweight, but I don't want to ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY and go exercize to improve my health. I chose to smoke, now I have lung cancer, but I continue to smoke because I don't ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY for my actions (I blame the tobacco companies or air quality instead). I chose to spend all my extra money on drugs or alcohol, I lost my job, but I don't want to ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY for my actions and dry out, instead I am going to beg for money and use it to drink more to dull the pain. I chose to have sex outside of marriage, but don't want to ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY for my actions, so I am going to abort my baby. Although I am not ready to have kids, I chose to get married so I could have sex. I don't want to ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY for another life, so I am going to abort my baby.

Anytime we start making excuses for our behavior instead of taking a step back and looking deeper, WE are sinning. We are saying, "My own actions are not my responsibility." But, they are our responsibility. We should, if we really DO love Christ, be making every effort to avoid sin, every effort to accept responsibility for every single one of our actions. Then, we will be showing humility. Then, we will be acknowleging how short we fall. Only then, can we open the door and be in the presence of God's love, grace, and mercy.

Whether or not you believe that there was literally an Adam and Eve or you think the story of the Garden of Eden is a metaphor, there are some important points that are the basis for what goes on in the world today.

1. God wasn't enough companionship for Adam, so he asked God for a companion (Eve).
2. Eve was a part of Adam.
3. For us to love, we must make a choice. God gave Adam and Eve a choice. He gave them a resposibility. Take care of the earth, the garden, the animals, but do not eat from the fruit of ONE tree. You can have EVERYTHING else, except the fruit of that ONE tree.
4. When given the choice, they both chose to eat of the one thing God denied them.
5. When given the chance to ask for forgiveness, they BOTH said, "It's NOT MY FAULT."

Adam blamed Eve, Eve blamed the serpent. The fact is, they were both responsible for their actions. Their actions led to sin entering the world. Sin entering the world changed the fabric of the world. No longer was it perfect. Now there were thorns. Adam and Eve needed clothing. They could no longer live in the Garden.God in His love and mercy still provided for them, but He also expected them to face consequences for their actions.

We will face consequences in our lives for our actions. There will also be times that God is merciful and gives us His grace, but we can't expect a loving God to just let us get away with doing everything wrong. He loves us, and loving us, He is going to do what He knows will help us to best learn to do better, to move closer to Him, to be more like Him. Instead of telling God, "It's not our fault," in humility, we need to be asking God, "How is this my fault? Please, forgive me. Please, help me be more like you."

God disciplines those whom he loves. In accepting that discipline, we accept that love. We acknowledge his dominion over us, we make Him our God. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us, but if we confess our sins, God who is faithful and just will forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Amen.