"He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy"(Prov 28:13)

We live in a culture of denial. Has someone committed a crime? We should blame television, or his friends, or his environment. While at times such situations are not clear-cut as to who is at fault, it is extremely rare today to hear a true confession of guilt. Taking responsibility for faults has become old-fashioned and foolish. Yet we shouldn't be surprised at this; man has always struggled with taking responsibility. Let's learn from some Bible characters who passed the buck and see how we can do better.

God had forbidden Adam and Eve to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen 2:17), yet Eve was deceived by the serpent and ate the fruit. But what's this? "She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate"(Gen 3:6). When God confronts Adam and asks him point blank if he had eaten the fruit, he replies, "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate"(Gen 3:12). Adam tries to pin the blame on his wife! Yet Adam had clearly sinned, and when God doles out punishment, the man's penalty is "because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you…"(Gen 3:17). Certainly Eve played a part in Adam's sin, but who was ultimately responsible for Adam eating?

Zoom forward a few centuries to Mt Sinai. Moses is receiving the law from God, and the people approach Aaron: "Come, make us gods"(Ex 32:1). Aaron takes their gold "and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf"(Ex 32:4). When Moses confronts Aaron for leading the people into idolatry, he replies "You know the people, that they are set on evil…So they gave it to me, and I cast it into the fire, and this calf came out"(Ex 32:22, 24). The people did it; they are at fault! The biblical record shows that Aaron did more than just watch a calf come out, and that God held him accountable for his lack of leadership: "Aaron had not restrained them, to their shame among their enemies"(Ex 32:25). Sure, the people had an evil desire, but did that excuse Aaron's sin?

King Saul received a command from God: "Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them"(1 Sam 15:3). Yet "Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them"(1 Sam 15:9). When Samuel confronts Saul about not obeying God, what does he say? "The people spared the best of the sheep and the oxen, to sacrifice to the Lord your God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed"(1 Sam 15:15). The people did it! Rather than taking the blame for not ordering the people to do the king's bidding, Saul decided he would just blame everyone else. God was not fooled! Yet only after a harsh rebuke does Saul finally admit, "I have sinned"(v. 24). Perhaps the people had done wrong, but did that make Saul's sin OK?

Pilate was in trouble. Jesus was innocent, and he knew it, yet he couldn't see how he could let him go without upsetting the Jews. What does he do? "He took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, 'I am innocent of the blood of this just Person. You see to it"(Matt 27:24). Really, Pilate? Does washing your hands with water make you innocent of the death of Jesus? Sure, your authority released Him to be crucified. Sure, your soldiers beat Him and mocked Him. Sure, you consented to his death. Does hand-washing remove your guilt? Pilate passed the buck. Even though the Jews clamored for Jesus' death, was Pilate innocent?

The lesson is simple: God wants us to acknowledge our sin. When we have done wrong, we must honestly and penitently accept our sin and its consequences. "He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy"(Prov 28:13). Admitting our sins is the first step toward making them right. Further, without admission there can be no forgiveness: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness"(1 John 1:9). When bad things come to pass in our lives, perhaps we should first ask: is this happening because of my sin? For Adam, Saul, and David, the answer was yes. Most of all, until we come face to face with sin's awful nature, we will never change our ways.

Our world may pass the buck and avoid responsibility all around us, but Christians must be different. Let us learn from the mistakes of these men and change what is amiss in our lives before it's too late.___Jacob Hudgins