Some find it difficult to take responsibility for their actions. Instead, they blame others for their shortcomings. This is not a new development among mankind; it goes back to the Garden of Eden. Adam sinned, and, then, he “passed the buck.”

Genesis 3:11-12 (ESV)
¹¹ He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” ¹² The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.”

Husbands, how would your wives feel if you threw them under the bus like that? Here was a moment when both husband and wife were terrified. Adam and Eve knew they had done wrong and that God would not be pleased with them. They were so afraid that, for the first time, they hid from Him (Genesis 3:8). When God confronted them and began to question Adam about his nakedness, one of the first things Adam said was, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree…”

Did Eve force Adam to eat the fruit? No! Did she use some kind of trickery? No! Adam simply failed to take responsibility for his action. Perhaps he sincerely believed his excuse. Those who play the blame game often believe that someone else is at fault. This is why we must take personal accountability seriously. When something goes wrong, we must honestly assess our part in it. If the idea that we could be the one at fault never even enters our mind, finding someone else to blame will always be our first course of action.

The danger in playing the blame game is that not taking responsibility for our actions will never relieve us of our accountability. Did Adam escape the consequences of his sin by blaming Eve? Again, the answer is no!

Genesis 3:17 (ESV)
¹⁷ And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;

“Passing the buck” does not work, especially spiritually. In the physical realm, one might get away with playing the blame game, but when it comes to our souls, we are dealing with One Who sees and know everything, Remember, “…all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:13).

Sadly, playing the blame game is not rare. Many brethren do it. Some leave the faith and blame it on a brother who offended them. Some forsake the assembly and blame it on the preacher or Bible class teacher who they do not like. Some refuse to forgive and blame it on the one who should be forgiven. Some simply live in sin and blame it on everybody and everything, except themselves, of course. The only thing that this blaming of the others does, is stop the guilty party from being forgiven by God, for without repentance, there will be no forgiveness.

Do not play the blame game. We are blessed to serve a gracious God Who is willing to forgive us of all our sins, but we must repent and confess them to Him (1 John 1:8-10). Only then can we move on from our transgressions and enjoy a fresh start.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.