Instead of Taking Responsibility, We Want to Play the Blame Game...

This week, we have been asking the question “Were we created to be responsible?" Wednesday, we discovered that humanity was divinely designed humanity to be responsible. We have been created in the image of God to be responsible beings. We are created to be responsible when it comes to our relationship with God. We were created to be responsible when it comes to work. We were created to be responsible and the capacity to be responsible. And we were created to be responsible in relationships with others.

Now today, you might have a question and objection that has begun to run through your mind. And if we were able to have a conversation about that question and objection that conversation might sound something like this: “Well, wait a minute Dave. You are saying that the Bible says that I was created to be responsible. But if God created humans to be responsible, then why are there so many irresponsible people around? Why do I struggle when it comes to being responsible if I was created to be responsible? We see God provide the answer to these questions in what follows, beginning in Genesis 3:1:

“Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?"

Here we are given a glimpse into an encounter that Adam and Eve would have with the serpent. Now a natural question that arises here is “are you saying that Adam and Eve are talking with a snake? Because, Dave, that seems pretty weird”.

So who are Adam and Eve talking to? The serpent who Adam and Eve are encountering is Satan, who had disguised himself as a serpent. Satan begins this encounter by asking Eve a question: "Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?" The Bible then records what happens next in verse 2:

“The woman said to the serpent, "From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.' The serpent said to the woman, "You surely will not die! "For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."?

Satan tempts Eve by challenging God’s character and God’s motives. Satan basically tells Eve “Don’t believe God because God lied to you. You are not going to die if you eat the fruit. God lied to Adam when He told him that. Instead, God knows that if you eat the fruit you will become like Him. You will be like God and God does not want that. Eve, God is trying to keep you from being all you can be. Eve don’t you want to be like God?” We see the decision of Adam and Eve and its consequences in verse 6:

“When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings.”?

Eve responded to Satan’s temptation by buying into the deception that she could become like God. While Eve was deceived into buying into the lie, Adam had no such excuse. You see, Adam was the one who had been given the command in Genesis 2:17. Eve was not around yet. And it was Adam who was given the responsibility by God to lovingly lead, provide and protect Eve. But instead of leading, Adam decided to be a coward. Adam allowed Eve to take the role that he had abdicated. And it was Eve who was deceived by Satan into violating the only rule on the planet.

That is why the Bible says in 1 Timothy 2: 14 that Eve was deceived. Eve was deceived because it was Adam who was responsible. And it was Adam’s cowardly irresponsibility that led to sin entering into the world. And as sin entered the world, we see the consequences immediately affect the world. The relationship between Adam and Eve and humanity throughout history was drastically changed. They were no longer comfortable in their own skin.  Something had come between them that resulted in a loss of vulnerability and transparency. And as a result they covered themselves with fig leaves. We read what happens next in verse 8:

They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. Then the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, "Where are you?"

Now God is not asking “Where are you?” because He did not know where they were. God knows where they are. Parents, have you ever asked your children where they were at, even though you knew where they were at, as an introduction to a conversation? And usually that conversation involves dealing with something that your children have done wrong that they are trying to hide from you as they hide from you, doesn’t it? That is what is happening here. God is engaging Adam and Eve here by saying “Why are you trying to hide from Me?” Look at Adam’s response:

He said, "I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself." And He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?"

Again, God is not asking “Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” because He did not know that they had eaten from the tree. God already knew that they had eaten from the tree. And Adam’s response of his fear as a result of being naked revealed the reality that they had eaten from the tree.

You see, God is not asking these questions in order to get information. God already has all of the information. God is asking these questions in order to see if Adam was going to take responsibility for his behavior. God is asking these questions to see if Adam is going to own his irresponsible disobedience. We see Adam’s response to God’s questions in verse 12:

“The man said, "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate."?

In other words, Adam says “God, this is your fault. The woman whom YOU GAVE to be with me, she is the one who deserves the blame. She gave me the fruit and I ate it. God this is your fault and this is her fault, but it isn’t my fault”. Adam’s response leads God to ask Eve a very simple and pointed question in verse 13:

“Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?"

God is asking Eve “What do you have to say for yourself?” We see Eve’s response in the second half of verse 13:

“And the woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."

In other words, Eve says “God, this is not my fault. God this is the Devil’s fault. God it is the devil who deceived me. God, the devil made me do it. God this is Devil’s fault, but it isn’t my fault”.

And it is here that we see the timeless reason why our lives are often marked by the desire to live irresponsibly and then allow others to be responsible for our irresponsibility. It is here that we see why we often struggle with the concept of responsibility. And that timeless struggle is this: When it comes to responsibility, instead of taking responsibility, we want to play the blame game. 

You see, we are just like our first parents. Just like Adam and Eve, while we have been created in the image of God to be responsible beings, there is something within us that would rather place blame than take responsibility. There is something within us that would rather blame others than take responsibility when it comes to our relationship with God. There is something within us that would rather blame others than take responsibility when it comes to work. There is something within us that would rather blame others than take responsibility to be responsible. And there is something within us that would rather blame others than take responsibility in our relationships with others.

But here is the problem with the blame game. When we play the blame game, the result is conflict and shame. When we live irresponsible lives and then attempt to blame our irresponsibility on others, the result is conflict. If we were able to look on as Adam blamed Eve for Adam’s irresponsibility, how do you think Eve responded? “God the woman you gave me, she gave me the fruit. Really. You are going to blame this on me? You did not just try to blame this on me?”

Do you think the blame game resulted in Adam and Eve having a closer relationship? Of course not. And in the same way, when we choose to play the blame game instead of taking responsibility for our attitudes and actions, the result in conflict in our relationships.

But not only does the blame game result in conflict in our relationships. The blame game also results in shame. Adam and Eve’s irresponsibility and subsequent blame game resulted in shame. They were no longer comfortable in their own skin. They could no longer be vulnerable and transparent with others. Adam and Eve recognized that they were now flawed and broken people.

You see the blame game never removes the shame, does it? In fact, the blame game does the opposite. The blame game only enhances the shame of our irresponsibility as we try to hide our irresponsibility instead of owning it. The blame game only enhances our shame that we feel deep in the core of our beings because we never deal with our irresponsibility. And over time, our lack of taking responsibility to instead play the blame game only results in that shame festering and consuming us. Because, when we play the blame game, the blame game only leads to conflict and shame.

So here is the question that we are going to be asking throughout this series: Am I taking responsibility? Really? Are you taking responsibility for your relationship with God? Are you taking responsibility for your performance at work? Are you taking responsibility for the time, the talent, and treasure you have been given? Are you taking responsibility for you relationships with others?