The Blame Game

It’s a game that is as old as Adam and Eve: “The Blame Game.” Everyone knows how to play it; a game played by children and adults. The rules are easy. Don’t take responsibility for anything; point an excusing finger at someone else and say, “They did it.”

As Christians we still play the blame game. James addresses the blame game like this.

• When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone.
  James 1:13 (NIV)

First, he makes it clear that all of us will encounter temptation; James said “When tempted,” not “If tempted.” Some of us are champions at the blame game; we’ve convinced others and ourselves that our reputation is coated with Teflon. Dirt won’t stick to us because we are above temptation and sin. Thus no one would dare accuse us of doing anything wrong (that is sinning), because we are so spiritually connected to Jesus.

Have we forgotten that even Jesus was tempted? And Jesus was tempted by Satan himself; I don’t think any of us have arrived to that level of spirituality that the devil needed to try to seduce us personally. Don’t let yourself get puffed up with spiritual pride that makes you immune to temptation, so no one (including yourself) would dare blame you of sin.

James points out another tactic of the blame game too. If you can’t make yourself invincible then shift the blame onto someone else. In this case James says many of us will blame God; “It’s not my fault; God is tempting me.”

When we play the blame game with God we’ve forgotten two important things. God really is above being tempted by evil; therefore, God does not tempt us to sin. If anyone is above reproach who we shouldn’t point our fingers at it is God.

Until we are ready to take responsibility for our sin, we will continue to try to push our guilt off on someone else. If we can’t blame God, then we will accuse our family, friends, a stranger or even an enemy. Some of us will even blame Satan saying, “The devil made me do it.” Lay the blame at someone else’s doorstep; it doesn’t matter who, just get the spotlight off me. That’s how the game is played.

God wants us to stop blaming and start confessing, to take responsibility for our sin. The blame game has no winners; the only winners are those who get out of the game by saying, “It was me; I sinned. Please forgive me.”