God made mankind upright, but men have gone in search of many schemes. (Ecclesiastes 7:29, NIV)
God did not burden Adam with sin. God made him upright. It was Adam who used his freedom to forfeit his righteousness.
Anthropologists talk about the ancient Babylonian myths, and “the gods” who are responsible for mankind’s wickedness. Their enormous appeal is that if these myths are actually true, then we can say, “It’s not our fault the world is a twisted, messed up place — blame the gods!”
If these myths were actually true, which they’re not, we should all be shaking our fists at the gods. If you’re shaking your fist toward heaven today, perhaps it’s because you’ve bought into some version of the Babylonian myths. The Bible says something very different…
- There are not many gods; there is one God.
- God is entirely good, and all that he does is right.
- God made man upright, but men have gone in search of many schemes.
The myths say, “The blame lies with the gods; hope lies with us.” But the Bible teaches, “The blame lies with us; hope lies in God.” If you are in the habit of blaming God for the problems of life, then you should seriously question whether you’re a Christian.
Christians love and trust God. We have many unanswered questions, and sometimes we have doubts, but Christians know that the blame lies with sin, and that sin lies in us, not in God.
Instead of shaking your fist at God this week when you see evil, tell yourself, The root of this evil lies in me, not in God! Cultivate a greater hatred for sin in your life.
