Bible Question:

God created everything. He knew man would sin. He knew man would need to be redeemed. He knew most people would not turn to Him. He created Satan. God put Satan and people together. How can God be without blame?

Bible Answer:

Who is responsible for our sins? Some claim that we are a product of our environment; consequently we are not really responsible for our problems and mistakes. Therefore, we blame our spouse or whoever we are living with, our parents or our government. But should we also blame God? We should not be surprised that someone has asked, “Why should I trust God since He allows sin?” The answer that follows has two parts: 1) “God warned Adam and Eve” and 2) “Are we responsible for our sins?”

I Trust In God

God Warned Adam and Eve

Genesis 1:1-2:25 reveals that God created the earth and everything on it. Genesis 2:1-3 concludes the explanation of God’s creative acts that began at Genesis 1:1.  Genesis 2:4-25 then provide greater information about God’s creative acts on day six. Verses 7-10 tell us that Adam was living in the Garden of Eden. Then in verses 15-17 we are told that God warned Adam to not eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. God told him that if he disobeyed he would “surely die.” It becomes obvious in Genesis 3 that God was referring to spiritual death. In Genesis 3:1-19, we are told about the tragic decision of Eve to sin and then of Adam’s sin. Romans 5:12, 18-19 teaches us that as a result all of Adam’s children became sinners. Consequently, every human is a sinner. Worse yet, 1 John 5:19 teaches that the evil one, or Satan, is in control of this world system. He deceived Eve, and since then he has been attacking and tempting unbelievers and believers. He seeks to prevent unbelievers from believing in God, and he has been attempting to either eliminate believers or cause them to sin.

The point that we must remember is that God warned Adam and Eve. But they decided to disobey. They could not blame society because they were the only people alive. They could not blame their parents because they were the first parents. They could not blame an earthly government or the police because those institutions did not then exist. It is clear from Scripture that Eve had a choice and she was self-deceived (1 Timothy 2:14).

Are We Responsible For Our Sins?

Now we must ask, are we responsible for our own sins? can we blame anyone else? The answer is found in James 1:13-17. We begin with verse 13.

Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. James 1:13 (ESV)

Here we are told that God does not tempt us to sin. In fact, God cannot be tempted to sin, that is, to do anything wrong. 1 Peter 1:16 reminds us that God is holy. He does not sin!

Then James 1:14-15 answers the next question, who is responsible for our sins?

But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. James 1:14-15 (ESV)

The answer to the question is that we are responsible for our own sins. Our own desires urge us to sin and when we give in, we have sinned. We are responsible! Verses 16-17 make the point that we should not deceive ourselves by blaming God. God only gives us good and perfect gifts.

Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. James 1:16-17 (ESV)

Notice that we are told with God there is no variation of shadow. That is, God is always holy and never sins! We are completely and totally responsible for every sin we commit. We cannot blame anyone else. Others may influence us to sin, but we make the final decision.

Conclusion:

God is not responsible for our decision to disobey! Jeremiah 17:9-10 describes us very well,

The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately sick;
who can understand it?
I the LORD search the heart
and test the mind,
to give every man according to his ways,
according to the fruit of his deeds.
Jeremiah 17:9-10 (ESV)

We deceive ourselves! We blame God for the difficulties in our lives. But the truth is we reap what we sow. When we sin, we can expect negative results.

How can we trust God? If you have been blaming God, then you must start by repenting and confessing your sin of blaming God. It is sin to blame God for one’s own sins. Then ask God to increase your faith and help you trust Him.

Suggested Links:

Who Caused You To Sin?
When does thinking about a sin become a sin?