The blame culture is nothing new. Some would suggest it’s as old as humanity itself.
Nobody is perfect – that should not be an excuse, that should be an understanding allowing the capacity of grace to help us grow. From the beginning of the story, all that was required was for the individual to behave in a responsible manner.
Being responsible started with just following clear and simple instructions for the good of humanity. When that didn’t work out, the requirement was for the individual to at least acknowledge the wrong they did and seek to follow the right way again. Even that though became too difficult. The rebellious streak of autonomy wanted to establish its own measure of right and wrong and did not want to submit.
Even that attitude, however, betrayed the desire to appeal to a morality a sense of right and wrong. A desire for justice for when wrongs took place. A desire to pursue harmony and peace. It’s just that with a distorted view, there was no hope of that ever happening. Maybe there would be no way of achieving lasting peace and harmony as long as a rebellious and fractured humanity always wanted to avoid responsibility and pass it onto someone else whilst expecting to get the perks of the beautiful world.
Where the first man messed up a greater man did better.
Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,
but a body have you prepared for me;
in burnt offerings and sin offerings
you have taken no pleasure.
Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God,
as it is written of me in the scroll of the book. (Hebrews 10:5-7 NIV)
Finally here was a man who took responsibility. He came to fulfil the will of God. His obedience, His sacrifice and His example was the platform for pathetic and rebellious humanity to find hope for that peace and harmony that continued to elude them.
To express that on earth, after He ascended, He gave gifts to His followers so they could display the manifold wisdom of God in being the Body of Christ on the earth. A community of believers dedicated to serving each other out of love for God and impacting the earth with the change they have experienced through faith in the risen Son.
That community messes up. That community harbours sin. That community, however, takes responsibility when it does mess up as an example of what it is to know justice, mercy, forgiveness and restoration. That process starts with acknowledgement and contrition before working towards repentance and restoration.
All of that is dependent on the one who came when we were in the mess and gave us a chance to truly embrace that peace and harmony for which we were created.
When the world is looking for the change, there is no better place to see that than in the responsible church.
Help us, loving God, to reflect your love to others in ever taking responsibility for our failings and being ever grateful for your forgiveness and restoration.
(Photo by Linus Nylund on Unsplash)
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
C. L. J. Dryden
Life With CD 