(Image Credit: crdotx)

In Genesis chapter three, we see the first confrontation of a man in his sin, and it doesn’t go well.

For starters, he’s hiding when God comes looking for him (Gen 3:8-9).  This is the unredeemed sinful nature of a man, hiding from the responsibility of his sin.  Most of us can probably remember as little children hiding from our parents after we’d done something wrong.  A young boy will often hide behind physical objects to avoid taking responsibility for his sin.  When he’s older, he often hides behind excuses.

Although Adam admits to eating the fruit, he admits it while putting the blame elsewhere:

“The woman… whom you gave to be with me… she gave me the fruit of the tree” (Gen 3:12)

He blames the woman for his eating of the fruit, and he blames God for giving him the woman in the first place.

He makes excuses.

The truth is that it wasn’t the woman’s fault and it wasn’t God’s fault.  It was Adam’s fault.

Real men don’t make excuses for their sin.  Real men take the blame and accept responsibility.

When a man chooses to avoid taking responsibility for his sin, he’s left putting his faith in the false saviors of excuses and blame shifting to justify him from guilt.  For most men, blaming someone or something else is a self defense mechanism from guilt and shame.

Putting faith in the blood of Christ for justification, frees a man from the pressure to self justify sinful behavior by blaming someone else.

The story of Genesis three begins with Adam avoiding responsibility for what was his fault, and ends with the promise of Jesus, coming to take responsibility for the fault of others (Gen 3:15).

True manhood accepts responsibility for his own faults and the faults of others.

What excuses are you hiding behind?

How can you grow in your manhood by looking for ways to help take responsibility for the consequences of other’s sins?