“If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin.” – John 15:22
Every Christian is someone who recognizes their sin and their need for forgiveness and grace. And they also know that forgiveness only comes through Jesus and His death on the cross as payment for that sin. When Christians put their faith and trust in Jesus, they become a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) that has been cleansed by the blood of Christ.
But old habits are also hard to overcome. Because of our sinful nature from the beginning, our sins don’t automatically end once we accept Christ as our Savior. The only way that we can stop ourselves from sinning is through a daily submission to Christ and the Holy Spirit. As Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)
But the reality is that no matter how hard we try to submit ourselves to the Holy Spirit, we still fail and need to repent of our sin and receive the Lord’s forgiveness. Yet it seems that some Christians think that once they are born again of the Spirit they don’t sin anymore. But that’s not true. We are not sinless! As Paul says in Romans 3:23, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” The best that we can do is minimize our sins by letting the Holy Spirit help us not to sin.
And yet some Christians still won’t recognize their sins and try to make excuses for them when they commit them. Here are what I consider the 4 major excuses that Christians make for their sins.
1. It wasn’t my fault (blaming others)
As humans we are often unable to see our own failings and instead blame someone else for things we did wrong. It all goes back to the garden of Eden where Adam blamed Eve for his sin of eating fruit from the tree that God had told him not to eat from. Eve also knew what God had commanded and instead chose to blame the serpent rather than her own decision to do something that God had forbidden (Genesis 3:12-13). This is the original sin committed by mankind through Adam & Eve that still lives in all of us to this day! If we are Christians and followers of Christ, we should only listen to God’s voice. If we choose to listen to the voice of others, we are at fault for our sin by choosing to ignore God’s commands.
2. I didn’t know it was a sin (ignorance)
Every Christian should know the 10 Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17). These are God’s moral law intended for our benefit. Sadly, a 2023 Pew Research Study shows that 52% of American Christians don’t read their Bible or read it only seldomly. Knowledge of God’s Word, especially about sin, is essential for every follower of Christ. As Paul says in Romans 3:20, even though we can’t keep the 10 Commandments, they reveal how sinful we are. Every Christian should read and meditate on God’s Word so that we will know His voice and what He desires for us. This is the only way that we can live Godly lives.
3. I knew it was a sin, but I won’t do it again (rationalization)
In our lives, Christians are often faced with difficult choices. While we may seek to follow Jesus and do God’s will, we sometimes choose to follow secular or worldly wisdom instead of God’s wisdom. We rationalize our choices by saying that it was a one-time decision and likely won’t happen again. We buckle under the pressure of earthly expectations and often choose the sinful choice rather than suffer the consequences of the Godly choice. One example is abortion where young pregnant girls (and often their parents) see a baby as infringing on their life plans instead of as the murder (ending the life) of an innocent child (Psalm 139:13-16).
4. I didn’t sin (denial)
There are voices in our American culture that continue to want to redefine Biblical values and principles. They argue that God’s Word must keep up with the times and reflect our modern society. This does not just come from the secular culture, but also from the pulpits of many Christian churches in our nation. Consequently, these voices keep trying to claim that what was once considered sin in our culture is no longer sinful because they and our society say so. But God’s Word has not changed and will never change (Malachi 3:6). As Proverbs 30:5 says, “Every word of God is flawless.” It contains no errors. It does not need to be updated based on changing times or the will of man. God’s Word is Truth and stands forever!
It saddens me to see how far our American society has fallen away from Biblical principles and God’s Truth. But it disturbs me even more that much of it is coming from Christians and not just the secular society. When Christians make excuses for their sins, they are essentially telling God that they know better how to live their own lives. That demonstrates a lack of faith and trust in God and what Jesus did on the cross.
All Christians need to take responsibility for their choices and their sins and stop blaming others, claiming ignorance, rationalizing them, or denying them altogether. God sees everything and knows our sins. Our only hope is to acknowledge them, repent of them, and be “cleansed from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).