11月26日

標 題：負責任

經 節：那人說：「禰所賜給我、與我同居的女人，她把那樹上的果子給我，我就吃了。」（創世記三章12節）

亞當和夏娃盡其所能地推脫責任。亞當責怪妻子：「是她給我那棵樹上的果子。」他甚至把責難的指頭伸向神，說：「是禰賜給我的那個女人。」夏娃把責任推到蛇的身上，她說：「那蛇引誘我，我就吃了。」神不理他們的藉口，宣判了他們悖逆的罪行。

人類的悲歌之一，是拒絕為自己的行動負責。我們把自己的問題怪到別人頭上：父母沒有管教我們、朋友拖累我們、牧師講道不清楚、兒女太叛逆、雇主不夠敏銳、配偶不瞭解我們、時間不夠用……，我們的藉口很多！然而，除非完全負起當盡的責任，否則饒恕與重建是不可能發生的事。

我們為自己的罪行找藉口，正證明我們沒有真誠地悔改。聖經中從未提到，因著別人對你的影響，神原諒了我們的罪行。若習於為自己的所作所為找藉口，我們將不會誠實地悔改。神會要我們為自己的行為負責任，而不要他人為我們的行為負責任（哥林多後書五：10）。總要竭誠認罪悔改，並為自己的罪負責任，這會釋放你，使你得到神的饒恕，朝向靈命成熟邁進。

Taking Responsibility

Then the man said, "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate." (Genesis 3:12)

Adam and Eve did everything they could to avoid taking responsibility for their sin. Adam blamed his wife: “She gave me of the tree.” He even pointed an accusing finger at God, saying it was “the woman, whom You gave me.” Eve blamed the serpent saying: “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” God ignored their excuses and announced the judgment they would face as consequences for their disobedience.

One of the dirges of mankind is that we refuse to take responsibility for our actions. We want to blame others for our problems: Our parents did not raise us well; our friends let us down; our pastor was not a good enough preacher; our children are rebellious; our employer is not sensitive enough; our spouse is not understanding; there is not enough time in the day . . . the excuses are plentiful! Yet forgiveness and restoration cannot happen until we accept full responsibility for our actions. An obvious indication that we have not genuinely repented is that we make excuses for our sinful behavior. Nowhere in Scripture does God excuse one person’s sin because of someone else’s actions. If we make a habit of blaming others for our failures, we will not reach a point of honest repentance. God will hold us accountable for our own actions, not others (2 Cor. 5:10). Strive always to acknowledge and take responsibility for your own sins. It will free you to receive God’s forgiveness and to press on to spiritual maturity.