Human beings, since the advent of sin on this earth have had the natural tendency to blame others when circumstances or situations go awry.
This tendency is hardwired into our DNA, directly inherited from Adam, and passed from the father to the children through the laws of genetics.
During the Nuremberg Trials, which was a military tribunal utilized to prosecute military and political leaders of Nazi Germany for crimes committed prior to and during World War II, the defense of Superior Orders was firmly established. The Superior Orders defense was based on a German phrase “Befehl ist Befehl” which is translated “an Order is an Order”[1]. The crux of this defense is that if a superior gives an order, it must be followed blindly no matter how heinous the result that will follow the execution of the order.
The Yale Coercion Study
This defense was further studied by Stanley Milgram a psychologist at Yale University in his groundbreaking study[2] on coercion. In Milgram’s study an experimenter ordered volunteer participants to afflict allegedly painful shocks to a third party on an ever-increasing basis. The studies focused on whether the desire to conform to authority would lead an individual to perform extremely painful actions to another person that could eventually lead to their death. The initial results to this study were quite surprising, 65% of participants[3] continued to shock the victim up to the highest level possible (450 volts) despite the fact that they could hear the victim screaming in pain, and all participants continued to shock the victim up to 300 volts. Milgram best summed up the results of the study in 1974 when he wrote:
The legal and philosophic aspects of obedience are of enormous import, but they say very little about how most people behave in concrete situations. I set up a simple experiment at Yale University to test how much pain an ordinary citizen would inflict on another person simply because he was ordered to by an experimental scientist. Stark authority was pitted against the subjects' strongest moral imperatives against hurting others, and, with the subjects' ears ringing with the screams of the victims, authority won more often than not. The extreme willingness of adults to go to almost any lengths on the command of an authority constitutes the chief finding of the study and the fact most urgently demanding explanation.[4]
The implications of this so-called defense have been far reaching. These examples show that if a person can somehow place the blame of their actions on another, they can then feel justified in committing any sin or crime no matter the brutality, after all it was “the other” person’s fault that I did it.
It’s Not My Fault
We have indeed witnessed this scapegoating play out time and time again throughout history, starting with Adam blaming Eve (but really blaming God) for eating the forbidden fruit in Genesis 3:12. Again when Pilate attempted to wash his hands of the blood of Jesus in Matthew 27:24.
We have certainly seen this lack of personal responsibility in more recent times, such as when a cheating spouse blames their jilted partner for their indiscretions, or when an inebriated husband physically or emotionally assaults his bride because she didn’t do something correctly.
We also see it in the politics of the day where the left blames the right, and the right blames the left for all the ills of the world around us. How often have you heard a politician stand up and say “it’s my fault” when discussing the national debt or deficit, illegal immigration, abortion, etc? No, it’s always easier to blame “the others” as it shirks me of personal responsibility and accountability.
As we look through the history of this wonderful country in which we all enjoy incredible amounts of liberty and freedom, it’s easy to forget there has always been a group of “others” in America. The list is ever changing, and at the risk of not being able to provide a comprehensive list I will just provide a few examples in alphabetical order: Africans, Atheist, Catholics, Chinese, Irish, Italians, Mexicans, Muslims, Natives, and Polish. A cursory search of the history books and one can easily find a multitude of examples where one of the above groups were to blame for “what’s wrong with America” You can insert any one of the groups above into a sentence that reads something like this: “If it wasn’t for INSERT GROUP this country would be a much better place” throughout historical archives. I would be remiss if I omitted the supreme example of scapegoating in the words: “The Devil made me do it!” frequently echoed by unrepentant Christians. The ultimate result of our tendency to blame others is a life full of anger, bitterness, and finger pointing. We will always find another group of “Others” and blame them for the dissatisfaction that we have with our own lives.
The Marvelous Gospel
While it’s important for us to understand our natural tendencies, and appreciate the history of our world, what’s much more imperative is for us to receive the calling that the gospel of Christ has for us as individuals. While the world is designed to tear us down, the gospel was constructed by the Master Builder to raise us up to heavenly places. While our natural tendency has told us to avoid responsibility, the [everlasting] gospel has explained that ultimate responsibility lies with one person ME. As the psalmist wrote:
Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting (Psalms 139:23-24).
There is no room for finger pointing or blaming in these inspired words, there was a clear understanding that any corruption started internally and was not the fault of “the others”. Paul expounds on this point when he wrote in Romans 7:24-25.
O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from this body of death. I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.
The Buck Stops Here
Paul makes it clear where the buck stops, and he puts the blame solely upon his very own shoulders as he is very cognizant of the fact that sin dwells within HIM. I emphasis the word HIM, because we all have a tendency to recognize sin in those around us while failing to acknowledge the sin that resides in us. Until we arrive at a point where we recognize our own sin, we will continue to fall short of the high calling that God has for his children. Paul further explains in Romans 2:1:
Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things. But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things. And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?
Jesus solidifies this point as He says to remove the plank from your own eye prior to attempting to remove the speck from your brothers’ eye (John 13:35).
If we as Christians are truly honest with ourselves, we would understand that many of the world’s perils that we blame on “the others” are truly our fault. This is certainly a bold claim, however the Bible clearly illustrates that we are called to be leaders and light bearers in this world, allow me to elaborate using Scripture as the guide.
Matthew 5:13 – Ye are the salt of the earth…. (Salt preserves and enhances)
Matthew 5:14 – Ye are the light of the world… (Light provides illumination to darkness and is used as a guide)
Matthew 5:44 – But I say unto love your enemies, bless them that curse you (Forgiving)
Matthew 5:46 – For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? (Kind to strangers)
Hebrews 13:12 – Be not forgetful to entertain strangers (Kind to strangers)
Proverbs 24:17 - Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth… (Kind to enemies)
Philippians 2:3 - Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory… (Humility)
Philippians 2:4 - Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others (Selflessness)
Exodus 22:21 – Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him (Kind and compassionate)
Exodus 22:22 – Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child (Blessings to those in need)
1 John 4:20 - If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar…
Luke 6:31 - And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.
John 15:12 – This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you
I could add numerous additional verses to this list, however I think the biblical principle is well established. Now, imagine a world in which every Christian actually followed the biblical guidance and lived up to the high calling illustrated in the above Scriptures. The world would be a much different place! We would radiate Christ in everything we do, and the world would be naturally attracted to us and our Message because it comes directly from the throne of God.
If we lived and treated others the way Christ would have us to, the world would be converted to Christ, because as Christ says they would see the love that’s within us, and ultimately love is the only force that can change a heart (John 13:35). I would contend that the world has fallen so far into sin, because WE as Christians have collectively failed to be the ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20) for Christ that we are called to be. If we would follow Christ’s lead, then others would be naturally inclined to follow us, as Paul puts it in 1 Corinthians 11:1 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. The impact of sin in this world would be greatly reduced if we heeded this inspired advice.
In the environment that I live in, I have the opportunity to interact with people that have little to no faith in God. As such I’m very interested in hearing their perspective or understanding of Christ and Christians. One recurring theme that I’ve heard is that many correlate Christianity with the conservative political movement of the day, or with state’s rights and gun ownership. None of these items am I here to condemn, but I would contend that we as individuals should realize that when many people think of Christ they don’t think back to love, mercy, kindness which are the true attributes of Christ. This should alarm every follower of Christ, as how can we convert the world if they have a misunderstanding of the God in which we serve?
True Leaders
We must as individuals be zealous in our commitment to Christ, and the witness that we provide to the world around us. Everyday we see the world being more and more shaken, and people are uncertain and looking for hope and leadership.
I’m of the belief that it’s for such a time as this that God has called faithful men and women to step forward to perfectly replicate the beautiful image of Christ to a dying world. We are past the time where we look for others to blame for the world’s faultiness, we are at a junction in earth’s history where true leadership is needed to exit this world alive. A true leader never blames others as he understands that he is ultimately responsible for those under his purview, he also does not dwell on mistakes but ensures they don’t happen again in the future.
We should all ask ourselves deep soul-searching questions at this time. Instead of complaining about homelessness, what have I done to help those in my community who are on the brink of being homeless? Instead of complaining about drug use, did I personally take the gospel to the drug user to show them there is more to life than the poison of drugs?
Instead of complaining about abortion, did I gain the trust of the young adults to explain the blessing of purity? I would venture to say most of us have never taken a real risk for the sake of the gospel, most of us have never had to endure real personal sacrifice to enlarge God’s kingdom. We all stay in our comfort zones focusing on our own salvation, and we essentially say “to hell” with everyone else, then we complain about them when they don’t live up to our standard of righteousness. What an amazing contradiction!
Conclusion
It’s time for true leadership from the followers of Christ, and that leadership will cause us to take some risk for the sake of the gospel. As mentioned above a leader does not focus on mistakes, he makes sure that the mistakes don’t happen again in the future. It’s time for us as Christians to “seek and save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).
Maybe it’s time for you and I to venture into the bad part of town to help the drug addict or the homeless, or perhaps we need to spend time at the university to teach the blessings of purity. Some of us may need to travel to developing countries to help the locals rebuild their lands and hear about Christ for the first time. Only God knows what our callings will be, but the most important thing is that we all do something, for if we all do something the power of the Holy Spirit is able to affect a mighty work from now until eternity.
We must individually ask God to show us what He would have us do, and undoubtedly He will reveal His will for our lives to us! God loves all men, and desires nothing more then then to see us all in the kingdom of heaven. If honest men and women truly search their hearts and through the Holy Spirit ask God to reveal our role in the salvation of others, God will give us the same divine favor that we read about throughout Scripture.
The only question left to ask ourselves is “What will I do to save The Others?”
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Keyon is a husband and father of a young family in the Dallas metroplex. Keyon has also served in various church roles such as Youth Leader, Sabbath School teacher, and Elder. Currently Keyon is working to plant a lay led church in the Dallas area.