We Have No One to Blame

Blame-shifting is a popular pastime. Our culture encourages it, and parents are often the scapegoats. But it's a dead end.

Parents who mistreat and abuse children will be held accountable by God (2 Corinthians 5:10), and God will comfort and heal the abused (Psalm 34:18). 

But Scripture never encourages us to blame-shift our adult sins on others.(1)

A good biblical example is Eli who refused to discipline his sons (1 Samuel 2; 1 Samuel 3:11-14; 1 Samuel 4).

Many modern parents are following Eli’s example by overindulging their children. 

God held Eli accountable for his permissive parenting. But God held Eli's evil sons accountable for their sins (Ezekiel 18:20).

The sins of the parents affect their children, but sin is always a personal choice (Ezekiel 18).

No matter how badly our parents treated us when we were growing up, God can give us wisdom and strength to live godly lives as adults (1 Corinthians 10:13). If we choose to sin, we have no one to blame but ourselves.
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Please note that we are talking about adults who blame their sins on bad parenting. An under-aged child is not responsible for the abuse he receives, nor is he responsible if he is forced by his parents to do something wrong. Children who have been physically or sexually abused by parents must seek godly Christian counsel in handling their adult relationship with their parents.
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