When confronted with sin, our fallen human nature wants to excuse, minimize, or blameshift. And the teachings of modern culture encourage us to do this by telling us we're victims, not sinners.
You might say that modern man has adopted “the spirit of Cain.”
In Genesis 4:1-14, God warned Cain of his sinful attitudes and told him how to avoid sin. But Cain ignored God’s warnings and carried out the first murder in human history, a cruel act of jealousy.
When God confronted him, Cain saw himself as a victim. He didn't think he deserved to be punished so harshly and showed no sorrow for the vicious murder of his brother.
If such a case happened today, we'd probably see articles about how Cain's self-image was damaged by God's rejection of Cain's offering. They'd probably claim that Cain felt overwhelming pressure to be “his brother's keeper” when he should have been free to express his inner child which was wounded by feelings of inferiority.
These types of false teachings have reshaped our idea of personal responsibility and promoted the idea that it's almost never appropriate to correct or rebuke someone.
So let's beware of the spirit of Cain, reject the false teachings that are so prevalent, and refuse to look at ourselves as victims.
Sin is a choice. It always has been and it always will be (James 1:13-15; 1 John 3:12; 1 Corinthians 10:13).
If you own Wisdom for Life, you'll find additional insights into this devotion by reading or re-reading Day 18. And I encourage you to do the “For Further Thought” section on Day 18 for a deeper understanding of this truth.
Bible Love Notes
You have me at "These kinds of False Teachings," and you're absolutely right. The bibke says "don't add ot subtract," something yet your point shows we're making too many accommodations to God's 1st instruction. You know what's ironic you'd think Eve and Adam would teach their sons to he honest from the jump, but I also appreciate that you said Cain felt inferior. That personal responsibility of Lord I felt inferior would have made a difference. Love thus post
ReplyDeleteYes, you're right. Our culture promotes excuses, and what's ironic is that many times a feeling of inferiority actually makes a person more humble and productive.
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