The man said, “The woman you put here with me — she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” Genesis 3:12

Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” Genesis 3:13

Fixing didn’t work, and neither did hiding. Adam again considered his options. Confession was still on the table, but it was just too risky. He decided to blame Eve for what he had done. That option is called blame-shifting.

While his statement appears to shift the blame to Eve, Adam actually shifts the blame to God. Did you pick up on it? Listen again to Adam’s response. The woman YOU put here with me — she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it. Genesis 3:12

Adam was pointing the finger of blame at God. If God hadn’t put that woman in the garden, Adam never would have eaten the fruit.

We can push that thought further.

Since it was God who placed the tree in the garden in the first place, doesn’t that make Him ultimately responsible for what Adam did? Isn’t God to blame for evil? Have you heard people make that argument? I have. That’s how easy blame-shifting works.

Shifting the blame to God was a gutsy move. It again revealed Adam’s biggest vulnerability — pride. He was so close to being like God that he thought he could be God.

Adam was the first man to blame-shift. He set a great example for Eve, and she became the first woman to do it. I confess it is such a useful option that I, too, have used it.

I have a painful memory of a time I cheated on a test in high school. It was a stupid thing to do — and I got caught. I could have confessed immediately, but like Adam, I weighed my options. I wanted to see how much they knew before spilling the beans. Well, they knew a lot, and I was clearly guilty. Instead of simply confessing my transgression, I tried shifting the blame to the teacher for not giving us enough time to prepare. Blame-shifting went about as well for me as it did for Adam.

On another occasion, I tried blame-shifting to get out of a speeding ticket. I calmly explained to the state trooper that everyone else was speeding, and it seemed safer to keep up with the other motorists who were clearly at fault. It didn’t work with him either.

In the parable of the bags of gold, which teaches us about the Kingdom of Heaven, Jesus tells a story about a servant who tried to blame-shift on his master.

Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So, I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’

Blame-shifting didn’t go well for him either.

His master replied, “You wicked, lazy servant! So, you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers so that when I returned, I would have received it back with interest. So, take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have, will be taken from them. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

While writing about God’s sovereignty, Paul addressed the issue of people shifting blame to God.

Therefore, God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden. One of you will say to me, “Then why does God still blame us? For who is able to resist his will?” Romans 9:19

Paul responded: But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, “Why did you make me like this?” Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use? Romans 9:20-21

Blame-shifting is a diversionary tactic. It is designed to deflect attention away from me and onto someone or something else. It works so well we fool ourselves into believing our own lies. It allows us the luxury of being a victim instead of an offender. That may sound good, but victimhood is a trap. If you can blame someone else for your problems, then you will never make better choices, and the result will be bondage.

Are you doing any blame-shifting today? It’s not always easy to identify because sometimes it can seem justified. When someone does something wrong to you, it seems like you should be able to blame them for any bad choices you made in response.

Justified or not, blame-shifting doesn’t help you grow and make better choices. I often say to people, “It may be true that how you got to where you are is not your fault, but where you go from here, you can’t blame anyone else.” If we allow someone else’s choices to define us, then we will suffer in the bondage of victimhood. God has something better in store for you. Instead of blame-shifting, own up to your own mistakes and seek God’s grace to grow and be free.