Passing The Buck Syndrome — The Solution
Categories: Church of Christ Bulletin ArticlesRecently, I read where a city employee in one California city, sued the city for damages after he backed a dump truck into his own parked car. The man’s argument was that because the city’s vehicle damaged his private vehicle, the city owed him $3,600. As ridiculous as this sounds, passing the buck to others has been a basic human trait since the beginning of time.
When Adam and Eve ate from the forbidden tree, their eyes were opened and they lost their innocence. God asked Adam a simple, yet penetrating question: “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:9 – NKJV). In the past, Adam had intimate fellowship with God, but now he responded with guilt and fear, hiding himself (Genesis 3:10 – NKJV).
God’s follow-up question was more convicting — “Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?” (Genesis 3:11 – NKJV). Adam then started passing the buck by telling God, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate” (Genesis 3:12 – NKJV). The man blamed God and the woman for his sin. The woman blamed the serpent rather than herself (Genesis 3:13 – NKJV). Ever since that day in the Garden of Eden, we tend to blame others rather than ourselves for our sinful choices.
There’s a simple solution for the “passing the buck” syndrome. When we sin, let’s take immediate responsibility for our sinful thoughts and actions like David — “I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden” (Psalm 32:5 – NKJV). When we humbly repent and willingly confess our sins to the Lord, we can rest assured that He will “abundantly pardon” (Psalm 32:5; 1 John 1:9; Isaiah 55:7 – NKJV).