Passing The Buck Syndrome — The Solution – Bible study

Recently, 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).