So, What's Your Excuse?

Scripture

19Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. 20For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are. Romans 3:19-20

Observation

Paul is knocking down all excuses we put up for not repenting and walking by faith. In Romans 1 Paul removed the excuses Gentiles used to rationalize their lack of faith. They didn't grow up in the synagogue or have the Scripture so how can they be held accountable for their actions? "19They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. 20For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God." (Romans 1:19-20).  Then, in this chapter Paul makes it obvious that just being related to the Law Giver Moses is not synonymous with fulfilling the Law.  The Law was given to highlight our need for Jesus not to use to hide from Jesus because of all our "good works".

Application

Jasper Carrott is a British comedian who reads out loud actual auto insurance claims highlighting in a hilarious way how we can rationalize almost anything so we don't have to take responsibility for anything:

• So, going out of my driveway this morning, I drove straight into a bus. It wasn’t my fault. It was five minutes early.

• I drove into the wrong house and collided with a tree that I haven’t got.

• The accident was caused by me waving to the man I hit last week.

• I knocked down a man. He admitted it was his fault; he’d been knocked down before.

•  I’ve been driving for 40 years before I fell asleep at the wheel. 

Who hasn’t heard excuses when on the phone with companies in the often erroneously named "Customer Service" experiences? It started during the Pandemic where the annoying waiting room music if interrupted every 30 seconds with the highly annoying and unverifiable excuse “the call center is experiencing a high call volume.” Are they, or did they decide to cut back on labor and have fewer people there to answer the normal number of calls they receive? I think we all know the answer to that. I wish I could say I was immune to excuses, but the truth is when I have missed a meeting, forgotten a "honey-do" item on the list, or have lost my temper my first reaction is to try and take cover under an excuse. Sorry the traffic was really bad. Really? Our phones tell us exactly how long it takes to get somewhere. The real reason is I should have left earlier. I got distracted and I should just own up to. Pride keeps me from repenting whether it's to another person I've hurt or to my God.  My moral arithmetic doesn't add up. No amount of good things I do can earn my way in to God's good graces or cover up my multitude of sins. The truth is that every failure is a fresh opportunity to own up to my sin so my sin doesn't own me. Every day is filled with ample opportunities to humble myself and highlight the goodness of my God. "29After all, is God the God of the Jews only? Isn’t he also the God of the Gentiles? Of course he is. 30There is only one God, and he makes people right with himself only by faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles. 31Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law." (Rom. 3:29-31). No more excuses!

Prayer

Lord, all I can do is thank you for your mercy and grace this morning. Mercy is not getting what I deserve, and grace is getting what I don't deserve. You've given me a fresh start so why I do I keep handing you well crafted excuses? The truth is the only I can serve You, my family, my friends, my church, my community is by faith in Your strength and goodness rather than trusting my own. No more excuses Lord! Here's my heart!