I Know I Have Sinned, But I Have Several Excellent Excuses

By John Clardy

 

Luke 10:25-29

25         And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?

26         He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?

27         And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.

28         And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.

29         But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?

 

Here are some excuses that a well known automobile insurance company says it has received as explanations for car accidents.

 

  1. The pedestrian had no idea which way to go, so I ran over him.
  2. The other car collided with mine without warning me of its intention.
  3. I had been driving my car for 40 years when I fell asleep at the wheel and had the accident.
  4. As I reached an intersection, a hedge sprang up, obscuring my vision.
  5. I pulled onto the side of the road, glanced at my mother-in-law, and ran off the embankment.
  6. The telephone pole was approaching fast. I tried to swerve out of its path but it hit my front end.
  7. The guy was all over the road. He had to swerve a number of times before I hit him.
  8. The indirect cause of this accident was a little guy in a small car with a big mouth.
  9. An invisible car came out of nowhere, struck my car, and vanished.

 

Isn’t it amazing the excuses that we will invent to justify ourselves when we know we are wrong?  It would be so much better to be honest and admit our failures, but we want to defend our actions even when we know there is no plausible defense of them.

 

The Bible says that the lawyer in our text was trying to derail or sidetrack Jesus and justify himself by asking a question that he was hoping Jesus could not answer.  But Jesus answered him and silenced him.

 

It would be just as foolish for us to attempt to trick God or trip Him up when it comes time to answer for our actions and conduct.  There is only one way to be justified before God!  It is only by the Grace of God and through the shed blood of Jesus Christ!

 

You may think you have several excellent excuses ready to justify your sin, but they will be worthless on Judgment Day! On that day any excuses or self justification we try to offer will only condemn us serve as evidence against us. 

 

Job 9:20  If I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me: if I say, I am perfect, it shall also prove me perverse. 

 

So do the smart thing, get rid of your excuses and call on Jesus! Then when justice demands the penalty for your sins on that day, He will show the scars in His hands and say, “It is PAID IN FULL!”