Articles
Rationalize Lies
Rationalize Lies
Soon after Saul became king, Samuel commanded him to go to Gilgal and wait for seven days, at which point Samuel would come and offer sacrifices. Simple instructions, right? Not for Saul.
After his arrival in Gilgal, the Philistines prepared an attack on Israel. Fear gripped the nation. Desperate for God’s favor, Saul anxiously awaited Samuel. When he didn’t arrive by day seven, Saul offered the burnt offering himself.
Immediately afterward, Samuel showed up. Uh oh! Saul was caught red-handed! “What have you done?” asked Samuel.
Queue the excuses.
Saul’s response (in my words): “I had to! The people were scared. Besides, it’s kind of your fault for showing up so late.” Unbelievable!
This is a case study in rationalization. He thought God would make an exception in this rare circumstance. He honestly believed he had perfectly legitimate reasons for altering God’s simple command.
In reality, his reasons were lies. The word rationalize can be defined as “rational lies.” Remember that next time you start justifying sin.
We’re often more Saul-like than we realize. Consider seven excuses we sometimes tell ourselves when we sin. The first three come straight from Saul’s playbook.
1. “I had no choice.”
The right choice is often difficult but never impossible. No person or circumstance can force you to sin. We always have a choice between right and wrong (Joshua 24:15).
2. “It was someone else’s fault.”
You are responsible for your own sin (Jas. 1:14-15; Eze. 33). Never blame anyone or anything for the sin you’ve chosen to commit.
3. “My situation is unique.”
Someone, somewhere, sometime has experienced your exact temptation, or worse, and has overcome (1 Corinthians 10:13). If they did, so can you. Remember Jesus.
4. “I’m covered by God’s grace.”
This excuse is especially shameful! The grace of God is not license to sin (Rom. 6; Gal. 5). To the contrary, it teaches us to “deny ungodliness and worldly desires” (Tit. 2:11-12).
5. “I’m saved by faith alone, not by works.”
Salvation by faith doesn’t exclude the need for obedience, just the need for perfection. Faith without obedience is useless (James 2:14-26). Faith without repentance is too.
6. “Other people do far worse.”
Behaving better than the world is no accomplishment. Besides, that’s not the standard. God’s word is (John 12:48).
7. “Brother so-and-so does it.”
Unfortunately, well-meaning Christians sometimes practice sin. Your brethren are fallible; Jesus isn’t. Follow His example above all others (1 Peter 2:21).
There’s never an excuse for sin. When we sin, we must push these rational lies out of our mind, realizing they’re from the father of lies, Satan himself!
Saul should’ve taken full responsibility for his sin, confessed it, and repented with a broken and a contrite heart. So should we. This is the only path to restoration (1 John 1:8-10).
