Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” (Genesis 3:11-13 ESV)
Admission
There is an old dad joke… Question: After Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, Adam blamed Eve, and Eve blamed the Serpent… but the Serpent did not blame anyone. Why not? Answer: He did not have a leg to stand on.
But the surprising thing about this story is not the Serpent’s silence, but it is the fact that God asks the question in the first place.
God already knew the answer.
But because of God’s love for Adam and Eve, He gives them the chance to admit what they have done, and therefore to trust in God’s grace and mercy.
They, however, did not admit their sin.
Perhaps one of the most significant changes that God gives us in sanctification is that we are able to trust Him enough to admit our rebellion, voice our sorrowful understanding, and confess our sinfulness.
We are able to do that because God loves us. And we show our acceptance of His love by making use of that gift.
Stop blaming others, stop making excuses, stop hiding your head in the sand.
God loves you enough to enable you to confess… and to rejoice when you do.