Many individuals who have heard the word of God will not confess their belief and will not obey, but not because they have a lack of evidence to cause them to believe and not because they have legitimate, logical reasons for remaining in their disobedient unbelief. If you have sat down with enough people, you know that many of the "reasons" for some remaining in their unbelief is nothing more than mere excuses offered as a way to avoid saying they simply do not want to obey the Lord. Some of the excuses would be laughable, if the subject of their soul's salvation were not so serious a matter.

    But even as transparent as some of these excuses are, many Christians simply give up at that point and take them at their word, without challenging them any further. Many give up simply because they do not have an answer for what is obviously an attempt to put off the surrender to God's will. Many are afraid to push on - afraid they might offend, cause tension or hard feelings, or be the cause for their friendship to end. Whatever the reason, though, we should not so easily give up; let us never forget a soul is at stake!

    So what do we do when we hear these excuses? Well, first of all, we do not come right out and call them a liar. That is the quickest way to end the study and any possible future studies! Whether they are telling the truth or not, we can answer them in a way that eliminates the excuse and, hopefully, gets their interest to once again be directed toward spiritual matters. For the next few weeks in this bulletin, we will address some of those excuses and attempt to provide an answer for you to use next time you hear one of your friends, family, fellow students, or fellow workers use it as they try to halt the discussion. That is not to say we will totally ignore their wishes, but we must try harder to get the lost to see they are lost! If you remember, in the parable of the great supper, the master sent his servants out and commanded, "Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled" (Luke 14:23). Jesus is not saying we need to force people to obey Him, but He does want us to exert our influence with them and try to convince them by giving them an irresistible reason to listen further. Sometimes, we need to take a little more time and put forth a little more effort to get the desired results.

    This week, we consider the following excuse and how we should answer: ''Nobody's Perfect!'' This excuse is often used when someone has pointed out a fault [what God calls 'sin'] and, in an attempt to say "I'm just as good as the next guy," this is offered as their 'out.' The reasoning is, since no one is perfect [i.e., sinless], including you who have pointed out the sin of another, then we should all just blithely accept it as fact and don't bother to do anything about it. The thinking is, "If we're all imperfect, we're all in the same boat! So, let's just continue as we have been and forget about anything else! Who are you to tell me I am guilty of sin? You're no better than I am!" [Quick answer: A man would feel no better about being on a sinking ship and would be no better off by just knowing that others were going down with him!]

    The thing with this excuse is, they are right in saying no one is perfect! God tells us "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23). That means you, me, and anyone else we might meet here on earth! If we approach others with the attitude that we are perfect, we will likely not get very far. We do not need to make ourselves appear sinless because even those of the world would know it wasn't true. There was only one who was perfect and, well, they killed Him. And therein is your answer!

    Answer: Immediately after this excuse is offered, make it a point to remind them [if they already know] that there was one man who lived without sin. If they do not know about Jesus and the fact that He lived on earth and lived without sin, though He was tempted (Heb. 4:15), make the following statement and then ask them this simple question: "You're right! I know I am not perfect; far from it; but would you listen to someone who was perfect? Would you be interested in what He had to say?" If they are honestly interested in spiritual matters and, particularly, their own soul, they will answer in the affirmative. Others, looking for a way to further delay the inevitable, will simply offer up another excuse or diversion. Make a quick determination which they are by what they say in response and then move on to the next step. If they are interested, introduce them to Jesus and show them the Bible passages that tell us about how He lived on earth, was tempted like we are, yet did not sin (cf. Heb. 4:15; 1 John 3:5; 2 Cor. 5:21). Point out that, through His sufferings, He is able and willing to help us when we are tempted (Heb. 2:17, 18). Show them how He was tempted and how He answered with Scripture every time (Matt. 4:1_11). Make the point that this is the pattern for us today who seek to overcome the temptations to sin and the pattern by which we can endure great wrongs done to us as we strive to serve God faithfully (1 Pet. 2:20).

    After we have shown them that Jesus was without sin and, therefore, a man worthy of hearing and a pattern worth following, then point them to His words and the words of the inspired writers that tell us about our own sin and the inability to remove it by ourselves. Stress again the truth that we are all imperfect, but that there is a way to be considered perfect in the sight of God but not of ourselves. Let them see that we are "without strength" to overcome our sins but it was for that reason Christ died for us (Rom. 5:6). Point out that Jesus did this for the very fact we are imperfect! Point out that the love of God and Christ for us was so great they would do this for those who were considered their enemies (v. 10)!

    Many will not grasp the depth of this, so take them to the words of God that tell of the new covenant that would replace the old, one in which God promised, "I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more" (Heb. 8:12). Emphasize that God is not promising forgiveness as man forgives [dredging up old sins when it is convenient to do so], but effectively "wipes the slate clean" and considers us perfect! [Point out that there are prerequisites to this!] Point out the conversions of the New Testament in which those seeking salvation were told to be baptized for the remission [sending away] of their sins (Acts 2:38) and that this act of obedience was where God did the work of saving us by figuratively washing us in the blood of Jesus Christ (Col. 2:11_13). Tell them that we are saved by baptism, but because Christ died for us and because He was raised from the dead (1 Pet. 3:21). Point them to the place where one man was told to be baptized, "washing away" his sins (Acts 22:16) and explain how it was Christ's blood that did the "washing" but the man had to follow God's instructions for that to happen.

    If they have followed this far, they might again object and use the same excuse only slightly different this time. This time, they may say, "I could never live perfectly after becoming a Christian, so I am not going to be a hypocrite." And, so, their excuse for not obeying continues. It is here that we must tell them that, yes, Christians will still sin after their initial obedience (1 John 1:8, 10). But tell them that this is no reason to never obey! Point them to the verse in between those other two and show that the child of God has the blessings of forgiveness should he or she stumble (v. 9). The blood of Christ not only saved us when we first obeyed, but it continues to wash away our sins when we repent and confess those sins!

    Don't make excuses for not obeying; your soul is simply too valuable to remain lost. God loves you too much to let you remain in your sin. No excuses!