June 17, 2026
Dear Church of the Open Bible,
There are a number of things that come naturally to me. Enjoying a good joke, competitiveness, and a love of sour cream. But another is my propensity to make excuses. When I’m wrong, it’s so natural for me to justify my behaviour in light of something or someone else. “But I’ve had a long day of work.” “But so-and-so made me do it.” “But if you would only just…”
Seeing as I’m also a generous father, I’ve passed all of these on to my children.
Trying to avoid accountability, opening our mouths too quickly, and excusing what we’ve done can be traced all the way back to Genesis 3. Protesting our innocence, our righteousness, is one of the most natural things for fallen men and women to do after they sin. This is why silence in those moments stands out.
Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. - Romans 3:19
I like how Paul describes the effect of God’s sin-exposing law. It causes every mouth to close. It stops every excuse. It holds the whole world accountable to God. No one will be able to say, “But…” We will not be able to avoid judgment with our words. All mouths are stopped before God Almighty.
How quickly does your mouth open when you are confronted with your sin? How many words do you spend trying to justify your behavior? By the power of the Spirit, may we close our mouths in those moments. May we acknowledge sin. And then may we praise and seek the one who is both just and the justifier, by trust in Jesus Christ (3:26).
In Him,
Pastor Jeremy