It Wasn’t Me
There was a movie my family and I loved called RocketMan (1997). It tells the story of a kind, loving, intelligent—but very inept—man who dreams of becoming an astronaut and somehow gets selected. While on Mars, there’s a scene where he must share a breathing line with another astronaut to survive. Unfortunately, the inept astronaut has horrible gas. As they make their way back to the ship, he keeps saying, “It wasn’t me!”
Now, that definitely wasn’t me.
Later in the movie, after another incident, he finally admits, “Okay… that time it was Julie” (Julie was back on the ship). This running joke—It wasn’t me!—is funny and memorable, but it makes an important point.
At some point, we in the body of Christ must examine ourselves.
Scripture tells us to examine ourselves before taking communion (see 1 Corinthians 11:28–34), so that we do not die.
We are to ensure that we are still in the faith. That warning alone tells us something sobering – it is possible to:
- Go through the motions.
- Appear aligned with believers.
- Yet have a relationship with the Father that is lacking—or even non-existent.
We may be committed to good works, acts of service, and moral behavior (as expected of professing believers—see James 2:14–26), but still be sending contaminated air to those who are desperate for life because we ourselves are no longer connected to the true source. Jesus called that source Living Water (see John 4, the woman at the well).
Here is the massive warning sign: when we are no longer convicted of our sin.
That may mean we are drifting toward a reprobate or depraved mind (Romans 1). Even common definitions agree: a reprobate person no longer feels conviction, remorse, or a desire to do right. They justify sin and stop caring about God or salvation.
- “It wasn’t me.”
- “At least my sin isn’t as bad as theirs.”
- “What about Jason? Look what he does.”
But being morally correct is not the standard—being biblically correct is. Proverbs 14:12 reminds us:
“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.”
Many who appear “good” by human standards may still be lost. A reprobate mind has a seared conscience (Romans 1), while a person who belongs to God still desires to please Him—even when they fail.
Isaiah warned us of a time when people would call good evil and evil good (Isaiah 5:20). Scripture tells us that God may eventually give people over to their own corrupt desires. That ought to sober us.
So here is the heart of this message:
If the Holy Spirit is convicting you—be quick to repent. Do not say, “It wasn’t me.”
Revelation 3:19 says:
“Those I love, I rebuke and discipline. Therefore, be earnest and repent.”
Conviction is proof of sonship. When we repent and turn back to God, we can stand confidently in the truth of 1 John 3:2:
“Now we are children of God…”
But how did we get there? Look back to 1 John 2:
“I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.”
He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
He did that.
Our responsibility is to own our souls, to acknowledge our sins—not merely wrongdoing or guilt, but sin as God defines it—and to repent daily. Repentance is not a one-time act; it is a posture of life.
The popular phrase “we are all children of God” is not biblical. Scripture says, “Now we are His sons.” That status comes through repentance, faith, and submission to Christ.
Owning our sin means we stop telling God, “It wasn’t me.”
Instead, we say: “It was me—and it was me that Jesus died for.”
Do not let the blood of Christ be treated as common or wasted (see Hebrews 10:26). Jude reminds us:
“Now unto Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless…” (Jude 24–25)
God is faithful—to save and to keep us.
So we have a choice.
Daily cultivate a real relationship with God—not just with words, but with our lives. Yes, through giving and service—but above all by pushing out sin and filling that space with the fire and power of the Holy Spirit.
Through the shed blood of Jesus and the gift of the Holy Ghost—
He did do that.
Wooosah.
AM