The Dangers of Justification | Pastor Elijah Eldredge

Jesus’ words in John 8 set the foundation: holding to his teaching proves real discipleship, truth is known through obedience, and truth sets people free. The lie says that excuses are harmless, but the danger of justification is that it creates distance from God. God does not walk away, but disobedience keeps a person from walking close to him.

The expired-tag story shows how delayed obedience gets expensive. Excuses can be completely true and still not justify refusing what is already known to be right. Obedience may cost something up front, but disobedience costs more in the end. The phrase, “Lord, let me explain,” becomes dangerous when a person is not confused about God’s will but is explaining away why it has not been done.

King Saul gives a clear picture of partial obedience. God told Saul to destroy everything belonging to the Amalekites, but Saul saved King Agag, kept the best animals, and built monuments for himself. Saul called it obedience, but Samuel could hear the sheep. The sheep start making noise because the fruit of a person’s decisions eventually reveals what excuses tried to hide.

Saul’s blame, spiritual language, and worship sacrifices could not cover his disobedience. “The people did it” did not remove Saul’s responsibility as king. “We saved them to sacrifice to the Lord” did not make rebellion holy. Obedience is better than sacrifice because worship, serving, giving, and good intentions can never replace surrender to what God has plainly said.

Saul’s final confession exposes the root: “I was afraid of the men, so I gave in to them.” Fear of people was hiding underneath the sheep, the plunder, and every excuse. Every excuse protects something, whether comfort, approval, pleasure, pride, control, loneliness, insecurity, or fear. The root has to be surrendered, not only the behavior, because fixing the root changes the fruit.

Repentance begins where explanation ends. Confession says, “Lord, I got nothing to explain. I was wrong.” God does not ask for self-defense; he invites people to receive mercy. Obedience also has to happen before feelings line up, because delayed obedience is still disobedience.

Jesus stands as the perfect contrast to Saul. Jesus honestly faced the pain of the cross, yet he said, “Not my will, but yours be done.” Jesus did not negotiate his obedience, and salvation exists because he surrendered all the way to death on a cross. His obedience now calls his people to stop asking how much they can get away with and start asking how quickly they can obey.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Excuses become costly forms of disobedience [05:22] Delayed obedience can look small at first, but it grows expensive in the soul. Excuses may contain true details, yet truth about circumstances does not erase responsibility before God. Obedience costs something, but disobedience always asks for more. [05:22]
• 2. Every excuse protects something underneath [10:30] Excuses are rarely just about the outward behavior. Fear, comfort, approval, control, and pride often sit underneath what a person refuses to surrender. God wants more than modified behavior; he wants the root brought into the light. [10:30]
• 3. Spiritual language cannot cover rebellion [17:22] Saul used sacrifice language to defend what God had forbidden. A person can pray, serve, give, and still use holy words to protect an unholy choice. Obedience is better than sacrifice because God wants surrendered hearts, not religious cover-ups. [17:22]
• 4. Repentance begins where explanation ends [23:59] Confession refuses to blame, bargain, or make the failure sound smaller than it is. Mercy meets the person who says, “I was wrong,” and turns from sin. God is not asking for a defense case; he is inviting honest repentance. [23:59]
• 5. Jesus never negotiated his obedience [36:25] Jesus did not pretend the cross was easy, and surrender did not remove his agony. His “not my will” carried him through the pain rather than around it. Salvation rests on the obedience of Christ, and discipleship follows that same surrendered path.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:21] - Truth Sets People Free
• [01:05] - The Dangers of Justification
• [01:54] - The Expired Tag Story
• [05:22] - Obedience Costs Less Than Disobedience
• [06:45] - Lord, Let Me Explain
• [09:13] - What Excuses Are Protecting
• [11:01] - Saul’s Partial Obedience
• [13:52] - When the Sheep Start Making Noise
• [15:12] - Blame and Spiritualized Disobedience
• [20:18] - Obedience Is Better Than Sacrifice
• [21:15] - Fear Beneath Saul’s Excuses
• [22:39] - Repentance Begins With Confession
• [27:47] - Surrender the Root, Not Just Fruit
• [29:18] - Obey Before Feeling Ready
• [34:28] - Jesus Did Not Make Excuses
• [37:18] - Salvation Through Christ’s Surrender

Bible Reading

John 8:31-32
So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
[00:11]

Luke 16:15
And he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.”
[07:23]

1 Samuel 15:13-24
When Samuel reached him, Saul said, “The LORD bless you! I have carried out the LORD’s instructions.” But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?” Saul answered, “The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the LORD your God, but we totally destroyed the rest.”

“Enough!” Samuel said to Saul. “Let me tell you what the LORD said to me last night.”

“Tell me,” Saul replied.

Samuel said, “Although you were once small in your own eyes, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The LORD anointed you king over Israel. And he sent you on a mission, saying, ‘Go and completely destroy those wicked people, the Amalekites; wage war against them until you have wiped them out.’ Why did you not obey the LORD? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the LORD?”

“But I did obey the LORD,” Saul said. “I went on the mission the LORD assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the LORD your God at Gilgal.”

But Samuel replied: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you as king.”

Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned. I violated the LORD’s command and your instructions. I was afraid of the men and so I gave in to them.”
[13:32]

Luke 22:42
saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”
[35:06]

Philippians 2:8
And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
[36:12]

Observation questions

1. In John 8:31-32, what does Jesus connect with being a true disciple, knowing the truth, and being set free?
2. What evidence did Samuel hear that showed Saul had not fully obeyed God’s command, even though Saul said he had carried it out? [13:52]
3. What two explanations did Saul give for keeping the animals, and how did Samuel answer those explanations? [17:24]
4. What did Saul finally identify as the reason he gave in to the people? [21:18]

Interpretation questions

1. Why does partial obedience still count as disobedience in Saul’s situation? What does this show about obeying what God has plainly said? [17:53]
2. Saul used worship language—saving animals “to sacrifice to the LORD”—to defend his choice. How can good-sounding spiritual language become a way for a person to avoid surrender?
3. Jesus honestly acknowledged the pain of the cross, yet chose the Father’s will. What does this show about the difference between expressing a real struggle and making an excuse for disobedience? [35:51]
4. Saul said he feared the people and gave in to them. How can fear of people, approval, comfort, or control become the deeper reason behind a person’s repeated excuses? [27:47]

Application questions

1. Is there something God has already made clear that you need to do—make right, confess, end, begin, forgive, or surrender—but you have delayed? What explanation have you been giving for not doing it? [32:29]
2. Think about an excuse you return to often. What might that excuse be protecting underneath: comfort, pleasure, approval, pride, control, loneliness, insecurity, or fear? [28:01]
3. Have you ever blamed another person, difficult circumstances, or your past for a choice that was still yours to own? What would it sound like to take responsibility before God without adding “but” or “because”? [22:54]
4. Is there a place where you have tried to cover disobedience with something good—serving, giving, praying, attending church, or helping others? What would obedience look like in that specific situation? [20:32]
5. What “sheep making noise” might be revealing an area that needs attention in your life—the fruit, consequences, patterns, or strained relationships that excuses can no longer hide? [14:20]
6. Where do you need to pray Jesus’ prayer this week: “Not my will, but yours be done”? What practical step could help you obey before you feel fully ready? [35:11]
7. When you recognize sin or disobedience, do you tend to defend it, hide it, minimize it, or confess it? What would honest confession and turning toward God’s mercy look like this week? [27:01]