Justified before God

Picture yourself standing before God's throne with no excuse or alibi. Satan, your legal adversary, is reading off the list of charges with times, places, every shameful detail. He makes accusations of pride, prayerlessness, covetousness, unfaithfulness, and your heart smites you because you have to admit, “Yes, that's me. I did it all.”

It looks hopeless for you. You know God's eyes are too holy to look upon sin, and his justice demands that you pay for your crimes against his holiness. You are helpless.

Suddenly, here comes your lawyer and advocate. He stretches forth his nail-scarred hands, and you know something is about to happen. He smiles and whispers, “Don't be afraid; none of these charges will stand. You're going to walk out of this courtroom free and fully pardoned. When I'm finished, your accuser won't have one charge left against you.”

Best of all, your lawyer tells you he has adopted you as his brother. Then he tells you he is the son of the judge, so you now belong to the judge's family as well!

There is still the matter of justice, though. What about the charges against you? You listen in absolute wonder as your advocate pleads your case: “Judge, you know that I fulfilled the law, living a sinless life. I took this person's place, taking on all the punishment for his crimes. Through these nail-scarred hands and my pierced side, blood came forth to blot out all of his transgressions. All these charges were put on my back, and I paid the penalty for every one of them.”

Your advocate then looks at your accuser and says, “Satan, you have no grounds to accuse my child. Each of his sins was placed on me, and I have fully pardoned them all. He is not guilty because his faith in the victory of my sacrifice gives him full pardon. You have no case!”

As the devil slinks out of God's court, you can hear the Lord cry out, “Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies” (Romans 8:33, NKJV).