ODJ: our defense
April 6, 2011
Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and He is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us (Romans 8:34).
READ: 1 John 1:7-2:2
I’m a die-hard fan of legal dramas on TV. Whether it’s the serious-themed The Practice, Law & Order, or Murder One or the somewhat comedic Eli Stone, Ally McBeal, or Boston Legal, I love entering the confines of the courtroom. It’s fascinating to witness the adversarial confrontations between the attorneys for the plaintiff and those for the defendant. Invariably, the prosecutors do their best to prove the guilt of the accused, while the defense attorneys go all out in their efforts to have him acquitted. You gotta love those legal eagles!
In 1 John 1, the apostle John transports us into a courtroom. God is the presiding Judge. We, as believers in Jesus, have been accused of having sinned against God. Satan is identified as the prosecutor “who accuses [us] before our God day and night” (Revelation 12:10; see also Job 1:9; Zechariah 3:1).
Beyond reasonable doubt, we’re guilty as charged: “If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth” (1 John 1:8). But John doesn’t leave us doomed to being sentenced to a jail cell. He provides a two-pronged strategy to help us gain our freedom.
First, we have to admit our guilt and “confess our sins to [God].” He is the “faithful and just” Judge who will “forgive us our sins and . . . cleanse us from all wickedness” (v.9). Second, we must rely entirely on our “Advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous” (2:1). Jesus is the only advocate who can allow us to be set free. He alone provided “the sacrifice that atones for our sins” (vv.1-2); His blood “cleanses us from all sin” (1:7).
Do you have a defense attorney to plead your case before the righteous Judge? Jesus Christ is your only hope! —K.T. Sim
What is the devil accusing you of today? How will you deal with the charges he’s bringing against you?
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