I Stand Accused...the Wayfarer 11/4/14

I Stand Accused
 11/4/14

“Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall, again, and called Jesus, and said unto him, Art thou the king of the Jews?

Jesus answered him, Sayest this thing of thyself, or did others tell it thee of me?

Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priests have delivered thee unto me: what has thou done?

Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.

Pilate saith unto him, Art thou a king then: Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.

Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, I find in him no fault at all.

But ye have a custom, that  I should release unto you one at the Passover: will ye therefore that I release unto you the King of the Jews?

Then cried they all again saying, Not this man, but Barabas. Now Barabas was a robber.”

(John 18: 27)

Jesus, with no guilt of any crime, no sin before God, no malice toward any man, holding only love and compassion for all, was tried, sent to Pilate for determination of guilt and punishment.

Pilate plainly and clearly stated that he could find no fault in Him, but was required by Law to honor the wishes of the ruling council and execute their judgment upon him.

Jesus stood accused!

At various points throughout the scriptures, the disciples all faced the same accusations, and the same judgments of people, of MEN, having no idea whatsoever of just what crime had been committed.

All but John were martyred because of having stood accused!

The judgment of men can be, and often is, often influenced by false statements given with some axe to grind that has nothing to do with the truth given us and professed by Christ Jesus.

Still today that truth is found unacceptable and denied, even used as reason for persecution to effect the physical death of those professing it, or used to attempt to destroy that truth for any who is willing to see and accept it.

 Jesus stood guiltless, sinless before an earthly judge, His “punishment” that was meted out was unjust.

Yet it was only through that punishment that any justice to be given for mankind could ever be assured, any reconciliation made between man and God.

Under the old law, sacrifice was continually required to atone for sin.

Priests were the only ones privileged to make that sacrifice through the blood of animals for that sin.

It was a continual, ongoing requirement for their proof of faith that they bring those animals for sacrifice, yet it was insufficient, and inadequate to God because of the perversion of the very laws He had given, both by his people and particularly, the most scholarly and respected among them.

Additions were made constantly, subtractions were made by circumventing intent of those very laws by justification of those supposed to enforce and honor them.

This required a better sacrifice, one that was permanent and allowed access to God without those priests, scribes, lawyers and Pharisees, with all their own faults and deceptive practices that only served their own purposes; that sacrifice required the death of mortality altogether and could only be given through God’s own son, Jesus.

Each of us, myself most definitely stand accused.

Unlike the Savior, who stood guiltless, and sinless before God, we shall stand with the full force of our guilt in place for each and every infraction of God’s law as it was given in the intent in which it was given.

Paul stated quite clearly that “all have sinned and come short” before God. Again, that all includes me!

I know that each failure, each infraction, each and every sin will be recorded in accordance with what God sees as sin, not that judged by man, but by him to be so.

Were it not for the Mediator given me for acceptance or denial, I would expect only to find the justice to be quite harsh, without any possible plea for any mercy to be expected to be heard.

Jesus is that intercessor! Jesus is that Mediator. It is only through my faith in Him, belief that he can keep those given him, can claim all souls that have that belief and faith, that there is any hope for this poor sinner, saved by Grace through that faith.

“And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.

And I saw the dead, small and great before God; and the BOOKS were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works”.

(Revelation 20:11 &12)

Great, and small, that includes me, as well as any taking the time to read this, or more importantly, taking the time to recognize that there is only one Judge to be faced, and only two verdicts allowed…

Guilty, with no hope of reconciliation because of never having believed on the Son of God, or his power to redeem once and for all, and to purify all sin despite the opinions of men... 

or guilty, but pardoned, and written in the book of life FOREVER, through that belief and faith that Jesus cannot lose what is His, cannot lose the souls that have truly committed to that belief despite the mortal inability to stand sinless without his blood.

That blood is still there, and cannot be removed for those standing accused before men. 

Men cannot judge the efficacy of that sacrifice and nullify it because of any concept they may promote or hold.

It is the Throne of Judgment, and the Throne of Grace as well… again ALL stand accused, I stand accused, but assured through the complete knowledge that what is given by Jesus cannot be taken by man.

I close, still the simple sinner saved by grace I have been since making the decision long ago to give that acceptance required, finding redemption through repentance that cannot be taken by man, still a soldier in the effort to lead others to the decision to find that TRUTH that I found and KNOW to be true and undeniable.

I will gladly stand accused by man, whose judgment is based on falsehood and the teachings of men, I will humbly stand in judgment before my God secure in the knowledge that though imperfect in this world, perfection has been attained through Christ and awaits in the next.

Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus.

2 Timothy 1:12 King James Version (KJV)

¹² For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

Amen and Amen
the Wayfarer