Tag Archives: not guilty?

The Power Of The Cross – We Have Been Justified By His Blood

Gospel, , ,

THE POWER OF THE CROSS

WE HAVE BEEN JUSTIFIED BY HIS BLOOD

When Adam and Eve chose to believe the devil’s lies over God’s truth, little did they know just how much damage they would do to themselves and to the human race by their choice. We have already examined a number of aspects of their lives that went wrong, that they passed on to the human race, and that needed the intervention of God to put right. They became slaves to sin; they were estranged from God, they lost their oneness and fellowship with Him; they were guilty and condemned to death and under God’s wrath – and so we can go on.

Without divine intervention, they were doomed to be separated from God forever, in the torment of knowing what could have been had they but heeded the Father’s instruction. Guilt, shame and fear would drive their consciences day and night, living in the terrible regret of “if only”. Even if people refuse to own their guilt or understand the reason for their torment, is that not what puts many a person in a psychiatric hospital?

In the wisdom that the Holy Spirit gave him, Paul had the answer that everyone desperately needs to hear.

Since we now have been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through Him. (Rom 5: 9)

What does “justified” mean? In the simplest legal terms it means to be declared, “Not guilty”. But how can God do that seeing that we are all guilty of transgressing His laws?

Let’s look at it this way. Say you are accused of a committing a crime. You are arrested and put in prison awaiting trial. All the evidence is gathered and the trial date is set. You have a defence lawyer whose task is to prove that you are not guilty, while the prosecutor’s job is to secure a “guilty” verdict based on the indisputable evidence that you did it. It is his job to see that you get the punishment you deserve if you are found guilty.

Both sides present their evidence and their conclusions, and it is now up to the judge or the jury to decide whether the evidence is conclusive enough for them to reach a verdict. All the forensic and circumstantial evidence points to you. In the end, your guilt is proven beyond reasonable doubt. The judge passes sentence and you are fined an appropriate sum of money or sent to prison as an appropriate punishment. You have been proven guilty and there is nothing you can do about it. The law has spoken. You must serve your sentence without complaint.

But what if the judge is your father? What if you have an older brother who loves you so much that he chooses to take your punishment for you? He steps up to the judge and pays the fine, or he takes your place in the prison cell so that you can go free. What if he chooses to be executed in your place so that you do not have to die?

Are you still guilty of your crime? No, because you have been “justified”. You were guilty – you were sentenced – but the sentence has been carried out by your brother. Your father, the judge, is satisfied that the crime has been paid for. He can declare you “Not guilty” because it is illegal to demand punishment for the same crime twice.

That is exactly what Jesus did to secure our release from guilt. God decreed that the appropriate punishment for transgressing His laws was death. He gave the first pair one command – “Don’t eat the fruit of that one tree.” Why? Was it because the fruit of that tree was poisonous? No (and, by the way, the Bible does not say that it was an apple tree). It was a simple test to determine the reality of Adam’s love for God. Jesus said:

If you love me, keep my commands. (John 14: 15)

Adam was deceived because he believed that God was withholding something good from him. Satan’s trap was very subtle. God created man in His image – he was like God in his nature so that he could have fellowship with Him. Satan suggested that he needed something different to be like God – the right to independence; the right to make his own rules. What he did not tell Adam was that he aspired to be Lord and, if Adam listened to him rather than to God, it would prove that he was, in fact, in charge.

Adam fell for his lie, disregarded God’s instruction and brought the whole superstructure of God’s intention crashing down on his head. Only another man, made in the likeness of the first Adam, without sin, could set it all right by willing to be sentenced in Adam’s place. He did it and we are now free – justified; declared not guilty.

There is a consequence to Jesus’ obedience to the Father. Paul said: How much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through Him.

We were not only saved from death, but God’s wrath against sin was satisfied. He is no longer angry with the sinner. We are now the objects of His favour. Did you get that? He is no longer angry with anyone – not even those who reject Him and refuse to obey the truth.

But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Rom. 5: 8)

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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ISBN: Softcover – 978-1-4828-0512-3,                                                                              eBook 978-4828-0511-6

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Pilate’s Dilemma

Bible Study, , ,

PILATE’S DILEMMA 

“But Pilate answered, ‘You take Him and crucify Him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against Him.’ The Jewish leaders insisted, ‘We have a law and, according to that law He must die, because He claimed to be the Son of God.’

“When Pilate heard this he was even more afraid, and he went back inside the palace. ‘Where do you come from?’ he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer.” John 19:6b-9 NIV.

What a horrible position to be in!

Inside Pilate’s head was a raging conscience; outside the palace was a raging mob led by a persistent, insistent religious hierarchy who were beginning to show their true colours. Although they presented Him to Pilate as a rabble-rousing, trouble-making challenge to Caesar, that was not the real issue. This was a smoke screen for a religious conflict between men who felt threatened because Jesus had exposed their wicked hearts and a man who challenged them examine the evidence, which they refused to do.

It was easier to charge Him with blasphemy and get rid of Him than to be honest enough to check out His credentials against the Scriptures to find out the truth. It was not their religion as much as it was their position and power over the people that was at stake. Jesus had made God too nice, and that did not suit them because they wanted to retain their hold over the people by their rigid insistence on obedience to their rules.

Pilate’s close encounter with Jesus had unnerved him. He was honest enough to admit that he could find no reason to charge Him with any criminal activity. Treason? Rabble-rousing? Inciting the mob to violence? Jesus didn’t even have any supporters heckling Pilate. He stood there alone and unresisting and Pilate did not know what to make of Him. Questioning Him got him nowhere. Jesus admitted to being a king, but He did not act like a typical usurper nor did He lay claim to the throne of Israel. He said, ‘My kingdom is not of this world.’ What was Pilate supposed to make of that?

Now he was faced with another even more frightening possibility. Two charges Pilate did not understand. He was a pagan Roman. What did he know about these Jews and their strange and complicated religion? King, but not of this world? Son of God? Pilate would rather have been a million miles away, even on another planet if that were possible, rather than have to deal with this man and His howling accusers. He was scared. Jesus was a hot potato but the buck stopped with him. He had to make a decision.

Back he went into the palace to face Jesus again. Desperate to get to the bottom of this matter, he questioned Him again. ‘Who are you? Where do you come from? Come on, Jesus, give me some answers. I’m trying my best to save your skin.’ But Jesus said nothing. It was almost as though He wanted to die. That was even more unnerving and Pilate was thoroughly shaken by his encounter with this unusual man.

What were Pilate’s options? Condemn an innocent man to death to appease a fanatical crowd and live with an accusing conscience, or release Him and risk a Jewish uprising and the inevitable bloodshed that would follow? These Jews were volatile. He knew what would happen if he insisted on releasing Jesus. They would probably lynch Him before He got beyond the palace grounds. He would have to face Rome no matter what his choice.

Pilate was a cruel and ruthless governor. He was guilty of having Galilean worshippers murdered while they were offering sacrifices at the temple (Luke 13:1). He was recalled to Rome after brutally quelling a Samaritan up rising. Tradition had it that he was exiled to Pontus and finally took his own life.

Pilate was caught up in circumstances that were not of his own making. Can we judge him? What would we have done?

Consider Your Verdict

Bible Study, , , ,

CONSIDER YOUR VERDICT

“Then they all took Jesus to Pilate and began to bring up charges against Him. ‘We found this man undermining our law and order, forbidding taxes to be paid to Caesar, setting Himself up as Messiah-king.’

“Pilate asked Him, ‘Is this true that you’re ‘King of the Jews’?’

“‘These are your words, not mine,’ Jesus replied.

“Pilate told the high priests and accompanying crowd, ‘I find nothing wrong here. He seems harmless enough to me.'” Luke 23:1-4 (The Message).

Pilate had no idea, when he opened his eyes that morning, that for him it was judgment day. A routine day, a few more Jewish prisoners to sentence; he’d done it all before. It was an unpleasant part of his role as governor and he did it with indifference. Judah had always been a troublesome province and he was quite glad to sentence a few more rabble-rousers to death.

But this man seemed different. He didn’t have the same insolent attitude. His face wore an expression of serenity, an eerie calm that disturbed him. There was none of the bravado that aroused his rage and gave him a feeling of sadistic pleasure to see condemned prisoners walking towards the execution site, backs bent under the heavy load of the crossbeam.

The mob that crowded the courtyard was in ferment. Led by the high priests, they were yelling out the charge, ‘Treason! He calls Himself ‘King of the Jews’! He’s inciting rebellion!’

Pilate looked at Jesus. Flanked by two soldiers, hands tied so tightly behind his back that dried blood stained His wrists and hands, He stood unmoved, looking steadily into his eyes, almost challenging him to consider his own verdict. ‘Pilate, you decide whether I am guilty or not guilty.’

Just as the Jewish leaders were put on trial that day, so was Pilate. He was a man to be most pitied. He had an unpleasant job to do in Jerusalem. It was Passover and the city was filled with volatile Jews from all over Israel. Although the Jewish leaders had not planned it this way to avoid a riot, Jesus had inadvertently fallen into their hands at this inopportune time through the conniving of Judas.

But it was the Father’s time. Jesus had to fulfil the role of Passover lamb, to be sacrificed for the sin of the world at the precise moment when the high priest spilt the blood of the first lamb in Jerusalem.

Pilate still had to face his own responsibility in this drama. He had the final say regarding Jesus’ guilt or innocence. He alone decided whether He lived or died. His honest verdict, even after a perfunctory examination of the prisoner was, ‘Not guilty.’ It was glaringly obvious that the charges against Jesus were trumped up.

In true “Jesus” fashion, He turned the question back on Pilate. ‘It’s not my responsibility to tell you. It’s your responsibility to make your own decision. On that rests your own fate.’ Pilate’s verdict was ‘not guilty’, but that was not the end of the story. The deciding factor would be what he would do about it.