The Verdict

The Verdict


He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:5 NIV

I know a man that had been dragged to court because of his transgressions. The verdict was undeniable…, guilty. He was sentenced to death. The judge addressed the court, explaining that the law is absolute. “The law” he said, “must always be satisfied in the face of injustice.” Then the judge stepped down from his bench and demanded that the cuffs be removed from the defendant and applied to his own wrists. Then, face to face, he addressed the man and told him, "Remember me." The judge handed the man some papers, "Here, read my love letters. These papers will explain why I am doing this for you. I have also laid out a path for you to follow. I want you to do whatever these letters tell you to do. They will lead you through hard times and the good, but the best is yet to come. I have to go now… You won't see me for quite some time, and then you will see me again because I am making a place for you."

I am the guilty man and Jesus is the righteous judge that took my place. Now that I am liberated from the judgment I deserved, how will I spend my freedom? Will I squander my freedom by depending too heavily on grace instead of good sense and responsibility? Will I abuse the freedom that cost Jesus everything? Or, will I follow God's love letter, listening for His explanation on His words and living them with near reckless abandon? Will I pray for others, love others and forgive others? Will I become salt and light for a tasteless and dark world?

The verdict of the court is that I am guilty. The verdict handed down from the cross is "penalty paid". And the final verdict is that as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord (Joshua 24:15)! Where else can I go than to Jesus? Only He has the words of eternal life (John 6:68). And because of Christ, I will live in the house of the Lord forever (Psalm 23:6).