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From
the very beginning, God decided that whoever would
come to Him (and from the very beginning He knew who
that would be), He would transform to be like His
Son. In effect, His Son would be the firstborn, with
many brothers.
So when we came to Him,
He declared us “not guilty,” filled us with
Christ’s goodness, and promised us glory like
our Savior’s.
What can we ever say
to such wonderful things as these? If God is on our
side, who can work against us? God didn’t spare
even His own Son, but gave Him up for us all. Won’t
He also surely give us everything else?
—The
Apostle Paul, The Bible (Romans 8:29-32, paraphrased)
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The
corner door flew open, and the Judge appeared. He was an awesome
figure, in full, flowing robes, as He moved across the room.
I couldn’t take my eyes off of Him. As He took His seat
behind the bench, He said, “Let us begin.”
The prosecutor rose and said,
“My name is Satan and I am here to show You why this man
belongs in Hell.” He proceeded to tell of lies I had told,
things I had stolen, and times I had cheated others. Satan told
of other horrible perversions that were once in my life. The
more he spoke, the further down in my seat I sank.
I was so embarrassed that I couldn’t
look at anyone, even my own lawyer, as the Devil told of sins
that even I had completely forgotten about. As upset as I was
at Satan for telling all these things about me, I was equally
upset at my representative who sat there silently, not offering
any form of defense at all.
I knew I had been guilty of those
things, but I had done some good in my life. Couldn’t that
at least compensate for part of the harm I’d done? Satan
finished with a fury and said, “This man belongs in Hell.
He is guilty of all that I have charged, and there is not a
person who can prove otherwise.”
When it was His turn, my lawyer
first asked if He might approach the bench. The Judge allowed
this, over the strong objection of Satan, and beckoned Him to
come forward. As my lawyer got up and started walking, I was
able for the first time to see Him in His full splendor and
majesty. I realized why He seemed so familiar. This was Jesus
representing me—my Lord and Savior!
He stopped at the bench and softly
said to the Judge, “Hi, Father.” Then He turned to
address the court: “Satan was correct in saying that this
man has sinned. I won’t deny any of these allegations.
And yes, the payment for sin is Hell, and this man deserves
to be punished.”
Jesus took a deep breath and turned
to His Father with outstretched arms and proclaimed, “However,
I died on the cross as payment for this man’s sins, and
so that this person might have eternal life. He has accepted
Me as His Savior. He is Mine.”
My Lord continued by saying, “His
name is written in the Book of Life, and no one can snatch him
from Me. Satan still does not understand. This man is not to
be given justice, but rather mercy.”
As Jesus sat down, He quietly
paused, looked at His Father and said, “There is nothing
else that needs to be done. I’ve done it all.”
The Judge lifted His mighty hand
and slammed the gavel down. The following words echoed in the
chamber: “This man is free. The penalty for him has already
been paid in full. Case dismissed.”
As my Lord led me away, I could
hear Satan ranting and raving, “I won’t give up, I’ll
win the next one.”
As Jesus gave me my instructions
about where to go next, I asked, “Have You ever lost a
case?”
Christ lovingly smiled and said,
“Everyone who has come to Me and asked Me to represent
them has received the same verdict as you—‘Punishment
paid in full.’”
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fter
living a “decent” life, my time on Earth came to
an end. The first thing I remember is sitting on a bench in
the waiting room of what seemed to be a courthouse. The doors
opened, and I was instructed to come in and have a seat at
the defense table.