In simple terms, our courts of law consist of two sides. The prosecutor’s job is to prove to the jurors beyond a doubt that the accused is guilty of whatever he is accused. The other side is the defense attorney, whose job is to convince the jurors that the accused person is innocent of the accusation. If the accused has committed a heinous crime, we certainly want a prosecutor who will dedicate himself to the work at hand and come up with a conviction to keep the accused incarcerated or punished by death, if that is the case. We surely don’t want that person to be turned loose to go back to his old ways. Sometimes, rehabilitation is a great way of making productive citizens out of those convicted, but sometimes, not so much.
On the other hand, if someone is accused of a crime that he didn’t commit, he wants the best defense attorney available. Oftentimes, people go to great lengths to hire someone who comes with a big price tag, hoping that the well-known defense attorney will live up to his established reputation of being successful at his job. People will go to great lengths to gain freedom from what they are accused, even if guilty.
I couldn’t help but think of the fact that people worldwide have the best of both of these beings. Every one of us has a prosecutor because every one of us has “sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23 NKJV). From the very beginning, we read of sin being the downfall of man. We read in Genesis 4:7, “If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door.” Sin stands at the door of every one of us, and we’ve all succumbed to it. We will have to continue the battle with Satan and sin as long as we live in the flesh.
As faithful as the apostle Paul was, he knew he had a battle on his hands every day, for he said, “I discipline my body and bring it into subjection” (1 Corinthians 9:27). How did Paul train his body to ward off sin? He was constantly diligent about keeping God’s commandments. He didn’t practice a now and then religion and he never let his guard down. Christians must be diligent in the same way.
Like the faithful before us, there are several things that God’s children must do to keep Him close. (1) Just as Paul did, the faithful must daily be in subjection to God’s will. (2) The faithful must “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). This does not imply that you are to forever go around saying a prayer, but one must always be in a state of mind to be able to speak to God and do it often. (3) A Christian will ‘search the scriptures daily’ (Acts 17:11). How can one know how to please God if he does not know what God expects of him? (4) The faithful will “deny himself, and take up his cross daily” (Luke 9:23). Yes, just as Christ did, we have a cross to bear. I like what Brother George DeHoff says about this: “Jesus here gives a lesson on total commitment.” We must unfailingly bear our daily burdens and yet stay faithful. (5) Paul admonished Christians to “exhort one another daily” (Hebrews 3:13). Christians can depend on each other to lend a helping hand of whatever sort and be strengthened by the “oneness.” We can’t paddle this boat alone!
We’ve talked about the prosecutor, but now, let’s talk about the defense attorney. “If anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world” (1 John 2:1-2). Jesus Christ is our Advocate – the best defense attorney ever! He is the One between us and God. Just as we saw above that everyone has sinned and fallen short of God’s expectations, we also see that God “…Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood” (Romans 3:24-25). All men are sinners, but all men can appease God through the blood of Christ by being faithful to His commandments. God’s Son was the perfect sacrifice for our sins, and God will forgive men’s sins if they are obedient in becoming Christians and following the New Testament pattern of Christianity. Sinners are not orphans without hope. We have a loving Father Who is able and willing to forgive sinners and accept them as His children. The prosecutor will convict every one of us of our sins, but sins by the children of God will also be appeased by the best Defense Attorney. Glory be to God for such a wonderful system of justice!
