Tuesday 6 September 2011

Guilty Until Proven Innocent



Over the last few days our televisions screen have been filled with the proceedings at the International Criminal Court at the Hague. Three men stand accused of bearing the greatest responsibility for the post election violence that took place in early 2008 in Kenya. The prosecutor Moreno Ocampo has come up with a list of charges with evidence which he believes proves the guilt of the supposed perpetrators. So he and his team have gone to great lengths to nail the accused, their job is to prove without a doubt that what they claim happened when he said it happened.

At the same time the accused have assembled teams of bright legal minds to defend their case before the judges. Right now they're trying to discredit the charges before it goes to trial. The defence has also worked hard if not harder to get their clients off the hook and paint the prosecutor as an accuser with no solid case whatsoever.

The truth of the charges and the defence is yet to be seen and we pray that the wheels of justice will turn for the benefit of the victims and the country as a whole. That we will never allow such a thing to happen at the time. This whole courtroom drama at the Hague got me thinking...

There's another courtroom where each and every one of us is to stand, not in this physical world but before God, the final and the almighty judge. There is a prosecutor- an accuser of the brethren rev 12:10 who stands before God to show how sinful and terrible we are. Every time we commit sin and disobey God we give him ammunition to go and present in his case against us. He's never been our friend and wants us to join him in his end of eternal damnation.

Many of us try to walk into that court and attempt to defend ourselves against the charges placed against us. They say he who represents himself has a fool for a lawyer, even worse in this court where you will be torn to shreds by the accusing enemy. So how will you prepare yourself for these proceedings? Your own testimony will not be enough to exonerate yourself. Praise God that he has created a way for us, he has even provided representation pro bono. We don't have to pay exorbitant legal fees as the price has already been paid by His own dear son Jesus Christ on the cross.

In 1 John 2:1 when writing to the believers he says “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:” When you believe in Christ you draft him into your legal team and he stands as an advocate before God the Father for you. Whereas in an earthly court you're innocent till proven guilty in court, before God you're guilty until proven innocent by the blood of Jesus Christ by which we obtain forgiveness from sins.

So now I ask are you trying to defend yourself before God on your own? By your own works or have you by faith received the gift of God which is salvation through his son. Have you drafted Christ into your legal team or are you still allowing the enemy to continue building his case against you. Freedom is available in Christ today!

God bless

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