Have you ever been accused of a crime which you did not commit? Suddenly, someone loudly proclaims your involvement in some unsavory deed which you know nothing about, and you are guilty as charged. There’s no chance to refute the accusation, and often your reputation is permanently ruined.
However let’s consider the alternative. What if your accuser is accurate? What if you are truly guilty? Now your heart rends, you are embarrassed and horrified, because you know the accusation is truthful. Now your crimes are laid bare, and you have to choose one of two possible choices; denial or acceptance. Acceptance brings guilt and shame. You forfeit your standing in “polite society”. Family and friends may distance themselves. Guilt brings punishment.
Denial, on the other hand, leaves you mired in your crime. You may experience depression and hopelessness. The heart is rendered cold and hollow, the conscious forever burdened. In either case, it’s not a pleasant place. In the hands of an enemy, accusation is a powerful tool.
Accusation is the power that our enemy, Satan, has over us. It’s actually his job title.
Zechariah 3:1 says:
Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him.
Revelations 12:10 says:
Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night.
The problem is that Satan knows we are guilty before God, never mind that he is the author and father of lies. His accusations carry some truth. He is the ultimate tattle-tale.
Praise be to God, the Almighty, the Alpha and the Omega, the great I AM, the One who was and who is to come, the Word of God. He knows us to the foundation of our souls and remembers that we are but dust. Though we are indeed guilty as sin, He provided a way out.
Jesus came to earth, lived a perfect life, then offered up that life, a sacrifice for our sins. He was then resurrected by His Father, who raised Him to His own right hand, giving Him all authority, power and dominion over the living and the dead. He forever resides there as High Priest an Advocate for everyone and anyone who confesses His name, thereby receiving forgiveness of sins and eternal life to boot.
Romans 8:34 says:
who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.
We see Christ’s priestly authority in action when He encountered the woman taken in adultery in John 8:10-11:
Straightening up, Jesus said to her, “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more.”
Satan’s power of accusation has been broken, defeated, rendered useless. Through trust in God, with whom it is impossible to lie, we are transformed into the righteousness of Christ through faith in Him. Christ promised that the good work started in us will be completed in Him. He has the power to make us stand before the Father, clothed in His righteousness.
As Christians we must remember that on a daily basis. Our job is simple, trust God’s promises, and to go and sin no more. The Spirit working in us will protect and strengthen us. Never forget that we are His, purchased with His own blood. No one can snatch us from His hand, nor can any power on earth separate us from His love.
We don’t have to live in fear or guilt when Satan points the finger of accusation. We can have boldness when we approach God in prayer, because all of the redemptive work has been done for us by His son. Amen!
Thank you Lord. That sounds like Good News Only to me.