*******************
A lot of us struggle with the concept that sin is sin.
Murder, stealing, telling a lie… we can all agree that those are sins.
But we tend to rate sins and say one sin is worse than another.
How can telling a lie be just as bad as murder?
There’s a verse in the Bible that really explained it for me.
Whoever keeps the whole law, but offends in one point, is guilty of all. James 2:10
Those words make sense to me. Law, offend/offense, guilty… I know those words from our legal system, so I can understand them.
The foundation of our justice system was created by men who understood the truths of the Bible. It mirrors God’s system of justice, and it demonstrates the truth that sin is sin.
1. In our justice system, we have a set of laws.
2. Now, it’s our responsibility to know the law and obey it in every point. “Ignorance of the law is no excuse.” I know this because the IRS told me that, but it applies to all, areas of the law.
3. And if we disobey the law, we’re guilty of “breaking the law,”
It doesn’t matter which law you break, you’re guilty of “breaking the law.”
If we kill someone, or steal something, we broke the law.
Maybe we just tell a lie.
If we lie in court, we broke the law.
Maybe we just whisper a secret.
Well, if it’s a government secret, we broke the law.
If it’s a secret about the stock market, we broke the law.
When we offend in one part of the law, we become law-breakers.
4. For there to be justice, law-breakers have to face the consequences for their actions. There is a penalty for breaking the law.
5. A judgment day is scheduled. And on that day, the judge will decide if we’re innocent or guilty.
6. You can have a lawyer to represent you. Your lawyer is somebody who knows all about the law, who can speak for you, stand up for you, be your advocate.
7. Law-breakers go to a place of punishment… jail/prison.
If we kill someone, or steal something, we go to jail.
If we tell a lie in court, we go to jail.
If we whisper certain secrets, we go to jail.
The law is the law, and if we break the law, we all end up in the same place.
Maybe I told a lie in court, but I’m sleeping in a cot next to a killer.
God’s system of justice is the same:
— God has a set of laws, and His law is the law.
— His laws are recorded, and we are responsible for knowing and obeying them.
— If we disobey any part of God’s law, we are law-breakers.
— There’s a penalty for breaking any part of God’s laws.
— A judgment day has been scheduled.
— Those who are guilty of breaking the law will go to a place of punishment.
BUT in God’s system, he made a provision to satisfy justice and save us from punishment.
There is only have one lawyer/advocate who can represent us. That’s Jesus.
If anyone sins, we have an Advocate, Jesus Christ the righteous one. 1 John 2:1
God loves us so much, he sent his son … to save the world through him. John 3:16-17
JESUS paid our penalty,
so God removes all record of our guilt
and adds Jesus’ righteousness to our record
as if it were our own righteousness. 2 Corinthians 5:21
So when the judge looks at our record,
we’re innocent through the sacrifice Jesus made to pay the penalty for us.
There is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus… Romans 8:1
Justice has been satisfied.
The penalty has been paid.
All charges have been dropped.
You have a clean record.
We are innocent and righteous before God.
And we are safe to go home with Jesus instead of being separated from him in that place of punishment.
********************
A slight variation with an alternate ending:
God says, the penalty of sin is death (Romans 6:23)… whether that sin is murder, or stealing or telling a lie.
Many of us struggle with this concept. We rate sins as the “bad” sins and the “not really so bad” sins. I also struggled with this until my kids came out of AWANA one evening with a Bible verse they needed to learn. The verse said, “Whoever keeps the whole law, but offends in one part, is guilty of all.” James 2:10
Those words made sense to me. I know those words from our legal system, our system of justice… law, offense, guilty. You know those words too, and you understand them, right?
Our own legal system demonstrates the truth that sin is sin. If you commit a crime, you are guilty of “breaking the law.” It may be murder, or stealing, or even telling secrets (if you tell government secrets it’s called treason, if you tell stock market secrets, that’s called insider trading), or even telling a lie in court under oath (that’s perjury).
All of those are crimes. Murder, stealing, telling secrets, telling lies are all considered to be “breaking the law.” So you can understand that it doesn’t matter which law you break. When you offend in one part of the law, you become a law-breaker.
A second truth that we see in our legal system: There is a penalty that law-breakers must pay. The penalty for all the crimes I mentioned is time in prison.
That’s a third truth that we can understand because it comes from our legal system: Law-breakers go to a place of punishment… in our legal system that place is called what? Yes, jail, prison, the slammer.
Law-breakers have to be punished for their crimes. They have to face the consequences for their actions, pay the penalty, and serve their time in that place of punishment.
If you murder someone, you go to jail.
If you steal, you go to jail.
If you tell certain secrets, you go to jail.
If you lie, you go to jail.
The law is the law, and if we break the law, we all end up in the same place.
Maybe I told a lie in court, but I’m in the cell next to a murderer.
Whoever keeps the whole law, but offends in one part, is guilty of all. James 2:10
So let’s review really quick.
There’s a law, and if you break any part of that law, you’re a law-breaker. There’s a penalty for breaking the law And there’s a place of punishment for law-breakers.
One more truth: Our justice system has a way for you to get out of trouble if you’re innocent.
If you get into trouble with the law, what would you do?
You would probably get a lawyer, somebody who knows all about the law, to speak for you, stand up for you, be your advocate.
Our legal system was created by men who understood the truths of the Bible. It mirrors God’s system of justice.
God has a set of laws. There is a penalty for breaking any part of God’s laws. The penalty is death (Romans 6:23), not just physical death but also spiritual death. Spiritual death is separation from God in a place of punishment.
And God even provides a lawyer for us.
If anyone sins, we have an Advocate, Jesus Christ the righteous one. 1 John 2:1
So you’ve broken God’s law and you’re facing God’s judgement.
But Jesus comes to you and offers to be your advocate, your lawyer. He knows you’re guilty, but he says to you, “I will represent you, and you will walk out of here a free man, but you’ve got to trust me completely. Do you trust me?”
“Yes, Lord, I trust you,” you say.
It takes years but you finally stand before the judge. Jesus has been beside you through all the days leading up to the trial. All that time you have been a free man.
But the time has come, and you’re name is called. You stand before the judge.
The books are opened, and the records are put into evidence. It’s obvious to the judge and to everybody watching that you’re guilty.
You should feel hopeless. You know you’re guilty, you know you deserve to go to the place of punishment. But you don’t feel hopeless at all, because you meant what you said.You believe in your advocate with all your heart.
“All rise. The judge will give his verdict.”
Jesus stands up and asks, “May I approach the bench?”
“You may”
And Jesus says to the judge, “This person standing here has broken the law. We all know that he’s guilty, but I have personally taken his penalty. I have paid his price for his disregard of the law.”
The judge looks at you and says, “I pronounce the defendant INNOCENT. Justice has been satisfied. The penalty has been paid. You don’t have to face death, you don’t have to go to the place of punishment.”
My question for you today is, “Do you trust your Advocate completely?”
