Sparring with God

As this is being written, a widely publicized trial is under way, and the defense techniques are those used in almost all courtrooms. In this case the accused was seen in the act of committing murder. He was immediately apprehended. There can be no doubt that he is guilty of the act of which he is accused.

But the defense is clever: “He was not responsible at the moment when he fired the fatal shot.” “He was temporarily deranged because he was under the influence of alcohol or some other drug.” “His thinking was blurred, his motivation confused; therefore he should not be held personally responsible for his actions.”

What is happening? The lawyers for the defense are sparring with the court. They will use every possible means to confuse the jury and to bring legal technicalities into play. This is accepted practice. It is the means whereby some innocent victims of circumstances are protected, and whereby many who are guilty receive less punishment than their crimes may deserve.

What is permissible with man, however, is not necessarily permissible with God. Techniques contrived to deliver man from the clutches of the law are of no avail against the Judge of the universe. One may spar with the courts of the land, but to try to do so when dealing with God is futile.

And yet, man is ever prone to make excuses for himself. He ignores the solemn warning, “Woe to him who strives with his Maker, an earthen vessel with the potter!” (Isa. 45:9).

Let’s be honest and face up to the situation. Let us be prepared to accept God’s diagnosis of the condition of the human heart: “For the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately corrupt; who can understand it? ‘I the LORD search the mind and try the heart’ ” (Jer. 17:9, 10a).

Let us admit that we cannot fool God, “for the LORD sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward apperance, but the LORD looks on the heart” (1 Sam. 16:7b). The all-seeing and all-knowing God cannot be hoodwinked: “Before him no creature is hidden, but all are open and laid bare to the eyes of him with whom we have to do” (Heb. 4:13).

And our Lord puts his finger squarely on the source and nature of the evil of which all are guilty: “For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, fornication, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a man” (Mark 7:21–23).

What a catalogue of the sins of the flesh and spirit! Who can deny his own guilt? Who can ignore the fact that all is known to God?

The guilt is established. And the penalty is clearly stated: “Death!”

What can a man do under these circumstances? He can deny his guilt, but God is aware of it. He can say the penalty is too severe, but he is dealing with a holy God, not imperfect man and his courts. He can shrug off his guilt and say that he is not responsible for his actions, that his parents are to blame, or his environment is responsible, but there comes the haunting echo: “So they are without excuse” (Rom. 1:20b).

What is there to do?

Confess! Throw yourself on the mercy of the court! Don’t lie to the Judge. “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8, 9).

God honors a candid confession of sin. No sins are so black as to take him by surprise; he already knows all about them. When for the sake of our eternal soul we make a clean breast of everything, an amazing thing happens: The Holy Spirit intercedes for us. The Judge becomes our Advocate and comes down from the judgment seat to take our part. We find ourselves innocent because the One whose laws we have broken has already paid the penalty for us.

This is the greatest news in all the world. It is the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, and he has given his word and his life to make it true.

Why are so many silent about these things? The fact of sin in the world is something all can see. The reality of sin in our own hearts is as real as our breathing and heartbeat. Accepting Jesus’ words about the condition of the human heart and the sins that proceed from it, we should stand convicted in our own consciences. It is I who stand guilty in the court of the Most High God.

The wonder of it all is that the very one whose holy laws we have broken has paid for us the penalty and taken from us the guilt. With the Apostle Paul we can shout, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rom. 8:31b).

How can man, a sinner by nature and a sinner by practice, learn to judge this world and his own actions in the light of God’s holiness? Is God not so remote that man finds himself groping when he needs light?

There is a sure way to distinguish good from evil. The test of the Holy Scriptures. “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Heb. 4:12).

Like a searchlight, the Bible shows us the remote corners of our lives, revealing things we would like so much to hide. Like an X-ray, the Scriptures penetrate into the innermost being until we are able to see things from God’s perspective. Like a surgeon’s knife, the written Word of God lays bare the thoughts, motives, subterfuges, and lies we conceal from men. How revealing that the verse in Hebrews 4 quoted above is followed immediately by the sobering statement, “And before him no creature is hidden, but all are open and laid bare to the eyes of him with whom we have to do.” It is the King of kings with whom we have to do. We stand before him guilty and condemned. But the situation can be changed in the twinkling of an eye. When a sinner casts himself on the mercy of the court, he is turning to the One who is altogether merciful.

A trembling prisoner, when he was told, “Don’t worry, you will get justice,” replied, “What I need is not justice but mercy.” The sinner can plead the Name of Jesus Christ, knowing that with him there is mercy, and also redemption.

Let no man deceive you with the devil’s lie—that you are a pretty good chap and that God is so loving and kind he will never condemn anyone. Jesus tells us that “he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God” (John 3:18).

God “too loving to condemn”? It is because he loved so much that he sent his Son into the world to give everlasting life to those who in simple faith believe in him.

To spar with God may seem intellectually stimulating—but it is done at the risk of eternal damnation.

L. NELSON BELL

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