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Guilty But Free To Go

Henry Omotayo

Colossians 2:13-15

Message No. 0689 | Twitter @GodandUs | www.wisdom-speaks.ca

I've watched earthly legal systems with some attention on television, including TV dramas and real cases, and I have seen how people whom, from available evidences and circumstances, do not seem guilty, but are being hounded into prison either because the law enforcement guys just want to score a win or because the accused could not afford a lawyer and the pro bono lawyers do not seem to have the capacity to dig deep into the circumstances and evidences that would set the person free. In such cases, the accused is advised to plead guilty for lesser sentences or for probation, meaning that they are recorded as guilty and remain guilty in the eyes of the law.


In some of the greatest miscarriages of justice, we have seen real people who were imprisoned for decades for crimes they did not commit. The tragedy is that even the prosecutors in some cases do not believe that the accused was guilty, but having no other lead to pursue, they declare the person guilty and pursue the case just to close it out and move to the next case. The question I ask myself when I see something like this in the news is, how are these prosecutors able to go home and sleep at night, knowing that the guy they have jailed may be innocent?


When one compares this system with the justice system of heaven, the difference could not be starker. As corrupt as the earthly system might be, it will be mad for a judge to declare the guilty free if it is clear that he or she is guilty. In the court of heaven, however, no innocent man or woman can be declared as guilty. Actually, to make nonsense of the earthly system, the court of heaven goes ahead to declare the guilty free of charge.


You see, the punishment for offenders on this earth may be imprisonment, but the punishment for offenders in heaven is unspeakable eternal pain and agony. It’s no wonder why the Bible says that God is not interested in the death of a sinner, but that the sinner might repent and turn from his or her wicked ways. The big question is, how is God a just God when the offender is free to go? Well, it’s not as straightforward as that. The offender is only free to go because someone has paid the price for his or her sin, and the price is death. In Galatians chapter 3 verse 13, the Bible says:


But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”


By invoking the law of substitution, our sins against God are wiped away because Christ died instead of us. Not only did He pay the price for us, He actually shamed our accusers, and the law enforcement guys in the process. Look at what Colossians 2:13-15 says:


You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.


How dare anyone accuse the person whom God has set free! The woman caught in adultery and brought to Jesus was very clearly guilty: she was caught in the act. However, not only did Jesus tell her she was free to go, He actually put the accusers, who each had a stone in hand to apply judgement, to shame. Each of them dropped his stone and left the scene, ashamed. The only condition for this woman’s release was, go and sin no more. At this time Jesus had not yet died, but He decided to input to this woman the payment that was to come. How wonderful when someone brings out a credit card and wipes out your debt.


If you are a Christian, you must continue to thank God for setting you free from eternal condemnation. In addition, we must always remember the condition upon which we were set free: go, and sin no more. The fact that Christ has paid for our sins is no license to continue to offend. In the earthly justice system, repeat offenders receive stiffer punishments. If a cleansed child of God goes back into sin and dies in the process, the Bible says in Ezekiel 18:24, that all the good the person did will be forgotten and he or she will be judged according to his or her sinful state within which the person died.


Are you a Christian? Excellent and great to hear! You are free to go! However, please do not go back to your sins because this is a dangerous thing to do, as no one knows when the owner of the breath that we breathe will turn the tap off. Are you not a Christian yet? Please surrender your life today. You are only free to go if you have surrendered your life to the God who has been so gracious to send His only Son to die, to ensure that you do not live your live after here in endless pain and agony, the like of which no one would pray even for an enemy. There is no greater risk than roaming this world knowing that if you die today there is no hope for you. God is waiting for you to repent. You can do it right now and remove the danger.


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 PLEASE ACT NOW:
 If you are yet to give your life to Christ, you do not have a covenant with God and His promises do not apply to you. To come under these promises, please surrender your life to Christ today, by praying this prayer:
 Lord I know that I am a sinner and I am unable to save myself. I am sorry for my sins and I pray that you please forgive me. I am aware that Your Son Jesus died for my sins and I accept Him as my Lord and savior. I surrender my life unto you from this moment. Please take control of my entire being and help me to be obedient to your Word, going forward. Thank you, Lord, for hearing me. I have prayed in Jesus’ name. Amen.
 If you prayed the foregoing prayer, you have just been born again. Please find a Bible believing church in your area and ask to see the pastor. Let him or her know that you have just given your life to Christ and s/he will guide you on next steps in your journey as a child of God. The Lord bless you!
 
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