If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1:6-7, NASB)

    Martin Luther had a dream in which he stood on the day of judgment before God Himself—and Satan was there to accuse him. When Satan opened his books full of accusations, he pointed to transgression after transgression of which Luther was guilty. As the proceedings went on, Luther’s heart sunk in despair. Then he remembered the cross of Christ—and turning upon Satan, he said, “There is one entry which you have not made, Satan.”

The Devil retorted, “What is that?”

And Luther answered, “It is this—the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanseth us from all sins.” (From James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited)

    Some years ago I listened to an elderly preacher discuss the subject of God’s judgment and the prospect of standing before the Lord on that great and final day. I do not remember all that he said, for I am sure that at the time, my mind wandered to other things. I do remember one thing, however, and it has stuck with me for a very long time.

    Someone asked what he thought about each individual standing before God and how would a Christian answer for the sins in their life. This older preacher smiled, and put it something like this: “When you make your appeal before the judgment seat of God, remember that you will only have one thing in your favor. It isn’t how good you’ve been, for the truth is that we’ve all sinned. It isn’t how smart you are, for there are things that none of us understand. It isn’t how religious you’ve been, because no one’s faith is fully pure and righteous. The only thing you can make appeal to is the blood of Jesus, and when God sees you, he’ll see you covered head to toe in the cleansing grace of His Lamb who died that your sins might be forgiven.”

The only thing you can make appeal to is the blood of Jesus...

    Sometimes, Christianity becomes clouded by all sorts of theological arguments, varied philosophical leanings, and multiplied efforts to somehow act in ways we think will please God. Don’t misunderstand. Sometimes, these are important and right concerns in a society that wants to water down the cost of grace. On the other hand, I fear we think eternal life is somehow based on us, on our ability to “get it right,” or on how well we’ve done at figuring out our doctrine, or our level of practice. I really believe that there are a lot of people who are making ready their defense for judgment day, and it’s all about themselves and what they’ve done.

    Little wonder that a mighty lot of these people are worried sick. They’re afraid of the judgment. They know the truth about themselves and that’s one reason they’re trying desperately to put the right “spin” on things. It won’t work. I’m persuaded that if we could do one thing to help Christians right now, it would be to reinforce their confidence that on judgment day, the only plea they can make that matters is the blood of Jesus.

    May I plead with you today to re-focus your faith. There’s a reason that the writer of Hebrews insisted that we fix our eyes on Jesus (Heb 12:2). If you’ve wondered how you’ll ever face God’s judgment with confidence, let me encourage you to learn the one and only way. Jesus!

© Copyright 2001, Dr. Bill Denton, CrossTies, All Rights Reserved. Articles may not be reprinted in any “for profit” publication without further permission by the author. Articles may be freely distributed via e-mail, reprinted in church bulletins or in other non-profit publications without further permission. Please keep this copyright and Web Site information intact with copied articles.

Title: "The Only Defense on Judgment Day"
Author: Bill Denton
Publication Date: November 3, 2001

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