You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say may be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney and to have that attorney present during questioning. If you desire an attorney but cannot afford one, an attorney will be provided for you by the state without charge. “Wait a minute!” you may reply. “What have I done?” The truth of the matter is that it may be something that you have done or something that you should have done.

    The crime is SIN, and each and every one of us is guilty! Sin is breaking the law of God (commission) (1 John 3:4). It is also knowing to do good and not doing it (omission) (James 4:17). Each and every one of us has been convicted of sin (Romans 3:23) and stand under its condemnation (Romans 6:23).

    You’ll need a GOOD lawyer to find a way out of this dilemma. When selecting a lawyer, a wise person will select one who is not only very knowledgeable of the law, but is also very understanding concerning the defendant’s situation.

    Here is the GOOD news: there is ONLY ONE “lawyer” who is perfectly qualified to be your representative, AND He is willing to take YOUR case!

Jesus is the only one that can mediate between you and God.

    God is the One who has been offended by our SIN. And, there is ONLY ONE Mediator between God and men: the Man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5).

    Similar to the job of a lawyer, a “mediator” is one who intervenes between two parties to bring reconciliation to both. Jesus is the ONLY ONE who can “mediate” between you and God. You NEED Him to be YOUR “Lawyer.” He desires the opportunity to represent, bless, and defend you!

    When it comes to our problem with SIN, Jesus is the perfect mediator. Jesus became man so that He could identify with our situation, our problems (Hebrews 2:17-18). He is able to sympathize with our weaknesses because He was tempted in every way, just as we are — yet without SIN (Hebrews 4:15).

    With Jesus as one’s lawyer, one must NOT expect to be found innocent. The verdict is STILL guilty! There is NO way around it; we have sinned, we are guilty, and NO amount of good works can erase our guilt or compensate for the damage done. But, if we will place our confidence and trust in our “Lawyer” and obey His instructions, we will find forgiveness. How can that be? Jesus “gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time” (1 Timothy 2:6). Even though we have been found guilty, Jesus took the punishment of SIN upon Himself when He died on the cross. Those who trust Him and are truly penitent for their sins, confess Him before men, and are baptized for the forgiveness of sins will be released from their debt of SIN (Romans 6:3-14; Acts 2:28-42). All because of the Mediator!

    The verdict is in: YOU have been found guilty! You’ll need a GOOD lawyer. But NOT just anyone will do. In fact, Jesus is the ONLY ONE who can handle your case. So, will you allow Him to represent YOU on Judgment Day? Then start by trusting Him as your lawyer, mediator, and Savior today!

 

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© Copyright 2002, David A. Sargent. From Living Water. To subscribe to Living Water send a blank e-mail to subscribe-living-water@XC.org (HTML version) or subscribe-living-water-text@XC.org (TEXT only).

Title: "You'll Need a Lawyer"
Author: David A. Sargent
Publication Date: November 6, 2002