Case Closed
“So now the case is closed. There remains no accusing voice of condemnation against those who are joined in life-union with Jesus, the Anointed One. For the “law” of the Spirit of life flowing through the anointing of Jesus has liberated us from the “law” of sin and death. For God achieved what the law was unable to accomplish, because the law was limited by the weakness of human nature. Yet God sent us his Son in human form to identify with human weakness. Clothed with humanity, God’s Son gave his body to be the sin-offering so that God could once and for all condemn the guilt and power of sin. So now every righteous requirement of the law can be fulfilled through the Anointed One living his life in us. And we are free to live, not according to our flesh, but by the dynamic power of the Holy Spirit!”
Romans 8:1-4 TPT
Your repentance is valid.
Have you ever felt a condemning voice coming against you in your life? Maybe it was the last time you lost your temper with your kids, got into a fight with your spouse, broke a promise to yourself or someone else, or went back once again to that same old vice you thought you’d finally given up.
Your repentance is valid.
You see, to repent is a sincere sign of remorse. But, it’s also so much more than that. It means to walk away from, to turn, to change direction completely. When you become a Christian, this repentance is validated through the life and death of Christ Jesus. When we ask for forgiveness, it is immediately extended to us by our Father in Heaven. Forgiveness from the Father moves faster than the speed of light. It’s why He’s so insistent that we be forgiving, too.
But, even after we repent and forgiveness is fully given, we still feel...well, bad. Why is that? What is that feeling that makes us feel yet still distant from God if it’s true that He’s already forgiven us the second we thought about true repentance? We feel separated.
Therein lies our great cosmic conundrum; the mystery of the human condition. Sin separates us from God in His holiness and Satan uses the tool of shame to drive home the point of our ineptitude and all our failures. As the enemy of our souls, he wants us to be in league with him, separated from our Heavenly Father. Luckily, God knew this is where we would find ourselves, so He left us a few reminders just in case (undoubtedly when) we forget.
“And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 8:38-39 NLT
Maybe it’s because I’ve always had a penchant for justice (somewhere my Mom has a photo of me on career day in Pre-K in which all the other kids were teachers, firefighters…ya’ know, great, normal jobs for a toddler to be thinking about; I was dressed up like Sandra Day O’Conner) but this verse gives me a vision of Satan and his demons like a team of attorneys with the worst losing record in history. It’s as if they spend all their time in the court of heavenly appeals, to no avail.
You see, against me, God’s child, the CASE IS CLOSED. The second you and I decided to live a life of repentance, we won. It’s like the best plea deal in the universe. As soon as we can come to the end of ourselves and realize our helpless spiritual nature without God, we can admit guilt and walk into unfettered freedom, never looking back. The thing that’s trying to condemn and shame us might as well have never happened. The record of our guilt has been expunged, wiped clean, utterly forgotten.
The enemy has no standing. His grounds for continuation are unsubstantiated. His objections are overruled. Whatever motion to proceed he might consider filing next already has the stamp of denial on it...because JESUS.
Best of all, God remembers this. We are the ones who forget who we are and what we’ve won in Christ Jesus. Maybe we’re more like the sheep Jesus often compared us to in Scripture than we realize - forgetful creatures that need a shepherd to guide them to safety, community, and shelter. (John 10:11-15, Matthew 18:12-14)
I see a picture of Jesus, our Great Shepherd, telling us to turn around, repent, decide to turn the other direction from the sin that seeks to bind us. He’s warning us off, “Don’t walk back into the courtroom, child. I’ve already shown up in your place. You don’t even have to show your face here.”
Don’t give Satan the dignity of condemning yourself when the priceless, precious, holy blood of Jesus has already covered your conviction. The sentence has been served.
The tool of the enemy is to tempt you into sin, not to stop there, but to shame you. The very second the act is done - as soon as the fit of rage is over, right after you send the text or close your web browser, the moment the words you would give anything to take back escape your lips - he sends in the demonic forces of shame.
“I can’t believe you did that. Who says that? What kind of ‘Christian’ are you anyway? Do you even love God? What would the people at your church say if they saw you right now? Best to not even go back. Just. Give. Up.”
It’s a shame lie. And he does this all the time. Same story, different day. Same tool, different tactics. This lie is meant to trap you in a pattern of sin and self-loathing. But, all the while, Jesus is reminding us, with love in His eyes, that the price has been paid. Simply ask and your repentance validates your acceptance. You are free to go, child.
As I see this picture more clearly in my mind, I envision the God of Heaven and Earth standing up from His Heavenly judge’s seat in His celestial courts turning to leave because the evidence is clear, as Satan frantically screams “Just one more thing!” But, Jesus steps between them as He joins His Heavenly Father, walking away our Victor, having won the case again. Satan is thrown out of the court and back into the bellows of hell for his contempt, where you and I will not be joining him. Case closed.