Not Guilty AND Righteous!

The Gospel is so good it is staggering.  When we repent and trust in Jesus Christ, our sins are cleansed by His blood.  "Not guilty" only describes one effect of Christ's regenerating work.  By God's grace we are deemed righteous and without fault.

I remember being in a university classroom on 3 October, 1995 when O.J. Simpson was declared "not guilty" of a double homicide by a jury after a nine month trial.  Most people in the class were outraged.  With the circumstantial evidence presented, they could not believe Mr. Simpson was innocent.  Similar comparisons have been drawn in the recent case of Casey Anthony and the death of her daughter.  After incredible media coverage, Casey went from incarceration and facing the death penalty to being declared "not guilty" and was released with time served.  Though I am not living in the United States, the negative public view of the verdict is felt across the world.

Without going into details of either case (which would be inconsequential to this post), it would be safe to say the media coverage influenced the opinions of the general public that a guilty verdict was justified.  Though both declared "not guilty," both Mr. Simpson and Ms. Anthony will live the rest of their days under a dark cloud of suspicion.  Both plead innocent, and after much deliberation and expert testimony both were declared "not guilty" by judge and jury.  Because there was reasonable doubt of guilt does not mean the accused were completely guiltless.  It is a sobering to consider that some will only remember these two because of the accusations leveled against them.  Even their staunchest supporters questioned their innocence.  To some they will always be monsters, regardless of the trial's legal outcome.  Even 50 years served in prison will not erase the "priors" of a convicted felon.

Now consider the natural condition of you and I before God.  There is no question we have ALL broken His perfect Law completely, willfully, and repeatedly.  Romans 3:23 tells us, "...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."  The Bible also teaches us the penalty for breaking a single of God's righteous requirements:  death!  Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."  There was reasonable doubt in both the cases of Mr. Simpson and Ms. Anthony, but there is no doubt all have sinned before God.  Evidence of a single indiscretion in either word, deed, or thought is grounds for eternal damnation.

When we repent and trust in Christ as LORD and Savior, God declares us "not guilty" and justifies us from our sin.  Not only that, but He declares us righteous and holy!  I would say "Imagine that!" but this is a reality!  We are seen by God not only as "Not Guilty," but "Righteous!"  The cloud of sin and damnation that condemned us has been obliterated by the grace, mercy, and justice of God.  1 John 1:9 reads, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  God does not reserve suspicions of guilt or hold our sins against us, for Christ has made us righteous!  We will face no punishment for our sins because Christ has offered Himself as our Substitute, and not even a shred or memory of our guilt remains.  We are as righteous as God Himself, for our life is hid in Jesus Christ.  We can hardly appreciate how good this is!

No matter how the rest of Casey Anthony's life unfolds, people will be quicker to associate her with O.J. Simpson than with Mother Theresa or Princess Diana.  But the fact is for every sinner who repents and trusts in Christ for salvation, God associates us with God made flesh:  Jesus Christ.  Read for yourself in Romans 3:21-26:  "But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, ²² even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; ²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, ²⁵ whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, ²⁶ to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus."  Praise God for such Good News of grace!  What eternal riches God gives to any who repent and trust in Him!