There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1)
The great enemy of God and His people is Satan, who is also known as the accuser. Once a holy, beautiful, and righteous angel, Satan rebelled against God and was cast down out of heaven; today he is busily engaged in accusing believers in the hopes of discrediting them before God. But Satan, who prowls around the earth like a roaring lion (1 Peter 5:8), has no teeth and his accusations are not to be accepted.
Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation. (Colossians 1:21-22)
This passage comes under the heading of “The Beautiful BUTS of God.” We were alienated from God — we were actually His enemies . . . BUT God reconciled us! For all those who have, by grace through faith, trusted in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, the assurance of God’s forgiveness and love is absolutely assured. Now, you can’t keep Satan from accusing you and you can’t keep others from accusing you. But never will God accuse you!
For me, the most compelling and complete picture of this truth is the one that was given to the prophet Zechariah.
Then [the angel] showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him. The Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?” Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. The angel said to those who were standing before him, “Take off his filthy clothes.” Then he said to Joshua, “See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put rich garments on you.” (Zechariah 3:1-4)
Christian, you are clothed in the righteous robes of Christ, and you are totally, completely, and eternally free from accusation. Because God pronounced judgment on Jesus, who took our sin and nailed it all to the cross, there can never be any judgment against us. Because God pronounced the “guilty” verdict over Jesus, who paid the penalty for all our sins in full, He will never make the “guilty” pronouncement over us.
Remember, all our sins have been removed as far as the east is from the west, and that is a distance that simply cannot be measured! We have been cleansed from all our sins by the saving blood of the Lamb of God, and we have been clothed with the rich garments of His righteousness — not because of anything we have done, but because of His mercy. We are accepted by God because of Jesus Christ, and when Satan or anyone else sends an accusation our way, we are to respond, “Accusation unaccepted!” For God has said —
“No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me,” says the Lord. (Isaiah 54:17 NKJV)
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Grace for the Race 