December 13 , 2000

Reading: Romans 8:25-39

 

“Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect?” (33).

 

One of the charges against Satan is that he is the “accuser of the brethren” Rev: 12:10. He may accuse us and condemn us but we are the elect of God! He looks at us and points his finger at our sins and shortcomings and accuses us before God. He sees our sins, but our heavenly Father does not! Our Father has justified and forgiven us because Jesus died and rose again. “Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is risen from the dead” (33,34).

How can Satan accuse us? Have we not been Born Again? Is not sin behind us? Allow me to ask you a question, “Do you not sin?” Yes, I am speaking to you who have trusted Christ as your Savior. “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” 1 John 1:8. Every day we sin and fall short of the standard God has set before us. Is this not the definition of sin?

In the days when Kings and gentry participated in archery as a sport they would always have a ‘spotter’ who stood close to the target. His job was to retrieve the arrows and take them back to the archer. One of his other functions was to shout back to the archer the result of his ‘’shot’. If the arrow missed the target he would shout “sin”! “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” Rom: 3:23. How often do we ‘fall short’ of the glory of God? It is these failures (sins) of which Satan accuses us before God.

Satan may accuse but Jesus intercedes for us. “Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who … makes intercession for us” (34). The intercession of Jesus is far greater than the accusations of Satan. These accusations never reach the ears of our heavenly Father because Jesus died, rose again, is seated at the right hand of the Father and intercedes for us. We are God’s elect and as such nothing, not even the accusations of Satan, can separate us from the love of God (38, 39). Jesus intercedes for us and nothing shall separate us from His love (35).

Jesus is the Barrier between the accusations of Satan and our heavenly Father. Satan may point his accusing finger but Jesus shows His nail-scarred hands. There is much in the life of every Christian that Satan can point to and charge us with before God, but “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus” (8:1) , we have been changed. We are now “in Christ” and have been set free “from the law of sin and death” (2). The “wages of sin is death” (6:23) but “it is Christ who died” (34) for us, therefore the accusations of Satan, although accurate, are worthless and have no effect because “it is God who justifies.”

All of this activity is going on even as I write and you read these words. We often hear of the “perseverance” of the saints but I prefer to think of the “preservation” of the saints. If my salvation depended on my perseverance I would be concerned because, as a Christian, I sin. My salvation depends on God preserving it. Jesus intercedes for me; he stands in the way of Satan’s accusations and preserves my salvation.

Read again these challenging questions: “Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies” (33). “Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died” (34). “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? … In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (35-37).

May we all set our minds to walk worthy of Him who died for us so Satan has less with which to fuel his accusations.