“Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.  Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” (Romans 8:33-34)

Recently, I received a jury duty summons. I, along with approximately 1,200 others, showed up on the specified day and spent the day participating in our justice system. On that day, three jury trials were to begin. Ultimately, I wasn’t selected to serve, but I sat in the audience with bated breath all day, waiting to see if my name would be called. Watching the process up close gave me insight into the process—and human nature—that I’ve never had before.

The defendant in this case had been charged with murder in the first degree, one of the most serious things a person can be accused of. The questions asked by the judge and the attorneys on both sides were designed to help them learn how and what each potential juror thinks and a little bit about each person’s life that might intersect with the case in some way.

Both attorneys pointed out more than once that the defendant was presumed innocent until proven guilty. In our justice system, when someone is accused of a crime, it is up to the prosecutor to prove that person did it—the defendant does not have to prove his innocence. The burden of proof the prosecutors have to meet is extremely high in a murder one case, for good reason based on the seriousness of the crime and the punishment attached, but the fact is, the burden rests completely on the prosecutor, not the defendant.

This makes me think of my own walk with Jesus. I don’t have to prove my innocence—I can’t, because I’m not innocent. I have sinned and will continue to do so because I’m human. But through Jesus, I’m declared righteous. Jesus takes the penalty for our sins, and through faith in him, we are justified before God. And on judgment day, Jesus will defend me and say that I belong to him.

This same salvation is available to us all. In Romans 10:9, Paul says, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Romans 8:1 says, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” I’m thankful that when I stand before God, I won’t have to make a case for my own righteousness. Jesus has already done what I could never do for myself.

Dear Lord, thank you for paying the penalty for my sins and for offering the gift of salvation. Amen.