justified | The Recovering Legalist

He Won’t Apologize!

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing: CNN reported that Trump would not apologize after being acquitted. I literally laughed out loud and asked, “Why would he?!”

Seriously, if you think I’m joking, here’s a screen shot I took of the headline…

Say what you want, but if I was one who was accused of something I swore I didn’t do, why would I stand in front of the world after I was acquitted and say I’m sorry for doing what I previously swore I didn’t do? If they wanted to paint Trump as insane, that would have been a good time to do it, because that would have been crazy!

Accused and Reminded

But as soon as I heard about this story and the stupidity of it all, I couldn’t help but think of what Satan does to you and me: he accuses, then he reminds.

The name “Satan” means “accuser.” That’s what he does all the time; he accuses us of all kinds of things, maybe even things we’ve done. Thankfully, one day he will be “cast down” and won’t be able to keep up the accusations.

And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. – Revelation 12:10

But Satan not only accuses us before the Judge, he tries to make us feel guilty for things for which we’ve already been forgiven. He wakes us up in the middle of the night, or puts something in our paths that will trigger a flashback of some sin we did, and then he revels in making us feel guilty and dirty all over again.

“You call yourself a Christian?” he’ll ask. “Then why did you do that?” “What makes you think God would really forgive you? How do you even know you’ve been forgiven?” And then, like what you did was just yesterday, you feel sick, nasty, and afraid God might not love you as much as He promised.

Before long we find ourselves begging God to forgive us for something long forgiven, questioning His Word, or else we feel too ashamed to even believe we can be forgiven, then wind up doubting our salvation.

Justified!

Folks, if Trump doesn’t think he did anything wrong, why on earth would anyone expect him to get in front of the cameras of his accusers and apologize?

But for you and I, what a joy it is – or should be – to know full well that what we have been accused of, we were guilty! Yet, through faith in Jesus Christ and His substitutionary atonement, we are not only forgiven, but we are JUSTIFIED (acquitted) by grace!

Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: – Romans 3:24
Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: … Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. – Romans 5:1, 9

So, if the Devil’s CNN ever questions you about some sin you may have committed in the past, some sin that might get God to change His mind about acquitting you, remind them that whatever they are trying, it won’t work: