While an earthly court can never be 100 percent certain of guilt or innocence, God and his justice are perfect. And through Jesus, God’s requirement of perfect justice is met.

Do you trust the TV news? I cringe when I hear a newscaster announce that a jury “found the defendant innocent.” In American law, no one is found innocent; a person is either guilty or not guilty. Innocence describes a person’s moral state. It’s like having a jury find someone’s heart to be pure or righteous. Juries answer a single factual question: Did the State meet its burden of proof?

The world’s faulty system

Burden of proof can be compared to the figures with outstretched arms at the entrances to amusement park rides. You’ve seen them—the ones saying: “Must be this tall to ride.” Excited young children stand on their tiptoes, trying to inch closer to the mark.

Burden of proof says the evidence of guilt “must be at least this high” in order to convict someone of a crime. Just as cautious parents watch carefully to see if their child is tall enough to ride an attraction safely, juries carefully weigh the evidence to see if there is enough to convict.

A not guilty verdict only says that whatever evidence of guilt was produced, it was not enough to reach the mark. Because of this, a not guilty verdict can still leave a stain on a person’s reputation. Some will always wonder if the acquitted person actually committed the crime—it just could not be proven.

You may wonder, If courts administer justice, why can’t they just declare the truth? I have presided over tens of thousands of cases and listened to the testimony of countless witnesses. I pray every day that God will give me the wisdom to make decisions that are pleasing in his eyes. And yet, as a flawed and imperfect human being, I can never be 100 percent certain of the truth—even when the evidence seems overwhelming.

In law school, a professor once remarked that in our courts, “truth is a historical accident.” Our rules attempt to bring us as close to the truth as possible, but no matter how hard we try, it may still elude us. It is reminiscent of Pontius Pilate’s exchange with Jesus. Jesus said, “Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” Pilate, with a flawed human heart and mind, retorted, “What is truth?” (John 18:37,38).

God’s perfect justice

Heaven’s court is different. While an earthly court can never be 100 percent certain, God’s court is. God and his justice are perfect.

In my analogy, heaven would have its own version of the amusement park marker. It would say “Must be perfect to enter.” That’s a tough standard. But God’s very nature demands it. Jesus directed us, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). None of us can meet this standard. Even getting up on our tiptoes won’t help. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

God knows everything that we have ever done or failed to do. “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:13). He also knows our hearts and every one of our thoughts. That means God knows the absolute truth about everyone and everything.

At the end of a trial, I instruct jury members how to deliberate and reach a verdict: “In your deliberations, there can be no triumph except the ascertainment and declaration of the truth.” God needs no instructions. He judges with absolute fairness, truth, justice, and righteousness—because that is who he is. King David tells us, “He rules the world in righteousness and judges the peoples with equity. . . . The LORD is known by his acts of justice” (Psalm 9:8,16).

While juries may struggle to determine the truth, God’s verdict is never mistaken. With God, we all will receive perfect justice. There are never mistrials, errors, or reversals.

God’s redemptive plan

This seems to set up a hopeless situation: God demands perfection, yet we are sinful. God knows the truth of all we’ve done and the depths of our hearts, and he judges with absolute justice, fairness, and righteousness.

But should we give up hope? No. There is good news for us. While we can’t satisfy the verdict, pay the debt, or be restored to God by our own efforts, God himself, in his infinite love, provides the way.

Jesus’ actions don’t just declare us not guilty. His sacrifice grants us complete and total righteousness.

Out of his immeasurable love for us, Jesus willingly (even joyfully!) went to the cross to receive our punishment and pay our debt. The Creator of the universe paid the price to restore his lost and fallen creation. Now when God judges us, he does not see our frailty, sin, stubbornness, or rebellion. Instead, when God the Father looks at believers, he lovingly gazes upon the perfection of his Son. He sees Jesus, the truly perfect and innocent Lamb. His perfection completely covers all our sins.

God’s redemptive plan means that Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross on our behalf satisfies God’s holy justice. We are covered—clothed—with his perfection (Galatians 3:27). This allows us to enter past the sign saying “Must be perfect to enter.”

Jesus sacrificial love

How is this possible? Part of the answer lies in the fact that God’s justice is not a verdict arrived at by means of dispassionate analysis and deliberation. Instead, God’s justice is fuller, richer, and more vibrant than what our minds can grasp. This is because his love accompanies his justice.

Jesus’ sacrifice is one of love. This sacrificial love for us renders God’s verdict perfectly just and righteous.

Jesus’ actions don’t just declare us not guilty. His sacrifice grants us complete and total righteousness. We are innocent. Unlike an earthly courtroom where a finding of not guilty can still leave a stain, our verdict through Christ declares that our sins are completely removed from existence. “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12). And it is not through our efforts or merit. God himself erases our sins as if they never existed. “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more” (Isaiah 43:25).

I still sometimes cringe when I hear reports on the TV news. However, my heart leaps for joy when I ponder how we are welcomed back into fellowship with God due to the loving, sacrificial work of the One who lived a holy and perfect life: Jesus our Lord and Savior. This is good news.

Author: Greg Galler
Volume 111, Number 11
Issue: November 2024