The Higher Courtroom
“Whenever our hearts make us feel guilty and remind us of our failures, we know that God is much greater and more merciful than our conscience, and he knows everything there is to know about us. My delightfully loved friends, when our hearts don’t condemn us, we have a bold freedom to speak face-to-face with God. And whatever we ask of him we receive, because we keep his commands. And by our beautiful intentions we continue to do what brings pleasure to him.”
1 John 3:20-22, The Passion Translation
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The footnote from The Passion Translation for 1 John 3:20 says the following:
The Courtroom of the Accuser
Unfortunately, most of our courtroom interactions take place in the courtroom of the accuser – the accuser being Satan & his demons. This is where we hear all about how we’ve made a mess of our finances, how we’ve dug ourselves a hole we’ll never get out of and how the financial catastrophe we’re in is totally and completely our fault. These are the hardest accusations to deal with because more often than not, they’re facts. The enemy likes to play on the facts of our financial situation to keep our hearts and finances in bondage to your past.
The problem with that is this: your past no longer exists in the condition you remember it.
To explain this differently, your entire past – every decision, mistake, circumstance, relationship – is covered by the blood of Jesus. This means that the facts of your past no longer define what happened or the future that proceeds from it, the blood of Jesus does. And the blood of Jesus redeems everything and makes all things new. So when we revisit our past (which we should only ever do to learn and grow from it), we must ask the Lord to show it to us under the blood. Our past narrative tells us the facts, but the blood of Jesus tells us the truth.
Now, let’s break this down as it plays out in the court of the accuser.
- The Judge: God (always)
- The Accuser: Satan (& our own mind/heart when we choose to agree with him)
- The Defendant: You
- The Mediator/Lawyer/Jury: Jesus
Because of the blood of Jesus, and his influence on the court system the Judge hears your accusations and proclaims you “Not Guilty.” This happens every time, regardless of the circumstances, facts or accusations. You are justified by his blood to be in right-standing before God. So your financial screwups can now be released from your records.
Moving to the Throne of Grace
The writer of Hebrews talks about this higher courtroom where grace is enthroned.
“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
– Hebrews 4:16, NKJV
This means that we are not only invited, but commanded to approach the throne of grace with boldness and confidence knowing that we will receive help from our heavenly father who has proclaimed us “Not Guilty” in Jesus in our time of urgent need. The psalmist describes this throne as the following:
“Your glorious throne rests on a foundation
of righteousness and just verdicts.
Grace and truth are the attendants who go before you.”
Psalm 89:14, The Passion Translation
So we are commanded to approach the throne of grace boldly, which sits on a foundation of righteousness and just verdicts to receive the urgent help we need in our time of weakness. This is huge. Why? I believe most of us, myself included, think we approach the throne of grace with all our accusations in tow. That is one heavy load and it means we are still operating within the courts of the accuser. We cannot approach the throne of grace in it’s perfection and holiness with anything but a perfect record and a clean slate. And we all know we cannot achieve this for ourselves. We can only receive it through what Jesus has done for us.
In a way, we can think of the courtroom of the accuser as the courtroom of the law. We are constantly striving to “overcome” our past by our good works and new achievements. We become discouraged when we screw things up and the burden is put completely and solely on our own shoulders. Regardless of what we did yesterday, what mistakes we make today or what may or may not happen in the future, our verdict is “Not Guilty” in this courtroom. That is, if we choose to stand in what Jesus did for us, not what we’re hoping to overcome in our own strength.
Always A Struggle vs. Always Abundance
Do you know what happens when you try to receive grace from the courtroom of the law? You strive to experience the freedom of limitless grace someone else already paid the price for. Your beliefs are hold you hostage in a courtroom that was never meant for you to make your case in. You know the reality of grace but it feels so far away and, in a way, not meant for you in this moment. And this looks and feels like a lot of fear, condemnation and struggle in your life. You cannot walk in the freedom to create, design and build. You’re constantly striving to make ends meet, survive and dig yourself out of your proverbial hole.
In contrast …
Do you know what happens when you enter and receive your “not guilty” verdict from a higher courtroom, the courtroom where grace sits enthroned? You live in a place of hope, possibility and expectancy. This means every obstacle becomes an opportunity for God to break in and do a creative miracle in your finances. Every day you can live joyfully expectant of God’s goodness. You are free to be innovative and find creative solutions to co-labor with God in your prosperity. This is the place of true freedom to create as God creates. You can generate wealth in partnership with His spirit with no limits, no constraints, only possibilities. There is always a solution, always more than enough, always abundance. This is how believers were meant to live – from the reality of the higher courtroom.
