Innocent or guilty

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

INNOCENT OR GUILTY

Prov 24:23-25

23 These also are sayings of the wise:

To show partiality in judging is not good: 24 Whoever says to the guilty, "You are innocent" — peoples will curse him and nations denounce him. 25 But it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and rich blessing will come upon them.

NIV

This most likely speaks about judges and/or ministers and their being impartial in their judgements. A judge should not be swayed one way or another in a case even if the accused is a close friend or a deathly enemy. In some sense a judge should not see the face of the accused, but only the facts of the case. But what does that have to do with our everyday lives and our relationship with the Lord? Because all scripture is God-breathed and profitable for correction, rebuking, teaching and training in righteousness, this has to have a truth we should be applying to our lives. We cannot simply determine whether a judge lives rightly or corruptly. There is something about the guilty and the innocent which makes us think about the judgement of God. He will surely judge without any partiality. It may well be that when he declares a person who accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior as innocent, peoples will curse him. There is no doubt that nations have denounced him. God will also convict the guilty. The difference is that people decide for themselves whether they what to be declared and judged as guilty or innocent. It is not as though anyone is without the guilt of sin, but because of Christ, those who accept him are then declared innocent. God is not partial about that, it is simply the facts. That fact is available to all peoples. He does not determine some to be declared innocent and some to remain guilty. If he did that he would be showing favoritism, he would be showing respect to one and not another.

Acts 10:34-35

34 Then Peter began to speak: "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right.

NIV

Who has the great rich blessing, more than anyone? Is he not God? Of course his blessings are the riches of all. So he convicts the guilty and let’s go the innocent. He is just, he is fair, he is right in all he does. We also are admonished not to show favoritism. That is we should not prejudge anyone when it comes to sharing the gospel message.

James 2:1-4

2:1 My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism . 2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. 3 If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet," 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

NIV

Every person will stand before the God and be judged for his works. That is the works of his life. Did he accept Christ? Did he reject Christ? That is the only work that will be judged. But we cannot make that determination. We cannot judge another person’s heart. We cannot make say this person will not accept Jesus so I will not bother to tell them about him. We cannot say whether a person is worthy of salvation or not. All are worthy of salvation, we only have to look at ourselves to know that fact. Jesus did not go to the cross for only a select few, but for the whole world, every person. He did not show any partiality at all. So then let us not show any partiality in sharing the message about being able to be declared innocent and escape the penalty of being guilty.