Double Jeopardy

All of mankind has a problem, and that problem is that every one of us has broken the law in one way or another during our lives. The Bible puts it this way, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23. At the end of our lives, I believe, we will each walk into God’s courtroom for the final judgment. Matthew 12:36. At the prosecutor’s table will sit our accuser, Satan, with a list of all our wrongs. For some he will have a long list, for others he will have an even longer list. But we all have a list.

The evidence the accuser presents will be conclusive, because we did, in fact, commit all those wrongs. Some of them seemed so minor at the time, and some we didn’t even think about before doing. But we can’t deny that we did them. We can’t deny our guilt.

So what do you do in this situation? I suggest a really great defense attorney. The apostle John suggested a good one. “But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.” 1 John 2:1.

But what defense could he possibly offer, you might ask, since we did commit the offenses we are charged with? Will he plead insanity on our behalf? Will he offer an alibi, say we were somewhere else when those sins were committed? Will he present evidence that it was someone else? What defense could we possibly have?

The answer, my friend, is double jeopardy. The doctrine of double jeopardy says that a person cannot be twice convicted or punished for the same crime. In the United States, this defense is guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution. Other countries also guarantee this defense by constitution. But for all people, this defense is guaranteed through Jesus Christ.

The defense that Jesus will offer on our behalf is that the punishment has already been meted out for the sins that we committed. Judgment was rendered and the punishment handed down on the cross for every single offense on our list. We can’t be punished for it again. “He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” 1 John 2:2.

So do you have Jesus on retainer? Is he set to plead your case, to offer up for you the ultimate defense of double jeopardy, when the time comes for you to walk into God’s courtroom? His retainer is rather inexpensive – all you have to do is ask.