Judicial standing is the legal right of one party to accuse another of potential (or actual) harm. To have “standing” in a court of law, one party must demonstrate a personal stake in the issue at hand.
Before Jesus’ death, Satan had legal access to stand before the Lord in the courts of heaven to accuse mankind of all sorts of treachery. Why?
Let’s recall that Adam was given a lease agreement over God’s creation (the Dominion Mandate [Genesis 1:26,28]), which he sacrificed by violating the terms of that agreement. How? He ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, thus yielding authority over this world to God’s enemy, Lucifer.
In Job 1:9-10, Satan, the Accuser, asks the Lord, “Does Job fear God for nothing? Have you not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.”
In other words, Satan is accusing God of showing special favor to Job, against the terms of the land management contract which the enemy won through manipulation of Adam’s weakness. It’s now a legal problem. God will not go against the terms of His covenant, which Adam violated, but He has provided special favor to this righteous man, Job.
Again, Adam’s original sin gave the Accuser full rights to stand before God, the Judge, and to plead his case against Job.
Some of us need clarity about our judicial rights in God’s Kingdom. Have you considered whether the enemy still has the liberty to stand in the Courts of Heaven and win any courtroom cases? He clearly had the right to stand before God and accuse Job of potential treachery. So, the Lord gave the devil an opportunity to persecute this righteous man as a test of his integrity.
Can that happen today? Well…possibly. Satan has no “standing” in the Courts of Heaven when the subject of sin comes up. Why?
Jesus redeemed what Adam lost. The Son of God paid for all past, present and future sins — in full — and entered into a new covenant, a New Testament with heaven on our behalf. So now, like Paul, we can say: “Who shall bring a (legal) charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies (decides what is legal).” Romans 8:33
The blood of Christ has cleansed us in the courtroom where the devil formerly stood and accused us. But Jesus is in this courtroom as well. He isn’t just standing in a simulated location as the High Priest did in the Temple in Jerusalem. Rather, He is seated at the right hand of the Father, making intercession for us (Romans 8:34). Then, when needed, He enters into the Courts of Heaven as defense attorney for His beloved children.
Under the New Covenant, we are protected from the penalties which Job suffered. The Bible records that Job longed for a mediator (Job 9:33) but couldn’t find one because Christ had not yet arrived. For us, however, Jesus “blotted out the handwriting of ordnances that was against us.” Colossians 2:14 Jesus nailed that old covenant to His cross. Satan has but one legal recourse now: he can accuse us in our conscience, lying about what a lost cause we are. His last weapon is deception, trying to convince us that we need to perform well to be loved and accepted. And of course we fail miserably on a regular basis. We feel guilty and therefore unlovable. It’s a subtle, powerful device and many of us are susceptible to his manipulation.
Please don’t buy the lie. We are now justified in God’s eyes, protected against accusations in the Courts of Heaven. The punishment for every legal judgment that could have been held against us has now been fully met at the cross. In a few short hours at Calvary, the Father exhausted His wrath on His Son for the unholiness of the entire human race. Not only does that entitle us to eternal life, but we can now “come boldly to the throne of grace,” petitioning the Lord for intercession and grace to overcome the disappointments and tragedies in life, according to His will.
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