The Verdict That Changes Everything

There's a courtroom scene playing out in the spiritual realm, and you're standing at the center of it. The charges are real. The evidence is undeniable. You've done things you're not proud of, we all have. The accusers are lined up, ready to testify. Some are voices from your past. Others are people you know. Many are simply the condemning thoughts that echo in your own mind.
But here's where the story takes an unexpected turn.
The Verdict You Didn't Earn
John 3:17 tells us something revolutionary: "God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved." Read that again. God didn't send Jesus to tell us we're guilty, we already knew that. He sent Jesus to save us from the verdict we deserved.
The word "condemned" in legal terms means judged and found guilty. "Justified" means judged and found innocent. There are only two possible outcomes when charges are brought: guilty or not guilty. The question that matters most is this: Which verdict applies to you?
If you believe in Jesus, not just as a historical figure, but in the finished work of the cross, in the sacrifice that traded places with you, then your verdict is clear: Not guilty.
The Attorney Who Never Loses
Imagine you're facing the most serious charges imaginable, and suddenly the judge himself steps down from his bench and says, "I'll be your defense attorney." That's not just a favorable situation, it's an impossible-to-lose scenario.
Romans 8:31-34 paints this exact picture: "If God is for us, who can be against us? Who will bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us."
Jesus isn't on His knees somewhere praying desperately for you. He's standing in the courts of heaven as your advocate, your defense attorney, representing you with a perfect record. He has never lost a case. Not one.
The Woman and the Stones
Remember the woman caught in adultery in John 8? They threw her down in front of Jesus, stones in hand, ready to execute the punishment she deserved. She was guilty, no one disputed that. But Jesus did something remarkable.
He didn't excuse her sin. He didn't say it was no big deal. Instead, He positioned Himself between her and her accusers. One by one, they dropped their stones and walked away. Then Jesus asked her, "Where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?"
"No one, Lord," she replied.
"Neither do I condemn you," Jesus said. "Go and sin no more."
Notice what He didn't say. He didn't say, "Shame on you." He didn't launch into a lecture about how disappointed He was. He simply declared her not guilty and told her to move forward differently.
This is the heart of God toward you.
The Dangerous Power of Words
Matthew 12:37 contains a sobering truth: "For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." Not by someone else's words about you, by YOUR words.
The enemy is called the "accuser of the brethren" in Revelation 12:10. He accuses us day and night before God. But here's the problem: we often join him. We testify against ourselves. We say things like:

• "I'm just a sinner."
• "I'm such a failure."
• "I don't deserve anything good."
• "I can't believe I did that again."

When you speak these words, you're taking the stand in the courtroom and providing testimony against yourself. You're agreeing with the prosecution instead of your defense attorney.
Proverbs 6:2 warns us: "You are snared by the words of your mouth; you are taken by the words of your mouth." If you're going to be caught by your own words, make sure they're words of blessing, healing, and righteousness, not condemnation.
Whose Side Are You On?
Here's a question that demands an honest answer: Whose side are you on?
God is on your side. Romans 8:31 makes that clear. But are you on your own side? Or are you standing with your accusers, pointing fingers at yourself, disqualifying yourself from the very things God has called you to do?
Many believers have become their own worst enemies. They won't step out in faith, won't pray for the sick, won't share the gospel, won't pursue their calling, all because they feel too guilty, too unworthy, too stained by their past or present failures.
But if God has declared you not guilty through the blood of Jesus, who are you to override His verdict?
The Blood Is Greater
One of the most important truths you can embrace is this: The blood of Jesus is greater than your sin.
Not some sins. All sins. Murder, lying, adultery, addiction, abuse, whatever you can name, the blood covers it. That doesn't make sin okay. It makes the blood powerful. The requirement was a perfect sacrifice, and Jesus provided it. He paid a price you couldn't pay. He did time for crimes you committed.
If your sins are paid for, how much do you owe on that bill? Nothing. Zero. The debt is cancelled.
Romans 8:1-2 declares: "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death."
Living Shame-Free
Shame has been used as a weapon in religious circles for far too long. It's been wielded from pulpits to control, manipulate, and motivate people through fear rather than love. But shame is not from God.
The believer has a right to be completely blameless and shameless, not because we're perfect, but because we've been covered by perfect righteousness. Isaiah 54:4 promises: "Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame."
Eliminate the phrase "shame on you" from your vocabulary. Don't speak it over yourself, and don't speak it over others. It's the language of the accuser, not the language of the Redeemer.
The People Who Need You
Here's what's at stake: There are people praying right now for someone to cross their path and share truth with them. There are people who need healing, deliverance, encouragement, and hope. You might be the answer to their prayer.
But if you're buried under guilt and shame, if you've disqualified yourself because of your past or present struggles, those people may never encounter the freedom that comes through you.
You were somebody's "one." Someone didn't give in to guilt and shame, and they shared Jesus with you. Now you're called to be someone else's "one."
How Do You Plead?
When the accusations come, from others, from circumstances, from your own mind—you have a choice in how you respond.
The next time you're asked, "How do you plead?" answer with confidence: "Not guilty. Healed. Blessed. Prosperous. Free. Righteous."
This isn't arrogance. It's agreement with what God has already declared over you.
Psalm 56:9 says it perfectly: "When I cry out to You, then my enemies will turn back; this I know, because God is for me."
God is for you. The judge is on your side. The verdict has been rendered. You've been found not guilty through the blood of Jesus Christ.
Now live like it.
Stop testifying against yourself. Stop agreeing with the accuser. Stop allowing guilt and shame to sideline you from your calling. There's too much work to do, too many people who need what you carry, too little time to waste living under condemnation that Jesus already removed.
You are free. You are forgiven. You are justified. You are righteous.
Not guilty.