On trial

Have you ever felt like you will never be enough? Experienced crushing feeling of despair that comes with the thought that you failed something? Let me give you some good news, you don't have to feel that way. We aren't supposed to be perfect in our own eyes or in the eyes of the people around us. We often put too much effort into reaching our own standards or being what society wants us to be. These things make us feel like we're standing in the middle of a courtroom and the verdict is guilty. Like we will never be enough. The truth is, we have already stood trial. We have already been judged. And the verdict is good news. But it's hard to see that when judgements constantly come against you.

There are three different courtrooms that we can be judged in. But we should only put our faith in the verdict that comes from one of them. 1st Corinthians 4:3-4 says, "But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.” 

Paul describes three courtrooms: society, ourselves, and God. Three judges that can pass a judgment. So I want to break down what courtrooms Paul is talking about. We’ll see how often we can stand trial in the wrong one when we value other judgments above God’s.

The first part of verse 3 says “ But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court.” Paul is talking about society: Those around us. When we dwell in this court, we’re constantly looking for acceptance from others. If you put weight in the judgment of others and how you compare to your peers and that’s where your joy lies, then all it takes, is one negative comment and disappointment will overwhelm you. Don’t let your hope lie in the approval of others. Because, eventually you will lose their approval no matter how hard you try to keep it. We need to be able to say with Paul that we count a small thing to be judged by any people. It doesn’t matter how other see us. Paul understood that his joy didn’t lie in the approval of other so it was a small thing for him to be judged by society. Can you say that? Do you believe that and live like that?

The second court that Paul mentions is himself. “In fact, I do not even judge myself. For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted.”

He doesn't judge himself because he knows that he cant be acquitted by his own judgment. We tend to set impossible standards for ourselves and then expect that we can meet them. When we inevitably fail to meet those expectations we beat ourselves up over it. By trying to judge ourselves we’re assuming that we have the power to make perfect standards, as well as the power to justify ourselves. Fortunately, only Christ can do that. We should strive to achieve His standards for our lives first, not our own. And His standards are simple, Romans 10:9 says, "If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." We have hope because we aren't the ones in charge of our fate. That's the third courtroom that Paul talks about.

When we remember that it’s the Lord who ultimately judges us, the things of this world will grow dim. Christ has paid the price for us. He was condemned so that we don’t have to be. The only judgment that matters is God's. Paul's dismissal of our ability to accurately judge ourselves can be liberating. He insists we simply lack the lenses to gain an objective picture of who we are. In the Bible, the truth about ourselves only emerges from our relationship with God. We cannot get an accurate picture on our own because we tend to over or under estimate. He doesn’t judge us by the opinions of others. Because His verdict is already in. He pronounces you innocent and acquitted. 

It doesn’t matter if everyone likes you or not because it’s a small thing to be judged by them.

Living in society's courtrooms or our own courtroom leads to a life of feeling stressed and unwanted. It makes us feel like we must always do more to be good enough. But in God's courtroom we can have peace and security knowing that enough has already been done. That's the courtroom I want to dwell in. That is where there is security and certainty in the judgement. Which will you live in?