21. "You have heard that the ancients were told, 'You shall not
commit murder' and 'Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.'
22. "But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his
brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever shall say to his brother, 'Raca,'
shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever shall say, 'You fool,' shall be
guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.
We have seen how justice in this world can be subverted with the
right lawyer, because there is an incomplete knowledge of the case. People are declared
guilty when the evidence shows "beyond a reasonable doubt" that they committed
the crime.
What about a court where the evidence is exactly true and accurate. What if the court
could simply download the images from the individual’s brain and play it back for all
to see? We would not only know about the actions, but all the thoughts that lead up to the
actions. We would also be able to see how "innocent" words resulted in
incredible pain and suffering in others – even to the point of death at times.
You and I have a summons to appear before this court – and when
God calls our name, we will be there, no "ifs," "ands," or
"buts." On that day, left to ourselves, there will be no defense – and no
mercy. We are in deep trouble.
Jesus is not a clever lawyer with a loop-hole to trick God. In fact
Jesus will be the Judge (see the description of Him in chapters 1 and 2 of Revelation).
And we know that he states he did not come to do away with the law (click
here to see that study). If He were to wink at your sins, you would be more
righteous than God. Instead, there is only one way out for any of us, and that is to
acknowledge that the penalty has already been paid – in blood. The blood on the cross
has already paid for our sins, if we place ourselves under it.
You know that pornography is wrong, but in the eyes of God when it
comes to entrance into heaven, it is no different that even the tiniest infraction –
because there is no tolerance when the standard is God’s perfection. In this world
one crime may have greater ramifications than another, but that’s a different court
system – don’t confuse the two.