We should also realize that Satan is our accuser; in fact, that seems to be his primary strategy toward sincere believers … God no longer allows Satan to accuse us before Him. In fact, we might say God has thrown Satan out of His heavenly courtroom. However, although Satan can no longer accuse us before God, he accuses us to ourselves. He plants thoughts in our minds such as, “How could a person who is a Christian struggle with sin as much as you do?” What is our defense in such instances? It is not to ignore or minimize the seriousness of our sin. Rather it is to look at the cross of Christ and see Him bearing those sins in all their severity and ugliness in His body. It is to believe that “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1), because Jesus was condemned in our place as our substitute.
– Jerry bridges
Reading Reflection:
The temptation, when we feel accused by Satan or when our own consciences condemn us, is to make excuses and counter with our own sense of righteousness. This often involves downplaying the gravity of our sins, attempting to redefine our actions as mere “mistakes” or “slip-ups” rather than acknowledging them as sins. Facing the ugliness of our sins is a challenging task.
However, a more constructive approach–which leads to real freedom–is to acknowledge the full weight of our sin. There’s no need to minimize or redefine it because Jesus has completely paid for it. The absence of condemnation for those in Christ doesn’t stem from the absence of sin in a Christian’s life. Instead, it’s because Jesus has paid for sins—past, present, and future! When Satan reminds us of our sin, we can thank him for driving us deeper into Jesus.
