Scripture: Hebrews 10:15-18, ESV
“And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, ‘This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,’ then he adds, ‘I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.’ Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.”
This is an incredibly interesting passage because it talks about something we almost never think about. To capture its essence, think of a courtroom scene. The judge is on the bench and you are in the dock. The prosecution gets up and points to you and says: “This person is guilty of all these sins!” He gets out a scroll, and as it unfurls, it falls at his feet and rolls down the corridor. Clearly you are guilty of a lot!
Then prosecutor then begins to list all your sins, one by one. As you listen, you realise that this will go on for days. But somewhere along the way, your defense lawyer gets up and says: “Objection your honour! These sins have already been paid for. Restitution has already been made. All of this is irrelevant.” And the judge responds “Sustained! Case dismissed!”.
Now when we picture this courtroom scene, we normally think that God is the judge. The reason this passage is so interesting is because it says that the Holy Spirit is our defender, and we are both the person in the dock, AND the judge! Our own conscience is the prosecutor.
Sometimes we can keep hold of our guilt, long after we have been forgiven for our sins. We hold on to guilt because our own conscience condemns us. We know that we did wrong!
The author of Hebrews here tells us that, that is why we need the Holy Spirit. He constantly bears witness to us that we have been truly been forgiven.
That is what it means to be truly free in Christ. Now go and live accordingly!
Prayer:
Dear Holy Spirit, thank you for reminding us every day that we are truly free. When guilt comes to grip our hearts, remind us again that Jesus’ work is complete and that we are fully forgiven.
Amen.
Spiritual Challenge:
Today, take a moment to sit quietly and ask the Holy Spirit to speak to your heart. Reflect on the ways He has been testifying to the full freedom you have in Jesus. Write down any insights you receive and pray for the strength to live them out.