Paul asks two questions: ‘Who will press charges against you in the court of heaven?’ and ‘Who will condemn you?’  Of course, Satan will try - he is called “…the accuser of our brothers and sisters …" (Revelation 12:10).  And his accusations seem to have weight - it is true that we are sinners and that our nature is to sin ... for which we deserve condemnation.  And in our more realistic moments we would agree with that.

But, for those who have put their faith in Jesus, God has already justified them.  As the punishment on Jesus was enough to cover all our sins, there is no charge to answer.  As the condemnation for our sins was loaded onto Jesus, there is now no condemnation for us (Romans 8:1).  Paul is writing about this lest Satan should wrongly accuse and announce that there is no good reason to hope in God's mercy and drag us away from trusting in Christ.

It is not only evil temptation which seeks to drag the believer down.  Everybody whose conscience has been sharpened by the Holy Spirit will agree that they are far from what they ought to be.  Each of us has enough awareness of the wickedness and potential evil within us to drive us into depression or anxiety.  But the truth remains: if we are trusting in Jesus then God will not press charges against us (Isaiah 50:9), and Jesus will not condemn us.

This is such good news; but if it is not shared, it is useless. Firstly, we need to remind ourselves of God’s grace and learn to forgive ourselves – if He no longer accuses us, why should we accuse ourselves?  Secondly, we need to confront Satan's lies and know the relief of doing so!  Thirdly, we can and must share this Good News with others at work today.  When God has pronounced, "Not guilty", we should rejoice and get moving to serve Him.