Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea, rather, that is risen again, Who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Romans 8:34
As the jury filed into the courtroom of the old Saint John courthouse, I found myself at a loss for breath, in the suspense over whether the twelve members of the jury panel had found the man in the prisoner dock guilty or not guilty of the murder charge against him. Of all the criminal trials I have attended as a reporter, this was the most fascinating moment of each. I could feel the tension rise as the jury members took their places, and as the judge asked the foreman whether a verdict had been reached. The foreman rose and nodded to the judge and then to the prisoner in the dock. Other jury members also looked at the prisoner. At that moment, before the foreman uttered a word, before the jury’s prepared statement was handed to the judge and read to the court, I knew the prisoner had been found not guilty. Jury members never look at a person they have just condemned. But they do look at a person they have just found not guilty. The God of Heaven also looks with favour upon those of us who have been cleared of guilt.
Unlike a courtroom, where a possibility exists that a verdict could go either way, God cannot find us guilty, or condemn us for any of the crimes we have committed against Him. That is because – as our text declares – it is Christ that died and rose again, and who is interceding at His Father’s right hand. Despite the devil’s constant accusations, God cannot condemn us, because the condemnation has been borne by the Lord Jesus. There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). We deserved to die, but the Lord Jesus died in our place. Because He rose in triumph over death, we have the assurance of God’s satisfaction with His payment. And because He makes intercession for us, we know we can never be forgotten or ignored by God. No wonder Paul could ask the rhetorical, unanswerable question, ‘Who is he that condemneth?’
What all is included in the intercession that the Lord Jesus makes for us? I believe it is far more than we can realize or understand. His intercession is necessary because we are sinful creatures still capable of much wrong. But the Lord Jesus interceded for us on the day we were saved, bringing us into the family of God. His intercession since that day has been constant, sheltering us from the enemy’s charges, such that when God looks on us, He sees not our weakness and failures but the perfections and righteousness of His Son. Like a prisoner who has been declared not guilty, we walk free with no concerns about judgment for the charges against us.
Christ died, rose again, and makes intercession for us. What could we want more than that? -Jim MacIntosh