Discharged and Acquitted (Part 3)

DISCHARGED AND ACQUITTED: A LEGAL APPROACH TO THE BIBLICAL CONCEPT OF JUSTIFICATION (Part 3)

A person who has been convicted or declared discharged and acquitted by the court of law cannot be tried again for the same offence. In law, this is known as “The rule against double jeopardy”. It is so fundamental that it is enshrined in our constitution as one of the fundamental rights of the citizens. Section 36(9) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria states:

“No person who shows that he has been tried by any court of competent jurisdiction or tribunal for a criminal offence and either convicted or acquitted shall again be tried for that offence or for a criminal offence having the same ingredients as that offence save upon the order of a superior court”,

The reason for this rule is to prevent vindictive justice, because a victim might feel the punishment meted to the accused person has not satisfied his hurt yet and he wants more. So, an accused can raise this as a defense when charged with such offences.
In the bible, we see double jeopardy being frowned at. Romans 8:33 states:

“Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies”.

The Passion Translation puts it more succinctly,

“Who then would dare to accuse those whom God has chosen in love to be his? God himself is the judge who has issued his final verdict over them- Not guilty!”

God’s final verdict over us is, “Not guilty!” So, who really can bring a charge against us when it is God himself that has justified us? When the devil tries to accuse us or remind us of our past and sins, we are to raise the defense that we have been justified and been declared not guilty by God, who is the judge of all.

The Constitution, further provides, that the only reason a person can be subject to double trial is if a superior court orders it. Now, you might be thinking, since there is no one superior to God, can God himself undo what he has done? The answer is NO. You know why?

First, God is bound by his word and promise. Romans 11:29, says “The gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable”. God does not give and take. God is not man that can wake up one morning and change his mind just like that (Malachi 3:6). God is committed to us and to his word. When he said it was forever, he meant it.

Second, God is a just God. Doing that would declare God as unjust. Having punished Jesus Christ for our sins, it would be unjust to punish us for the same sins. Also, he would be downplaying the highest sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross.

Third, do you know how much it cost God to save us? The salvation of mankind was not an afterthought. It had been God’s plan since the beginning. The bible says that from the foundation of the world was lain, the lamb was slain (Revelation 13:8). God gave his only son for us. Jesus was heaven’s all. It cost God everything to save us. He loved us so much he could not withhold his only son from us. Looking at the cost and pain, God cannot obviously be thinking of undoing what he has done when his ultimate desire is for all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of Christ (1 Timothy 2:4). It was in 2 Peter 3:9 that he expressed that he is not willing for any man to be perish but for all to come to repentance!

Finally, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross was once and for all. The scripture tells us that the law was just a shadow of the main thing. It was not the main thing. The sacrifices offered yearly, under the law, could not absolve man from the guilt of sin. If it could, it would have been ceased to be offered, but in those sacrifices, there is a reminder of sin every year. But glory to God that we have a perfect sacrifice, Christ Jesus. See what the scripture says:

“Whereas this one (Christ), after He has offered a single sacrifice for our sins {that shall avail} for all time, sat down at the right hand of God, then to wait until His enemies should be made a stool beneath His feet. For by a single offering He has forever completely cleansed and perfected those who are consecrated and made holy…Now where there is absolute remission (forgiveness and cancellation of the penalty) of these (sins and lawbreaking), there is no longer any offering made to atone for sins. Heb 10: 12-14, 18 (AMPC)

The sacrifice of Jesus Christ is complete and absolute. We no longer need to offer any sacrifice or offering for our sin. Christ’s sacrifice has covered it all; past, present and the future! And it’s forever! Now, someone might say that he does not believe this sacrifice also covers future sins. But I ask, when Christ died, how many of us were born or alive at that time? If Christ’s sacrifice can cover our sins when we were not yet born, how much more now?

God is not demanding anything from us again. Once, we believe in Christ, we have fulfilled every requirement to obtain favour from God.

To be continued