God-confidence NOT self-confidence

Acts 25:1-12

¹ Three days after Festus arrived in Caesarea to take over his new responsibilities, he left for Jerusalem, ² where the leading priests and other Jewish leaders met with him and made their accusations against Paul. ³ They asked Festus as a favor to transfer Paul to Jerusalem (planning to ambush and kill him on the way). ⁴ But Festus replied that Paul was at Caesarea and he himself would be returning there soon. ⁵ So he said, “Those of you in authority can return with me. If Paul has done anything wrong, you can make your accusations.”

⁶ About eight or ten days later Festus returned to Caesarea, and on the following day he took his seat in court and ordered that Paul be brought in. ⁷ When Paul arrived, the Jewish leaders from Jerusalem gathered around and made many serious accusations they couldn’t prove.

⁸ Paul denied the charges. “I am not guilty of any crime against the Jewish laws or the Temple or the Roman government,” he said.

⁹ Then Festus, wanting to please the Jews, asked him, “Are you willing to go to Jerusalem and stand trial before me there?”

¹⁰ But Paul replied, “No! This is the official Roman court, so I ought to be tried right here. You know very well I am not guilty of harming the Jews. ¹¹ If I have done something worthy of death, I don’t refuse to die. But if I am innocent, no one has a right to turn me over to these men to kill me. I appeal to Caesar!”

¹² Festus conferred with his advisers and then replied, “Very well! You have appealed to Caesar, and to Caesar you will go!”

Here is Paul, standing before corrupt judges, with witnesses who want him gone. He’s innocent of these charges, but Paul had once been Saul, and had in fact been one of the religious leaders now accusing him. He had overseen the incarceration and death of Jesus-followers before he had miraculously become one of them!

And yet he speaks as one without a guilty conscience here. He speaks with confidence, NOT because he knows his life has been blameless. It hasn’t. Paul speaks with confidence because he knows who he belongs to. He has been made clean by Jesus’ blood and is living in the power of this new life! Paul knows that when he stands before the One Judge who is all knowing and all good, and his record is read before that heavenly court, it will be Jesus’ perfect record that is read out. The great exchange has happened – Jesus has willingly taken the punishment for our sins, and we have been given freedom, through no goodness of our own!

Lord Jesus, thank you for paying the ultimate price for my freedom. Help me not to dismiss or reject this gift by continuing to live in my shame or self-condemnation. Instead help me to live in thankful, confident freedom!

Written by Rhiannon Mellor