2 Corinthians 5:10: “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ.”
The very idea of standing before a seat of judgment is unnerving, especially when the judge is God. Romans 3:23 reminds us, “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” In that sense, we are all guilty, but Zechariah chapter 3 paints us a beautiful picture of what that day will be like for the Christian.
Joshua, who is said to be a high priest, is standing before the Lord, but he is dressed in filthy clothes, showing that even the most religious among us are sinners. Satan stands there to accuse him, and Joshua has nothing to say to defend himself.
But then the Lord speaks up, rebukes Satan, and says, “Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?” When we accept Jesus as our Savior, we are literally snatched from the fires of hell. Then the Lord gives Joshua clean garments and says, “I have taken away your sin.”
Try to picture that. We are standing before the judgment seat; Satan is there to accuse us, but Jesus steps up to defend us. The only way you and I can escape God’s judgment is for the Lord to take our sin upon Himself and speak up in our defense, and that’s exactly what Jesus did at Calvary. He took away our old clothes, and we put on the new.
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