{"id":44730,"date":"2020-12-03T19:29:38","date_gmt":"2020-12-03T16:29:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/?p=44730"},"modified":"2025-05-07T23:19:10","modified_gmt":"2025-05-07T20:19:10","slug":"be-reconciled-with-your-accuser-first","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/en\/2020\/12\/03\/be-reconciled-with-your-accuser-first\/","title":{"rendered":"Be Reconciled with Your Accuser First"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Jesus gives a profound warning in <\/span>Luke 12:58\u201359<\/strong>:<\/span><\/h3>\n
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\u201cAs you are going with your adversary to the magistrate, try hard to be reconciled on the way, or your adversary may drag you off to the judge, and the judge turn you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

At first glance, it seems Jesus is simply giving practical advice about settling legal disputes quickly. But when we study the context and the spiritual implications, we realize He is speaking about something much deeper: final judgment before God<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Many believers assume that the only accuser we have is Satan. Indeed, 1 Peter 5:8<\/strong> warns us:<\/p>\n

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\u201cYour enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

And Revelation 12:10<\/strong> calls Satan \u201cthe accuser of our brothers and sisters,\u201d who accuses them before God day and night. But in Luke 12<\/strong>, Jesus is not speaking about Satan. He is speaking about spiritual accusers<\/strong>\u2014those who will testify against us at the final judgment.<\/p>\n

We see an example of this in John 5:45\u201346<\/strong>, where Jesus says:<\/p>\n

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\u201cDo not think that I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Here, Jesus was talking to the Jews who claimed to follow Moses and the Law, yet rejected Him. He tells them that Moses\u2014whom they claim to follow\u2014will stand as their accuser on the Day of Judgment, because they failed to obey what Moses actually taught. They misunderstood the Law and missed the very One to whom the Law pointed.<\/p>\n

This is why Jesus urges His listeners in Luke 12<\/strong> to \u201cbe reconciled with your accuser\u201d before<\/em> reaching the Judge. The Judge<\/strong> in this parable represents God<\/strong>, and the accuser<\/strong> represents anyone or anything that holds a true testimony against us according to God’s Word\u2014whether it be the Law, the prophets, the apostles, or even the Gospel itself.<\/p>\n

Once you stand before God in judgment, there will be no more negotiation, no chance for repentance. Judgment will be final. The \u201cofficer\u201d in Jesus\u2019 words represents God\u2019s holy angels, who carry out divine judgment (cf. Matthew 13:41\u201342<\/strong>). The \u201cprison\u201d is symbolic of eternal separation from God<\/strong>\u2014hell.<\/p>\n

Jesus says:<\/p>\n

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\u201cYou will not get out until you have paid the last penny.\u201d<\/em>
This shows the eternal consequence<\/strong> of rejecting truth. Since no one can repay the debt of sin on their own, that \u201clast penny\u201d can never be paid\u2014meaning the punishment is eternal (see Romans 6:23<\/strong>).<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Who Are Our Accusers Today?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Just as Moses was an accuser to the Jews in Jesus\u2019 time, we today have other potential accusers. If we claim to be Christians\u2014followers of Christ\u2014we must live according to the teachings of the apostles and prophets<\/strong>, as the Bible says in Ephesians 2:20<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

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\u201cBuilt on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

But many who claim Christ ignore what the apostles taught. The very Scriptures we claim to believe may rise to accuse us on the Last Day. The words of Paul, Peter, John, and others in the New Testament will testify either in our favor or against us\u2014depending on whether we obeyed the Gospel.<\/p>\n

This is why Hebrews 12:14<\/strong> tells us:<\/p>\n

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\u201cMake every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Now\u2014while we are still alive and on the way\u2014is the time to be reconciled:<\/p>\n