Dear Friends of “Dial Daily Bread,”
The idea of God being on trial is something that only the Bible could come up with. The Islamic Koran has no such idea; the Muslim's Allah requires the worshiper to prostrate himself in a mindless, blind submission to His capricious will, which rides roughshod over humanity's feelings. Could some Christians think of God that way? If so, they could be closer to Islam than to biblical revelation. The God of the Bible says, "Come now, and let us reason together" (Isa. 1:18). In other words, He welcomes His own trial and is ready to take on questions and charges. The last thing He wants is mindless devotion.
Paul saw that God will have to go in the dock, and was confident "that You may be justified in Your words, and may overcome when You are judged" (Rom. 3:4). The New English Bible says, "And win the verdict when Thou art on trial." Goodspeed says, "And win your case."
Job makes bold charges against God: "He crushes me with a tempest, and multiplies my wounds without cause. ... Who will appoint my day in court? ... He destroys the blameless and the wicked. ... If it is not He, who else could it be? ... For He is not a man, as I am, that I may answer Him, and that we should go to court together" (Job 9:17, 19, 22, 24, 32). Deep in their hearts, many sincere people echo Job's complaint and would join him in a class action suit against the Almighty.
Now at the very end of time comes the first angel's startling announcement that Job and billions of others will get their chance to confront God in court and cross-examine Him. He must meet the accumulated charges of the ages. If His case can't secure the attention of earth's billions who now "dwell" on earthly matters, what could?
If all that's important is their own case, people might go blithely on, unconcerned about their appearance in court, nonchalant, indifferent to their own personal fate. But they will sit up and take notice when God goes on trial. They will realize that they are character witnesses in His trial, the greatest court case of all history. Thus an entirely new motivation will transcend the hitherto supreme concern they have felt for their own personal security (the root cause of lukewarmness). They actually find it possible to be concerned for Him. That would be a miracle!
--Robert J. Wieland
From: "The Greatest Court Case in History: God ... on Trial!," 1998.
Copyright © 2016 by "Dial Daily Bread."
