Consultation Needed

Earlier this week, the headlines read: "Colorado Court Bars Execution Because Jurors Consulted Bible."  Kirk Johnson of The New York Times reported: "In a sharply divided ruling, Colorado 's highest court on Monday (3/28/05) upheld a lower court's decision throwing out the sentence of a man who was given the death penalty after jurors consulted the Bible in reaching a verdict.  The Bible, the court said, constituted 
an "improper outside influence" and a reliance on what the court called a 
'higher authority.'"

The ruling involved the conviction of Robert Harlan, who was found guilty in 1995 of raping and murdering a cocktail waitress near Denver. The jurors in his trial voted unanimously for DEATH.  The State Supreme Court's decision changed that sentence 
to LIFE in prison without parole.

Although sentenced to death in 1995, defense lawyers learned that five jurors had looked up Bible verses, copied them, and discussed them behind closed doors while deliberating Harlan's punishment.

Keeping "improper outside influences" away from jurors in their deliberation is important, but NOT consulting the "higher authority" of God's Word – AND criticizing those who do – is deeply troubling, even destructive, to the moral fabric of our society and our own ETERNAL well-being.

NOTE: The ONE thing the Supreme Court is NOT... is SUPREME! 

One day EACH of us will stand before the HIGHEST Court (Romans 14:12; 
2 Corinthians 5:10).  Jesus will be the Judge (Acts 17:30-31).  The standard of judgment will be the Word of God.  Jesus said, "He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him; the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day" (John 12:48).

EACH OF US has been found GUILTY of SIN (Romans 3:23).   Because of our sins,
our sentence is DEATH (Romans 6:23).  But because of His love and mercy, God has revealed through His Word, a PLAN by which we can receive forgiveness of our sins!  The provision for our sins was made possible through the death of God's Son, Jesus, on the cross. Those who accept His GIFT of salvation from sin through their faith (Acts 16:31), repentance (2 Corinthians 12:7-9), confession (Romans 10:9-10), and baptism (immersion) (Acts 2:38), have their past sins washed away.  One is then KEPT CLEAN through faithful obedience to the Lord's commands (1 John 1:7).

The Word of God MUST be CONSULTED and OBEYED if you and I ever hope to be forgiven of our "crimes"  before God and to avoid the terrible punishment that awaits the impenitent and disobedient (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9).

God's Word: READ it...  HEED it...  and LIVE!

God bless you,

David A. Sargent / Minister

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