British law limits the time after an offence has been committed when someone can be prosecuted. However, in serious cases, such as murder and rape, there is no time limit. In July 2025 a 92-year-old man was convicted of a murder and rape which he committed in 1967. He was given a life sentence. Modern forensic science, that was not available at the time he committed the offence, obtained a full DNA profile that identified him as the killer. For 58 years the man had avoided justice but now he has been called to account.
Justice makes people glad. King Solomon was renowned for his wisdom. Two prostitutes once appeared before him who had had babies three days apart. One woman explained that they had both been in a house with their babies with no-one else present. During the night the other woman had lain on her baby who died. She had taken her baby and exchanged it for the live baby. When the mother of the live baby woke up, she knew the dead baby was not hers. Solomon ordered that the living baby be cut in half so the two women could have half each. The baby’s mother was deeply moved because she loved her son and said to the king, “Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don’t kill him!” So, Solomon knew she was the real mother! When the people heard the King’s decision, they were in awe of the wisdom God has given him.
It should not surprise us that if the law of the land holds us accountable for past crimes we have committed, however long ago, Almighty God holds every one of us accountable for the way we have lived while on earth. He knows whether we have loved him with all our hearts and loved our fellow human beings as we love ourselves. He keeps a record of any sexual misconduct or marital unfaithfulness, of lies we have told, of things we have stolen and our jealousy of others’ possessions. None of us has a clean record!
The Bible says that when we die, we enter immediately into God’s presence and are judged. There will also be the Last Judgement at the end of time when God’s final decision will be pronounced on everyone who has ever lived. None of us can hope to stand in that day. We need someone to plead on our behalf. The Bible tells us we can ask the Lord Jesus to be our advocate and to plead our case before the Father. He doesn’t pretend we are good but pleads what he has done on our behalf. He lived a truly righteous life for us and then offered himself as a perfect sacrifice that fully paid the price of our sin.