Justin sat there waiting for his brother's murder trial to commence. His brother had been charged with murder and faced prosecution today. Lawyers would be putting on evidence, and a jury would have to decide if he was guilty or innocent. I expressed my sympathy for Justin's situation, emphasizing that I couldn't begin to imagine how he must feel or what it must be like. Some other family members started to gather around.
I gently shifted the conversation to the eternal, emphasizing to Justin that nothing is more important than his eternal destiny. I told Justin the truth that the Bible declares we will all stand before God in judgment to given an account for our lives (2 Cor. 5:10; Heb. 9:27). I also explained that we all would be guilty of murder according to God's standard, because Jesus said if you're even angry with your brother or get mad enough to call someone a fool or some other derogatory name, then you're in danger of judgment and "hell fire" (Matt. 5).
We walked through the law together, and Justin could see that he would be in trouble on the Day of Judgment if judged according to God's standard of moral perfection. I then shared with Justin the good news that God imposed justice on His own Son for all of our sins, so that we could obtain mercy from God if we will believe and repent (Mk. 1:15).
Justin was not ready to repent, but other family members who were listening responded positively to the gospel. I pray Justin will respond to the gospel before it's too late.
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