Last Tuesday, jurors found Casey Anthony ‘not guilty’ for the murder of her daughter, Caylee. I don’t know your personal feelings about Casey Anthony or the verdict that was announced last Tuesday. It appears that the majority of people do not like her. As far as the verdict, many believe the prosecution did not prove its case. Many more feel like Anthony “got away” with murder. I see this sense of injustice on T.V., through people like Nancy Grace and Bill O’Reilly. I hear people in my community and congregation express it too.

Personally, I doubt we will ever really know what happened to little Caylee. What captured my attention about this trial, however, was not the acquitted mother, the—I’ll use the word—‘dysfunctional’ family dynamic, or the death of this little girl. What drew me was the sense of injustice so many people feel.

Honestly, no matter where you look, people still have a sense of justice. Not just about the Casey Anthony situation. The trial merely served to spotlight the truth that all people still have a sense of justice. In some instances this feeling of right and wrong may be skewed, it may be misguided, but it is still there.

To Bible believing Christians, this should come as no surprise. Paul tells us in Romans that “indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness…” (Romans 2:14-15a).

We all have an innate sense of right and wrong. God put it there himself. In theology, we call it natural law. Plus, our Creator gives us a conscience that bears witness to the law inscribed on our hearts. Conscience is the voice that cries “unfair,” or “unjust” or even, “that’s wrong” when natural law is violated. In fact, conscience is the bad feeling that creeps up on us when we violate God’s laws.

It appears that the consciences of many Americans cried out last Tuesday, when the verdict of ‘not guilty’ was read by the court clerk. What I want to know is this: how often do people’s consciences cry out when they’ve done something wrong?

If I were a gambler, I’d bet money that people’s consciences bother them a lot more than they let on. People simply find a way to mask their conscience. Perhaps they lose themselves in alcohol, drugs, or sex. Perhaps they try to silence their conscience by keeping busy with work, family, volunteering, helping others, or even going to church. Or they disconnect from it, so the bad feelings seem unrelated to the wrongs they’ve thought, said, and done.

What a blessing to know that God gives an answer to our condemning conscience! You can sum up God’s answer in one word. A word related to the verdict pronounced on Casey last week. It’s the word justification, or justify.

Justification is one of the most important words in the Bible. Justification is a forensic term. That’s just a fancy way of saying the apostle Paul, as he wrote sacred Scripture, used a word common to the courtroom. In Paul’s day, justify was the word used in a law court to pronounce a sentence of ‘not guilty’ on the defendant.

Let me use the Casey Anthony verdict to illustrate: Casey Anthony was justified by a jury of her peers. She was declared ‘not guilty’ of the major charges brought against her by the state of Florida. We might not like it. We might not agree. But that doesn’t matter. She was and is justified in the eyes of the court.

Because of Jesus’ perfect life and innocent death, God pronounces a verdict upon the world. The verdict, simply put, is not guilty. That means you are justified. Sometimes, your conscience might not like it. In fact, your conscience might not agree. You might think to yourself, “I’ve done too many things wrong. How could God say I’m ‘not guilty?’” But that doesn’t matter. In God’s courtroom, you are justified. That is your status before God in heaven. That’s my status too.

Of course, this verdict didn’t happen because of something God saw in us. God sees our sins. He knows we are rotten. As Paul said in Romans, “I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature” (Romans 7:18a). God’s acquittal only comes because of Jesus. And certainly, God's justification doesn't mean I can now live in whatever sinful way I want. That is simply not an option for the child of God.

Justification. A simple concept. But a powerful one too. Because of Jesus, you are ‘not guilty.’ No matter what your conscience tells you. Believe it. It’s God’s gift to you.