Dear Friends,
One
evening a friend of ours received some startling information on how
attorneys view the world. Lance was having dinner atop the Seattle Space
Needle with a group of lawyers. Lance was soon to graduate with honors
from law school. One of the attorneys put his arm around Lance and led
him over to the window. From their high perch, they looked down on the
city below. The attorney pointed out corporation after corporation
headquartered in various skyscrapers. "We lawyers control all that power
and the glory of them," he said. "Maybe someday the meek shall
inherit the earth, but until then, we're running things."
Lance left the meeting horrified. He had just started reading the New Testament and the attorney's smug words haunted him. To Lance, the attorney appeared like the devil who tempted Jesus in Matthew, Chapter 4. Lance's ideals were shattered that night. He dropped out of law school and began the most important pursuit of all - seeking the Kingdom of Heaven.
When a dispute arises between you and your neighbor, who is first in line to solve it? Who is the one you turn to? Usually, it is an attorney. Yes, every time anyone has a matter they need to settle, they run to an attorney. They are afraid they might make a "legal mistake," so they do everything right as prescribed by their attorney.
It's awesome when you realize that attorneys have their hand in every major decision. We think the CEO heads a corporation. But his power is limited. There's always a lawyer behind the scenes advising him on what he can or cannot do.
It's the same way with secular government. I was very interested in finding out how the county commissioners operate. I was told they are the gods of the county. They are the ones that determine what is going to happen within their territory. When I attended a meeting of the Marion County Commissioners, I saw all the Commissioners seated at a large table. At the end of the table sat the County Attorney. As each item on the agenda was discussed, the Commissioners asked the Attorney for her legal position on the matter. It is not the elected county commissioners and other officials who are making the decisions. It is the attorneys.
Do you realize that behind every bureaucrat, mayor, governor and president is an attorney giving them advice? Attorneys are everywhere. Maybe the attorneys that were having dinner in the space needle were right. Attorneys are running the world.
The world needs somebody to run things. And it looks like the world uses attorneys as mediators to go before their gods. And who are their gods?
It turns out that the one they call "judge," the one who wears the black robe, is also known as "god." He is feared and obeyed by inmates, jailers, jurors, plaintiffs and defendants. I remember one time when I was in Marion County jail, I refused to go before their court. One of the jail guards reprimanded me saying, "While you are here in this world, Judge Mills is god!" I told him that this person might be his god, but Jesus Christ is my God.
There's something else we learned about those black-robed gods. Almost 100 percent of them are attorneys. The same is true with the lawmakers. Almost all of them are attorneys, too.
We know that the whole world looks to attorneys to intervene in their behalf. But this is not true in the Kingdom of Heaven. Who is going to help us when we get into trouble? Who is our mediator? Let's look at the Scripture. "My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for our's only, but also for the sins of the whole world" (1 John 2:1,2)
I wonder if Jesus Christ can be our lawyer? Scripture says, He is "an advocate with the Father." In England, lawyers are called "advocates." An advocate is a person who pleads another's cause, specifically a lawyer. In Jesus Christ we have an advocate who will take our case. I tried this once in court. They did not say I had sinned against God Almighty. They accused me of sinning against them. Then they wanted to know if I had a lawyer.
"Yes, I do," I replied.
"What is his name?"
"Jesus Christ."
"Oh, Jesus Christ can't practice in this court."
"Oh, He can't?"
"No. He is not a member of the bar association."
"You mean Jesus Christ has to be a member of the bar association in order to practice?"
"Yes, that is correct. Besides, He is not around. He has been dead for almost 2,000 years."
"Excuse, me, haven't you read your history books? Jesus Christ was raised from the dead. He is a living Advocate and He is the one who is going to represent me."
"I'm sorry. We cannot have Him."
The reason the court did not want Jesus Christ is because He was not an officer of their court. And besides, Jesus Christ would not plead before their false gods. Jesus would not plead before a black-robed judge. No way! Jesus would plead before the Heavenly Father, where our plea should really be. Because you see, we have not sinned. And even if we did sin, even if we did stumble, Jesus Christ will still plead our cause.
Jesus is different from the attorneys. This particular Advocate, this Jesus, does something special. He forgives. By His grace, and His grace alone, we are forgiven.
If I have sinned, I deserve punishment. I should pay the full penalty of the law. But with Jesus, the Advocate before the Father, He allows me to go free to try again, to be perfected in Him.
According to the Scripture, there is only one Mediator "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time" (1 Timothy 2:5-6).
Let's
make a comparison between the attorneys and Christ. I have asked a
number of attorneys if they were willing to die for me. I could not find
a single one who would lay his life down for me. But Jesus did. I could
not find one attorney who would go to jail for me in case I lost. None
of them would take my punishment. But Jesus did.
"For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him" (Romans 5:7-9).
Now what attorney in history has received the atonement for us? I don't know any. Jesus is the only One throughout all history. Why are we even considering one of their attorneys? Not a one of them comes close to doing what Jesus Christ has done for us. They bind heavy burdens that are grievous to bear. But if we come to Christ, His burdens are light (Matthew 11:28-30). If we forgive those who have wronged us, as Christ has forgiven us, then we have no need for the attorney system of "man-judging-man."
What relationship are we to have with lawyers? Did Jesus say, "If you sin, go get yourself a lawyer"? No. Jesus never promoted the use of a lawyer as a mediator. In fact, He denounces them angrily at Luke 11:39-54 and Matthew 23:13-33.
The attorneys are working to shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against us with their oppressive burdens. But if we simply take the light burden of Christ, then we don't need lawyers any more.
Let us put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make Him our only Advocate. Jesus Christ is the Light. He is the Way. He is the door. For the LORD is our defense; and the Holy One of Israel is our king (Psalm 89:18).
law.yers (loi-ers) n. l. children of hell, serpents, generation of vipers 2. blind guides, fools, hypocrites 3. children of them which killed the prophets 4. whited sepulchers.
Christian lawyer Same as hot ice.
The definition above includes some of the biting words Jesus used to describe these "experts in the law." There are six direct references to lawyers in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. All these references portray lawyers in a negative light. They are shown tempting the Lord (Matthew 22:35, Luke 10:25), justifying themselves (Luke 10:29), rejecting the purpose of God for themselves (Luke 7:30), loading men with burdens grievous to be borne (Luke 11:45,46), and taking away the key of knowledge (Luke 11:52). Jesus rebukes them soundly with the Seven Woes (Matthew Chapter 23 and Luke 11:37-54).
Whenever we are dragged before their tribunals, the question of counsel must be resolved. The court is eager to have us accept a state-appointed lawyer to act in our behalf. Lawyers are very cunning. They may attempt to deceive us into thinking they are working on the side of truth and righteousness. Jesus said lawyers outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within are full of hypocrisy and iniquity (Matthew 23:28). Because of our desire to save our lives and our lack of expertise in matters of law, it may be very tempting to accept the court's offer. But woe unto the one who takes the counsel of a lawyer. Jesus said, "He who is not with me is against me" (Matthew 12:30). Lawyers openly show they are against Christ's principles by returning evil for evil and encouraging vengeance rather than forgiveness. Jesus said of lawyers, "How can ye escape the damnation of hell?" (Matthew 23:33)
This booklet is a comprehensive listing of Licensed Bar Attorneys who are also born-again Christians.
As you page through the Directory, you will notice that all the pages are intentionally left blank. The reason: a Christian lawyer is an oxymoron. It is the same as hot ice.
At the end of the Directory, we have reprinted the above "Lawyers" article.
Order the program, Only One Mediator (T9841), and receive a free copy of the directory. To listen online, or place an order, click here
