Here You Stand

By Rev. George Borghardt

Before God: Coram Deo. Before His throne, His awesome glory, His utter holiness. Right there, in the divine throne room with the angels, the archangels, and the whole company of heaven, all worshiping Him.

There you are, standing Coram Deo, before Him—if your feet even hold you upright. He’s got all His God-ness going on and you are full of all your... well... you-ness. Your sin, your transgressions, your living for yourself, all of it. Right there, all exposed bare before God.

He sees straight through you. He knows your deep, dark, secrets—your evil thoughts, your hurtful words, and your selfish deeds. He knows you—the real you. Even the things you’re petrified to admit about yourself.

There’s no charming Him. No giving him a little twinkle or working those puppy-dog eyes to get yourself out of it. That won’t work. He knows the cards in your hand. He knows the tricks you think you have up your sleeve.

Don’t go looking back at yourself and your life as if you might’ve done something to merit at least a little bit of justification before God. You know what’s up with you. You didn’t change enough. You aren’t loving enough. You aren’t anything enough to truly be at peace with God. All by yourself, you’re toast. I am, too. Truth be told, we’d be completely done in by the Law of God as we stand Coram Deo.

But Jesus was delivered up for all of our sins. He was handed over to be tried for our deep, dark, secrets. He was crucified for our thoughts, our words, and our deeds—the horrible ones we did, and the good ones we should’ve done for others. Nails were driven in His hands and feet for the sneaky tricks we think we can play with God. A spear was thrust in His side for what we had stashed up our sleeve. He died: for your sins, for my sins, for the sins of the whole world.

For our justification, He was raised from the dead (Rom. 4:25). With the angels and the archangels, with the hosts of heaven, sitting right next to the Father, is that Man, Jesus. The One Who was born for you, lived for you, kept what God required for you, and died the death that you deserve on Good Friday for you and in your place.

Because He lives, you now stand before God forgiven. Not in the future, not in the past, but right now. You stand right this moment at peace with God. Because of all Jesus has done for you and given to you, right now, you are forgiven. Right now, you are saved. Right now, you stand before God at peace with God.

As long as Jesus lives, you stand before God forgiven. He’s never going to die again, so your righteousness, forgiveness and justification will never go away either. Salvation for you is as sure as the Lord Jesus is alive at the right hand of God.

Before God. Coram Deo. Before His throne, His glory, His holiness. Before the angels, the archangels, the whole company of heaven, all worshiping Him.

There you are, standing Coram Deo before Him. In Christ, you are holy. In Christ, you are righteous. In Christ, you are loved by God. In Christ, you are at peace with God. In Christ, you stand Coram Deo. Forgiven.

Rev. George Borghardt is the Senior Pastor at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in McHenry, Illinois. He also serves as the Conferences and Deputy Executive of Higher Things. His email is revborghardt@higherthings.org.