A Brand Snatched from the Fire
We often do not fail through ignorance, but through choice. We know what we should not do, and yet for a moment it is pleasurable, and we do it anyway. What follows is not indifference but misery — regret, shame, and the terrible feeling that we are hypocrites.
Zechariah’s vision of Joshua the high priest, clothed in filthy garments while the accuser stands beside him, speaks directly into this place. God does not deny the filth, but He silences the accuser and clothes Joshua anew. The verdict comes before the instruction. Grace comes before change. And because of that, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.