The Closing Argument
I have always had an affinity for movies or
television programs that feature courtroom drama. Back in the day
(circa 1957-1966), the TV series “Perry Mason” was considered by
many to be must-see television. It certainly was at our house. It
was riveting, week-after-week, to watch Mason (with the help of
secretary Della Street and private investigator Paul Drake) peel
back layers of the indictment onion to find exculpatory evidence for
their clients. Mason would typically expose the real perpetrator in
the courtroom before a case ever had a chance to go to the jury. In
fact, I cannot remember a single episode where Mason had to deliver
a closing argument.
One of the classic cinematographic courtroom
examinations took place in the 1992 film “A Few Good Men” as Lt.
Kaffee drilled Col. Jessep as to whether he had ordered a Code Red.
In the heat of the exchange, Col. Jessep asked Kaffee if he wanted
answers. Kaffee replied: “I want the truth!” Jessep rejoined: “You
can’t handle the truth!” He went on to incriminate himself by
admitting to the Code Red. The military jury delivered its mixed
verdict against the two accused, but Jessep’s confession precluded
any need for a closing argument.
Do you remember the 1997 movie “The Rainmaker”? In
his first foray into the litigation arena, attorney Rudy Baylor took
on a formidable insurance company in a case of wrongful death…and
won! His compelling closing argument included a video clip from the
insured, who later died because the company denied a legitimate
claim for curative treatment. The jury’s multi-million-dollar
punitive award forced the company into bankruptcy.
In the real world, a well-delivered closing argument
can spell the difference between acquittal and life
imprisonment…or worse. Who can forget the prosecutorial
‘glove’ blunder in the O. J. Simpson trial? In his closing argument,
defense attorney Johnnie Cochran won the day with this now-famous
proposition to the jury: “If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit!” And
acquit they did…and set free a manifestly guilty man!
The real world of which we speak includes the
spiritual realm, especially as it pertains to the adversarial tension
that exists between a holy God and sinful men. In that ethereal
domain, the Lord Jesus Christ serves as both Prosecutor and Judge.
The Jury is a Tribunal consisting of the Father, Son and Holy
Spirit. Is there a sinner in his right mind who would want to
walk into that Courtroom without a Defender who is equal to the
task?
The fact is we all have a future rendezvous
with divine judgment: “And as it is appointed unto men once to
die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). The
individuals who become a child of God through faith in Jesus
Christ can enter that Judgment with full assurance that the best
Defense Counsel in the universe is theirs! 1 John 2:1-2
declares: “And if any man sin, we have an advocate [Defender
who pleads our cause] with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous
[who rightly represents the facts in evidence as they pertain to
us]: And he is the propitiation [total satisfaction]
for our sins.” William R. Newell was spot on when
he penned these words back in 1895: “Oh, the love that drew
salvation’s plan! Oh, the grace that brought it down to man! Oh, the
mighty gulf that God did span at Calvary!”
Please allow me to offer what I consider to be
sanctified imagery regarding the closing argument that the Lord
Jesus, our Advocate, will deliver on my behalf: “Father, we now have
Don Roberts before us. I would remind your Honor of that Fall night
in 1959 when Don, having been made aware of his lost condition by the
Spirit after a reading of John 3:16, slipped to his knees by his
bedside and asked me to save him from his sins, and give him eternal
life. I forthwith washed away his sins with my precious blood, and
obliterated his sin burden.’
“Furthermore, your Honor, he was justified, regenerated by and
sealed with the Spirit, predestinated to be conformed to my image,
and granted, via adoption, all the benefits of sonship. We thus obligated ourselves to save him to the uttermost. He stands
before this Court with no merit of his own, but with a robe
of righteousness imparted to him by grace through faith. On the basis of the facts in evidence, I recommend we allow him to
live with us in glory for all eternity.” The Father replies: “My
Son, your summation is the truth as we know it to be. The
petition is granted. Judgment for the defendant!”
If you have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ to the
saving of your soul, simply alter name and circumstances to make the
closing argument your own! For those who persist in unbelief, and depart
this life with neither regeneration nor forgiveness, the Judge shall
deliver this closing argument with stunning brevity...and finality: “I never
knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:23).
In 2 Corinthians 13:5, Paul challenged his readers to examine
themselves, to see whether they were actually in the faith.
The outcome of such an examination is determinative as to the
closing argument one will hear at the Courtroom examination to come!
Top |
