Accuser of the Brethren

One of the worst circumstances we observe is when God’s people align themselves with the abuser and assume the role of adversary and accuser in the life of the victim, at the same time demanding that the victim try and play the role of savior to the unrepentant abuser. This effectively makes the church a prosecutor in the court of heaven.

Satan is our adversary, who stands continually in accusation against the people of God. He acts as a corrupt official, who is constantly trying to compromise the moral integrity of those who seek to follow Christ, and when successful, he moves in as a prosecutor in the court of God, declaring the guilt of the accused and arguing for punishment. If he cannot find a true accusation, he will just exaggerate or offer a believable accusation instead.

When the accusation is true, it cuts to the heart of the believer, who knows they are guilty. The prosecution demands vengeance. If the accused holds on to this guilt, forgetting the work of Christ, then they may end up punishing themselves in the hopes of atoning for their own guilt. They may even be inclined to accept unjust suffering as a sign of divine retribution. However, this effectively misses the whole point of the cross, where Jesus already paid the penalty. He simply asks us to confess and forsake that sin, accept His forgiveness, and live in hope rather than guilt.

Perhaps the accusation is actually untrue, but it still sticks in the mind of the accused. False guilt can be heaped upon a soul, to weigh them down with unnecessary sorrow. When this happens, insisting on repentance as the remedy for dealing with guilt will be an injustice, since it is a false accusation that cannot be truthfully confessed and forsaken. If it is not identified as such, the justice of God can begin to feel capricious and even malicious to the victim, and if the accusation is believed by the victim, they will carry false guilt that can only be responded to with truth rather than repentance.

When a believer stands as prosecutor against someone else, calling for vengeance, they are actually accepting the role of Satan. When we assign false guilt or exaggerate true guilt, we pervert justice and undermine the soul of the accused. These are not actions that are befitting for those who have tasted and known the grace of the gospel!

While we are called to discern what is true and to address sin in the community, we are not to do so as an accuser but as an advocate. In this role we speak truthfully, but without malice. We accept justice, while we ask for mercy. We counsel repentance and patiently seek the good of our enemies. We leave vengeance in the hands of God, where it belongs. This describes the posture of an advocate, rather than that of an accuser.

In contrast, the abuser acts as accuser with respect to their victim. They adopt the role of judge and they act with vengeance. They mimic Satan, but if we want to respond effectively, we cannot pick up the Satanic mantle and fight fire with fire. Rather, even when dealing with the Abuser, we should adopt the role of an advocate, arguing for justice while looking for opportunities for mercy, insisting on repentance and hoping for their good. 

Most importantly, we must not allow advocacy for the abuser’s good to enable their continuing destruction of their victim. This is never good for either party, and it is decidedly destructive to the victim. Instead, we must stand with the victim and in truth against the abuser’s accusations, just as Jesus stands as our advocate before the Father. We must insist on truth and responsibility, even while we call for repentance, but we dare not pervert justice by joining Satan and the abuser as prosecutors in heaven’s court.