After yesterday's shocking verdict from the trial of Miss Anthony I find myself having thoughts of thankfulness for the covenant of grace we have been under since Christ's death. I am grateful and humbled that he gave his life, willingly, to pay the penalty for sins I had not yet even committed but he knew I would. He paid the sentence for me, he spared me from the punishment I deserve. In the Old Testament this was not the case. It was an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, literally! If you sinned and broke the laws you paid the penalty and swiftly! When I typed in the word "smote" into my concordance app, 220 scriptures came up with details of sinners who were "Smote" (not pretty, not nice, yes, very violently!), and they paid for their error/sin right away! Makes me shiver to think of some disobedient people who experienced "the earth opening up and swallowing them up and their households", yes, there was violence in the Bible and it wasn't pretty. If the entire Bible was a movie, it would not be G rated. Like I said, I am SO very thankful for what Christ did for us all.
We were able to come before God on our own, after Christ's death, and enter the "Holy of Holies", the inner most part of the Temple, and come before God without dying. We became our own priest and we were free to ask for forgiveness on our own, without a burnt offering because Jesus was the sacrificial lamb for us! I am so thankful.
After hearing the verdict, and remembering that the law of our country guarantees us all innoncence until proven guilty, beyond reasonable doubt, I was stunned, yes, but I can't judge Miss Anthony or anyone. I don't know all the facts, evidence, nor what really happened. I can only pray for her, pray for her parents and pray for God to bring good from this tragic happening. I am thankful to be an American and to have laws and a judicial system in place that has due process guarantees. I am glad to know that, God forbid, if I was ever accused of a crime, I would have the right to trial by a jury of my peers and I would have rights and safeguards that "attempt" to help truly innocent people from being wrongly punished. It is not my place to judge Miss Anthony. I grieve for the loss of this precious innocent little girl. Our system is not perfect. Innocent people do get sentenced for crimes they did not do and guilty people go free who did commit the crime they are accused of. However, the intent of the law is to protect the innocent and falsely accused. It is such a complex issue but I am glad to be in America. I feel so for the parents of that young woman in Italy accused of murder. I feel for Americans who were punished by caning which is being beat on the buttocks with a big cane for minor offenses in some countries. Other contries have no juries, just judges, end of story, you can be locked up and that is that. End of story. In America we even let our former President's issue pardons to who ever they choose as they leave office!
We were able to come before God on our own, after Christ's death, and enter the "Holy of Holies", the inner most part of the Temple, and come before God without dying. We became our own priest and we were free to ask for forgiveness on our own, without a burnt offering because Jesus was the sacrificial lamb for us! I am so thankful. 
After hearing the verdict, and remembering that the law of our country guarantees us all innoncence until proven guilty, beyond reasonable doubt, I was stunned, yes, but I can't judge Miss Anthony or anyone. I don't know all the facts, evidence, nor what really happened. I can only pray for her, pray for her parents and pray for God to bring good from this tragic happening. I am thankful to be an American and to have laws and a judicial system in place that has due process guarantees. I am glad to know that, God forbid, if I was ever accused of a crime, I would have the right to trial by a jury of my peers and I would have rights and safeguards that "attempt" to help truly innocent people from being wrongly punished. It is not my place to judge Miss Anthony. I grieve for the loss of this precious innocent little girl. Our system is not perfect. Innocent people do get sentenced for crimes they did not do and guilty people go free who did commit the crime they are accused of. However, the intent of the law is to protect the innocent and falsely accused. It is such a complex issue but I am glad to be in America. I feel so for the parents of that young woman in Italy accused of murder. I feel for Americans who were punished by caning which is being beat on the buttocks with a big cane for minor offenses in some countries. Other contries have no juries, just judges, end of story, you can be locked up and that is that. End of story. In America we even let our former President's issue pardons to who ever they choose as they leave office!
Romans 6:14 says, "For sin shall not have dominion over you; for ye are not under the law but under grace". These words are huge! Read them again and think about their meaning! Be thankful for grace! Justice is not what I ask God to give me, grace is what I ask of Him and thank Him for, over and over!
I wonder if Miss Anthony has any idea that the jury gave her grace by following the judges directions and following the law as they interpreted it. They agreed that the government did not prove beyond reasonable doubt that she committed manslaughter/murder. She will not be "smote", she will not be swallowed up by the earth, she will not suffer an eye for an eye..., she was acquitted. If she is guilty, she will not pay the penalty for her sin. We are all like Miss Anthony in this one way. We are all guilty of some sin/s and we are all offered grace instead of justice for our sin/s. Christ paid the penalty for our sins, past and present, long ago.
I wonder if Miss Anthony has any idea that the jury gave her grace by following the judges directions and following the law as they interpreted it. They agreed that the government did not prove beyond reasonable doubt that she committed manslaughter/murder. She will not be "smote", she will not be swallowed up by the earth, she will not suffer an eye for an eye..., she was acquitted. If she is guilty, she will not pay the penalty for her sin. We are all like Miss Anthony in this one way. We are all guilty of some sin/s and we are all offered grace instead of justice for our sin/s. Christ paid the penalty for our sins, past and present, long ago. 
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