Slam! Slam! Slam! Goes the Judge's gavel as He attempts to quiet an otherwise-rowdy courtroom. "Order," He shouts, "Order! Order in the court!" Suddenly, all the chaotic, rabblerousing, and fist-to-cuffs-to-fist action stops upon the Judge's order. All sides take their seat. Attorneys drum their fingers on briefcases as they eagerly await to give their defenses. All the crowd in the courthouse wait on baited breath for the Judge's next statement, proclamation, or condemnation. This case is not just any case, but one that has caught the eye of the public, both domestically and internationally. Word has it that this case is so big that people from space are watching, waiting, and watching some more. This trial has garnered more attention than Watergate and O.J. combined. So, it is no surprise that many people -- 7 billion, to be exact -- are watching this monumental, pivotal trial take place. So who is on trial?

Well, the person on trial is none other than you. The court is also packed with people that you know, as well as different versions of you. Also in the jury, you see black, winged creatures calling for your demise. The jury has selected different pieces of evidence that stack in their favor and against yours. What is your crime, exactly? Well, according to the jury, many things. You have been accused you of lying, cheating, lusting, stealing, murder, and idolatry. Witnesses have spoke loud and clear about what you did. Some has spoken harsh things about you, saying that you have no worth or that there is no hope for you. Still others have screamed that all the bad things that have happened to you are your fault. And while there are arguments over what you actually did, the general consensus is: guilty! The jury has already made their decision and so await the Judge for the final, official verdict. As you stand before the Judge, you cannot help but look up at the tall, stern, imposing stature of the Judge. The Judge then looks back at you. Seat or no seat, the Judge stands tall above you, clothed in a thick, black robe. This is it, you think to yourself. I'm a goner. Sweat drips down your forehead and your back as you feel your heart racing. Your eyes meet the steel-blue eyes of the Judge, whose gaze pierces your soul. You can feel and even hear your own heart beating faster and faster with each ticking second. The jury looks at you, and so do all the others present in the courtroom. You already know the verdict (guilty) and the fate that awaits you (death row). And rightfully so. You remember all the things that you done wrong. You are guilty of all they have said, more or less. There are people that you have hurt, both physically and emotionally. There are words that you wish you could have taken back. There are decisions that you have made which have hurt you and others. With all that you have done heaped up onto you in this one, culminating moment, you cannot help but feel that you deserve the punishment for your sin. For the punishment for your sin is death. And, if convicted, you know that you will spend the rest of your life on death row, awaiting execution. The jury is right, you are guilty. Guilty, guilty, g-u-i-l-t-y, guilty!

But.

And the world watches on.

• "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23, WEB).

• "We also all once lived among them in the lusts of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, for his great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ" (Ephesians 2:3-5, WEB).

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What will happen next?