We have heard lots of jibes against lawyers. Classic is the following exchange: “How would you like your coffee, Sir?” asks the waitress; “Black as a lawyer’s soul” says the customer. Of course, lawyers’ souls have the same characteristics as those of other humans; but they have become portrayed as black in the sense of being evil. ‘Liar’ is a common appellation, perhaps because in advocating one’s theory of the case, a lawyer - whether for the complainant or the defendant - must stick to that line which the other party would tend to think is a lie being contrary to that party’s viewpoint; both advocates then tend to be seen as ‘liars’ from the prejudiced perspective of the opposing group. But this is only a result of the judicial adversarial process, which human civilization has come to accept as the less costly way of settling disputes than killing each other in battle. Put another way, lawyers engage in debates to ferret out the truth in a case and establish the ‘proofs of facts’ of their respective theories, thereby giving judges proper grounds for finding ‘judicial truths’ which, together with applicable law and jurisprudence (established decisions held as precedents) form the bases of new decisions. Seen from this angle, lawyers serve as champions of their respective clients in the legal arena so that truth can be illuminated and seen from as many sides as possible or at least from those of the contending parties. This happens in the earthly realm.
In the spiritual realm, there is a heavenly Supreme Court, where only two can appear before the Final Judge, namely: the accuser of the brethren (Satan) and the advocate of love and light (Jesus). The Bible’s books of Job and Revelation identify Satan as the accuser. In the book entitled “The Strategy of Satan”, Satan’s attack modes are uncovered and revealed as that of deceiver, destroyer, ruler, and accuser. He deceives our minds with lies to make us ignorant of God’s will; he destroys our bodies with suffering to make us impatient with God; he rules our will by fomenting pride in ego to make us independent of God’s will; and he accuses our hearts and consciences to make us feel and believe we are indicted by God and so can do nothing about our sins. 1/ In the Our Father’s ‘but deliver us from evil’ petition, evil is not an abstraction, but refers to a person, Satan, the Evil One, the angel who opposes God. The devil (diabolos) is the one who "throws himself across" God's plan and his work of salvation accomplished in Christ. "A murderer from the beginning” ... “a liar and the father of lies", Satan is "the deceiver of the whole world.".... 2/
Standing at the bar against Satan is our righteous advocate, Jesus Christ. “My children, I am writing this to you so that you may not commit sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous one. He is expiation for our sins and not for our sins only but for those of the whole world.” 3/ As the spotless One Who, being Love Divine, paid the full price to redeem us with His excruciating passion and death on the cross (consummatum est – it is done), yet Who gloriously resurrected from the dead and ascended to heaven, Jesus gives us: (a) the inspired Word of God against deception; (b) the imparted grace against physical suffering; (c) the indwelling Spirit of God against pride; and (d) Himself, the interceding Son, against accusations of sin assailing our hearts and consciences, assuring us that God forgives our sins if we are truly sorry for them and if we ask the Father’s forgiveness in His name. As our representative through the merits of His atonement, Jesus gives us the chance to change our default destination (hell) by our acceptance of what He has already done: He enabled us to be at-one-ment with the Father (in heaven) and allowed us to abide in the Holy Spirit while we live on earth. Thus it was written: “Just as through one transgression condemnation came upon all, so, through one righteous act, acquittal and life came to all”.4/ But we must exercise our free will and ask Him to be our Lord. Without being invited, He can not and does not enter our hearts nor give us the joy of being born again in the Spirit and thus He could not impart to us the grace of "acquittal and life". Having breathed God’s spirit and image into each one of us, He respects us – a respect we might want to emulate when dealing with kin, kith and others.
So every time we encounter anyone negatively portraying a lawyer and/or his/her soul, there is always the other portrait that balances and overcomes it: Atty. Jesus Christ. The same principle applies to other professions, thus one could say: Dr. Jesus Christ, Teacher Jesus Christ, etc. But the choice of which image to accept is always ours.
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1/ Warren Wiersbe, Tyndale House, 1979
2/ Catechism of the Catholic Church #s 2851 & 2852
3/ 1 John 2:1-2, NAB
4/ Romans 5:18, NAB
