Describe Him: Advocate

1 John 2:1 declares “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”

As I read this verse this morning, I knew I had to write on Jesus Christ, our Advocate. I am not a deep theological thinker, so simply put, Christ is the One who stands before the Father on our behalf.  We are the ones who have sinned, and He is our "substitutionary, intercessory advocate.”   Christ has not only finished the work necessary for the believing sinner to be called righteous before the Father, but He now pleads our cause after we become righteous.  While Christ has conquered the penalty of sin, the presence of sin in the believer’s life is never completely gone while we are alive here on earth. Such a state of sinlessness will only take place when the believer is in heaven.

Because of the continual presence of sin, the believer still sins. The believer still needs One to stand before the Father to declare that He has paid the price of His blood to make this poor sinner righteous in the sight of God.  This is a marvelous truth.  Praise God for a salvation that remains secure, despite sin in the believer’s life.  Praise God for a Savior “that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.” (Romans 8:34)  He does not condemn the sinner who believes on Him.  Rather, He “ever liveth to make intercession for them.” (Hebrews 7:25)

The holiness of God demands justice be paid for sin.  The blood of Christ paid the one-time price of redemption and righteousness.  The advocacy of the Son before the Father pleads the positional righteousness of the believer.  Praise God.