…And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous (1 John 2:1).
Some have said that since Jesus went to heaven, He’s been begging the Father on our behalf to have mercy on us and forgive us our sins. That’s absolutely absurd. If that’s what He’s been doing since He ascended to heaven, why then did He come to die for our sins in the first place?
Jesus Christ is our advocate, but with the Father. He’s our advocate on the Father’s side. He’s not bringing arguments to the Father in order to convince the Father not to punish us; no! He’s the Father’s lawyer, appointed by the Father on our behalf.
He’s the one who helps us insist on what belongs to us. He sees to it that we walk in the vital reality of all that His death, burial and resurrection consummated for us. The Father isn’t against us; rather, He “employed” Jesus as our lawyer against our accusers.
Imagine you have a case where an accuser is charging you with an offence, and your dad hires the best lawyer to represent you. Jesus Christ is that lawyer; He’s not defending you from the Father’s wrath, for God isn’t your accuser. We’re not appointed to wrath: “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:9).
It’s the devil who accuses God’s people (Revelation 12:10). But the Father got Jesus as your advocate. But did you know the Holy Spirit is also your advocate? Yes, He is. In John 14:16, Jesus said, “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter….”
The Amplified Classic gives us six synonyms of the word “Comforter” translated from the Greek “Parakletos”, and one of them is “Advocate.” The Holy Spirit is your advocate—counsel for the defence. He doesn’t just watch from the background as we grapple with forces and circumstances that assail us; He comes right into the middle of the heat and takes charge with us. He engages our adversaries.
Never forget this: Jesus is our advocate with the Father, while the Holy Spirit is the Father’s advocate with us. So, there’s one advocate in heaven, and there’s another one here on earth in us and with us. How can we lose? How could we ever be disadvantaged? It’s impossible.
PRAYER / CONFESSION
Dear Father, I thank you for loving me and making provision for me in heaven and in the earth to live free of condemnation and accusations, producing fruits of righteousness, and manifesting the love of Christ today and always, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
FURTHER STUDY
Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25; Romans 8:26-27; John 14:16 AMPC
1-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN
John 13:31-38; John 14:1-14; 2 Kings 23-25
2-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN
1 Corinthians 14:1-9; Proverbs 24
