18. 1 Jn 2_1 Our Advocate Pt 3

Christ our Advocate

In our country there are a lot of advocacy groups. If you think of a subject there is probably a group of people that advocate for it before the local, state of federal government. When we think of the Christ as our advocate it is more than lobbying for a particular cause. His advocacy on our behalf is legal in nature. An advocate in the legal sense of the word is one who speaks, writes or acts in defense of another person, us in a court of law. As we read the Scripture this morning keep this definition in mind.

1Jn 1:5-2:6 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. (6) If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. (7) But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. (8) If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (9) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (10) If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. 2:1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. (2) He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. (3) And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. (4) Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, (5) but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: (6) whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

The last time we were together we looked at general observations, our relation to the judge and our responsibility to the judge. We are His creation and relate to Him as our Creator, but John also calls Him ‘the Father’. We are not only His creation but also His children by right of redemption and adoption. As His creation we are obligated to keep His commands, as His children it is our desire to keep and obey His commands. The love of God constrains us and if that falls it is the fear of God that should restrain us.

‘So that you may not sin” is indicative of not only a new relationship with our Creator but also our new relationship to sin. Where once slaves to sin now set free, once willfully following the god of this world, now transformed as a new creature in Christ and transferred to the kingdom of His beloved Son. Though we have been set free we yet wage war against the power of remaining sin.

There are two points this morning. 1) Our need for an Advocate 2) Christ our Advocate

I. Our need for an Advocate

But if anyone does sin – the conditional ‘if’ is not stating or implying that it is possible for us to reach sinlessness in this life. This is not in contradiction to what John has said ‘that you may not sin’. We have already seen in previous texts that we have sin 1:9 and that we have sinned 1:10. John writes in verse 9 that if we (including himself) confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. The condition of the believer is that we have been set free from the dominion of sin, we now strive to put to death the power of remaining sin through the working of the Spirit and the Word of God in us.

LBC Chapter 13 Of Sanctification summarizes this effectively.

1. They who are united to Christ, effectually called, and regenerated, having a new heart and a new spirit created in them through the virtue of Christ's death and resurrection, are also farther sanctified, really and personally, 1 through the same virtue, by his Word and Spirit dwelling in them; 2 the dominion of the whole body of sin is destroyed, 3 and the several lusts of it are more and more weakened and mortified, 4 and they more and more quickened and strengthened in all saving graces, 5 to the practice of all true holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord. 6

2. This sanctification is throughout the whole man, 7 yet imperfect in this life; there abides still some remnants of corruption in every part, 8 wherefrom arises a continual and irreconcilable war; the flesh lusting against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh. 9

3. In which war, although the remaining corruption for a time may much prevail, 10 yet, through the continual supply of strength from the sanctifying Spirit of Christ, the regenerate part does overcome; 11 and so the saints grow in grace, perfecting holiness in the fear of God, pressing after an heavenly life, in evangelical obedience to all the commands which Christ as Head and King, in his Word has prescribed to them.

When we consider the moral law of God, that it governs not only our external actions but also the inward attitudes of our hearts, the need of our Advocate becomes apparent.

Before we move on to our second point, I want to remind us of the setting that we would need our Advocate. Our Advocate pleads our case before the righteous Judge of all the earth who is our Father. If we are being judged it means that a law or laws have been broken of which we, the guilty, must give account. Also implied in a court of law is the presence of an accuser.

When some read this verse they see an adversarial Father who is ready, even desiring to render judgement and condemnation on His children but Christ prevents Him from doing so. Permit me to correct this erroneous view. Our Father is the righteous judge of all the earth. In His perfect righteousness He must judge and condemn sin as the rebellion it is against His holiness, majesty, and glory. Should He not do so would mean that He is not God. He could be accused that He is not fair and impartial in rendering judgement. As all mankind is born in sin and commits sins all are subject to His just judgement. (So far you may be thinking that I am not doing much to correct the notion of an adversarial Father eager to smite His children.)

Brothers and sisters, it is the Father Himself who provides our Advocate.

1Jn 4:10  In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Rom 8:32-34  He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?  (33)  Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies.  (34)  Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.

Verse 34 is interesting – Christ who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.

Rom 5:8  but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

It was our Father’s desire to show us the infinite depths of His love in His divine election and His decree for our salvation that He would send His only begotten Son that we would be saved through Him.

Too often we impose on God our Father the imperfections of our human fathers. Let us fight those false idolatrous notions and hold true to what our Father has declared about Himself in His word and by the Spirit of God take and apply it to our hearts and minds.

II. Christ our Advocate

There are three subpoints.

1. the necessity of Christ the to be our Advocate

2. the qualification of Christ to be our Advocate

The Greek word that is translated advocate is translated in Jn 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7 as helper or comforter depending on the translation. These are all in reference to the Holy Spirit whom Christ would send after His ascension. Why is it translated here are advocate and not helper or comforter? The common denominator is that of intercessor.

Rom 8:26  Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

Rom 8:34  Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.

There is a difference, however, between "Paraclete" as used of the Spirit and as used of Christ. It is applied to the Spirit in his relation to the disciples; to Christ in his relation to the Father. This translation fits within the context of the verse as Jesus stands before the Father in the legal sense stating our case.

1. The Necessity of Jesus Christ the righteous to be our Advocate

As we have covered before we stand convicted of breaking the law and as a result stand condemned by it. Gal 3:10  For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” And Ez 18:20 the soul who sins shall die.

We have no case in which we can defend ourselves. We lack the moral standing and qualifications to act on our own behalf. The necessitates the need for another who has that to represent us before the Father. That is Jesus Christ and Him alone.

The apostles are not fit advocates on our behalf. John included himself (we have and advocate) The church fathers are not fit advocates on our behalf. Those appointed as saints by the catholic church are not fit to advocate for us before God. Mary the mother of Jesus is not fit to advocate for us before the throne of God. John says advocate not advocates. Then names Him Jesus Christ the Righteous.

We read earlier in 1 John 4:10 that it was God who sent His Son Jesus to be a propitiation for our sins. He is necessarily our Advocate by divine appointment. In the gospel of John Jesus references being sent by the Father over 40x. He was sent to be the forever prophet, priest, and king. And it is in His office as Priest that He not only mediates the new covenant and intercedes but advocates for us in heaven.

2. The Qualification of Christ to Be our Advocate

Jesus Christ the Righteous

Before getting into the main point let me give some background. There are two requirements for the satisfaction of the law of God. First it must be obeyed completely. This has been the case for Adam and his posterity. Adam sinned and as a result all of his posterity are sinners. The giving of the moral law in Exodus is didn’t correct this. It exacerbated it because with the law comes the knowledge of sin and we as sinners are rebellious against the law of God. Rom 8:7  For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. But our inability to obey the law, and the fact that even if we were able we do not want to does not release us from the obligation. Also as a consequence of breaking the law of God is the eternal judgement of God. Jesus said in Mat 25:46  And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” Who are the these? In this case it was those who broke the law of God in refusing help to those that needed it the most thus breaking the 2nd greatest commandment to love your neighbor as yourself. Remember that the first and second greatest commandments that Jesus gave were a summary of the law and the prophets.

Jesus, as our federal head fulfilled all the requirements of the law in His humanity. He was without sin. 1Pe 3:18  For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the Spirit,

Those that believe the gospel of Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross have had the requirements of the Law fulfilled for them in and through Christ Jesus. He is the federal head of every Christian.

Now when we sin as Christians He stands as our advocate. In His righteousness the Law stands fulfilled. And we stand in Him.

But there is a second part to fulfilling the law. That is the punishment of the guilty. If Jesus Christ’s obedience to the Law fulfills the requirement to keep the Law. Who then is liable to bear the punishment for the guilty? We look now at Jesus the propitiation for our sins

He is the propitiation for our sin.

Propitiation means to appease, to placate, to avert, to turn aside the wrath of an offended person by means of a sacrifice. Four things are involved in propitiation: First, there is an offended deity; second, an offending sinner; third, the offense committed; and fourth, the sacrifice which removes the offense and causes the offended person to be gracious to the one who offended him

Just as we have his righteousness imputed to us. He had our sin imputed to Him. He was perfectly sinless but He took on our sin.

2Co 5:21  For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Rom 4:25  who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

1Pe 2:24  He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

What this means is that though we are guilty, Jesus satisfies God’s just punishment. He stands in the front of every child of God. He bore our sins to the cross and is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. He is our federal head in every way.

Just as in Him we are made righteous. It is also in Him that we have been crucified and raised with Him in newness of life.

Gal 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and it is no longer I who live but Christ in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

Rom 6:4  We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

So He stands as our Advocate when the law seeks to condemn us. Christ stands the once and for all time sacrifice for sins. Appeasing the just wrath of God against sinners. God being well pleased with the sacrifice of His Son raised Him from the dead.

Application:

Christian, As we desire to walk in obedience to the commands of God, there will be many times during the course of your Christian life that you will feel that you have sinned once to many times. John does not put a limit on the number of sins that Christ stands as our Advocate for. The reality of that Christ has died for all of our sins. Past, present, and future. You cannot sin yourself beyond Christ’s propitiation. You as a finite human being cannot exceed the infinite grace of God displayed in and through Christ Jesus for you.

We have an accuser to whose name is Satan. He accuses the saints before God.

Zec 3:1-4  Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him.  (2)  And the LORD said to Satan, “The LORD rebuke you, O Satan! The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this a brand plucked from the fire?”  (3)  Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments.  (4)  And the angel said to those who were standing before him, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” And to him he said, “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.”

Jesus speaks the same to you as he did to Joshua. Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.

When you hear the whispers of the devil condemning you look to your Advocate, Jesus Christ the Righteous.