1 John 2:1

AMP – My little children (believers, dear ones), I am writing you these things so that you will not sin and violate God’s law. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate [who will intercede for us] with the Father: Jesus Christ the righteous [the upright, the just One, who conforms to the Father’s will in every way – purpose, thought, and action].

NRSVUE – 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,

VOICE – You are my little children, so I am writing these things to help you avoid sin. If, however, any believer does sin, we have a high powered defense lawyer – Jesus the Anointed, the righteous – arguing on our behalf before the Father.

Jesus Advocates for Us

God’s grace doesn’t overlook disobedience to His commands. John wants to strengthen believers against the false teaching and the immorality of the world that threatened church communities. John calls people to walk in God’s light and obey God’s teachings. Believers are not free from the battle with sin in our earthly life. John doesn’t treat sin lightly nor leave new believers without hope. John guides our attention to God’s provision instead of our defenses. Jesus advocates for us to God, through His own sacrifice and our faith in Him. Jesus is perfect and is fully qualified to advocate for us.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: What does it mean to you that Jesus is an advocate?

Jesus Fights for Us

What does it mean to be an advocate? I think viewing Jesus as our advocate is something that we need to understand because the Bible talks about it frequently.

The Greek word that John uses is paraklétos (pah-RAH-klee-toss). This word in English lead to Advocate, Helper, Counselor, and Comforter. Each time, John uses it as a way to show God’s provision of ongoing help for His people. John uses this term to show us how Jesus goes to bat for us when we sin. Jesus helps believers secure their forgiveness with God through the work of Christ, viewed through His death and resurrection. The advocacy preserves our relationship with God, to help encourage confession when we struggle with sin.

Advocacy is an important part of our relationship with God, without His sacrificial acts, we wouldn’t have a direct relationship with God. Jesus advocates to God on our behalf when we struggle with sin. God, in the ancient biblical times, would often send us into a punishment for our sin. Jesus advocates a position of forgiveness for us so that we can find repentance and transformation in our hearts. Jesus teaches us the earthly way of following God’s commands. Now this can be difficult for us, because it can be counter-cultural, however, even when it’s counter-cultural – it’s worth the struggle. To be able to create a mindset of serving God and others, extending the same grace and mercy that we’ve been given to others, helping to meet the needs of the communities that are in the margins, and so much more. When we mess up, we know that Jesus is advocating for our forgiveness so that we can have a second chance in life for eternal life.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: Understanding advocacy a little better now, what does this change about how you see Jesus advocating for you?

Jesus Teaches Us to Advocate

This brings to mind Paul’s words in Romans 8:34:

AMP – Who is the one who condemns us? Christ Jesus is the One who died [to pay our penalty],. And more than that, who was raised [from the dead], and who is at the right of God interceding [with the Father] for us.

NRSVUE – Who is to condemn? It is Christ who died, or rather, who was raised, who is also at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.

VOICE – Who has the authority to condemn? Jesus the Anointed who died, but more importantly, conquered death when He was raised to sit at the right hand of God where He pleads on our behalf.

There is no accusation can turn us guilty when God has justified us. God declared us righteous through our faith. Nothing earthly, demonic, or spiritual can overturn God’s judgment. Jesus took our sins to the cross when He was crucified under Roman authority. The death of Christ fulfilled the mission: carry our sins and create intercession for sinners. Jesus is the judge of humanity who willing suffered so that we can be forgiven. His resurrection shows that the sacrifice was accept and that death was defeated. We can rest in the fact that our Savior lives and promises a future resurrection. Jesus occupies the place of honor and authority. Jesus represents us before God, which leads to our salvation.

This intercession should encourage us to do the same for others. We should be willing to fight for the lives of our neighbors. We need to fight for the right people to have equal rights, either through different legislation or the creation of different of different systems that aren’t built on systemic injustices and instead built on care and respect for all people. We can speak up for the people that are suffering in the margins, providing a voice for people that tended to be silenced. Our world seeing more people being pushed to the sides while an elite group can push forward. May we work towards being an advocate, much like we have an advocate fighting for us.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: How can you go through life being an advocate for your neighbors?