Our Advocate with the Father (1 John 2:1-2)

As has been observed when considering the matters discussed by John in the first chapter of this letter, the problem affecting the churches to which he wrote was the influence of false teachers who were denying the reality of sin, a message that would have had some degree of popularity in a society that paid little attention to how a person used his body because it was said by many that all that mattered was the human spirit. It is instructive to note how gently the aged John deals with those of his flock who have been affected with the wrong teaching when he addresses them as ‘my little children’. His words convey the same outlook as Paul did when writing to the Galatians (6:1): ‘Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.’ Even John’s words of address remind us of the gentleness of Jesus because he too spoke to his erring disciples as ‘little children’ (John 13:33).

The matters addressed by John in chapter one of his letter indicate that this wrong teaching was having a disastrous effect on Christian fellowship. In passing we may note that there is an unhelpful chapter division here because the points of 1 John 2:1-2 are connected to the preceding verses rather than to the subsequent text. So in chapter one John describes how a denial of the presence of sin had prevented meaningful fellowship between Christians and also between Christians and God. Therefore John explains three essential features of true fellowship: (1) such fellowship must be based on the person, work and teachings of Jesus; (2) true fellowship demands ongoing consecration of life, a consecration that is maintained by the ongoing cleansing of the saints by the blood of Christ; and (3) true fellowship includes regular and appropriate confession of sin in order to enjoy a sense of forgiveness.

Throughout this letter John will explain other aspects of true fellowship. But before he completes the opening section of his letter, John stresses a very important detail of fellowship with God. I suspect that John had anticipated a person saying, ‘What happens in heaven when I confess my sin? If fellowship involves interaction with the Father and the Son, what do they do when I confess my sins?’ The answer to such questions is very similar to the basic answer that the Bible gives to most spiritual dilemmas, which is that we need to understand and consider the activities of Jesus Christ.

Of course, it is true to say that people are familiar with the activities of Jesus such as his miracles or with his teachings such as the Sermon on the Mount. They have knowledge about his death on Calvary and of some of the details of his subsequent resurrection from the tomb. In addition, they will have an awareness of his second coming, and that he promised to return and gather his people into heaven after judging the world. The area of Jesus’ work about which people have little knowledge is his current activity in heaven. Yet the Bible has a great deal to say about what he is doing there. And John directs his readers to consider an important heavenly activity of Jesus in describing him as the Advocate with the Father. John also mentions and effect of the work of Jesus on the cross when he says that Jesus is the propitiation for our sins (we will explain this theological term later on).

Jesus our Advocate

We are familiar with the role of an advocate in court trials. He or she will be an experienced lawyer who can command high fees as he or she attempts to get the accused person found not guilty by the jury. Sometimes by referring to our current legal practice can distort or hide important features of the work of Jesus as an Advocate. So we can ask some straightforward questions about his work.

What does the word ‘advocate’ mean? The word used by John is paracletos, the same word used by Jesus in the Upper Room (John 13-16) to describe the role of the Holy Spirit. It has a wide range of meanings such as helper, comforter and counsellor, which means it can be used in a variety of contexts. Here it is used in the context of a courtroom scene.

Why do believers need an advocate? The answer to the question is not difficult. They have an accuser who has access to the court of heaven. In another of his writings (Revelation 12:10) John describes how this happens when he says that the devil accuses the brethren day and night before God. Another biblical insight into this activity is the Book of Job, chapters one and two, where Satan is depicted as accusing Job of being a hypocrite. At this moment, we as believers are being accused in the court of heaven of various sins, and while some of the accusations may be false, others will be true.

Where is Jesus, our advocate? In our courtrooms, an advocate stands before the judge because he has no say in the verdict. It is different with Jesus because he sits alongside the Judge on the heavenly throne – he sits on the same place as where God the Father is. Our advocate also shares the power of God. He informed his disciples that he possessed all authority in heaven and on earth, and he exercises his power when he functions as an advocate. Jesus does not act hoping to achieve a result; instead he serves as advocate fully aware that he has all authority.

What does Jesus know about the judge and the accused? When an advocate on earth takes part in a court case, he does not know what is going through the mind of the person he represents. He may suspect that the accused person is guilty of the crime, yet his task is to persuade the jury and the judge that the accused is innocent. Nor does the advocate know if the judge is interested in the person on trial; after all it is likely that the judge and the accused have never met before.

When we come to consider Jesus Christ, we realise that he knows everything about his clients and about the Judge, his heavenly Father. Jesus knows that his clients are guilty, in fact he has a policy of only representing those who are guilty. And when he speaks about them to the Judge he stresses that they are guilty of their sins.

Further, Jesus knows that the Judge to whom he is speaking on behalf of his clients is determined to ensure that justice will always be done. The heavenly Father will never make an unjust decision; every sentence that he will pronounce will reflect this consistent reality, that sin will be punished, even the sins that the clients of Jesus confess.

What are the qualifications Jesus possesses? We know well that an earthly advocate is a highly qualified person who has spent years studying and preparing for his role. Yet we also know that an advocate may be guilty of sins himself. With Jesus, his character is part of his qualifications because he is described as ‘Jesus Christ the righteous’. This is a reference to his holy, perfect life that he lived on earth when he obeyed from the heart all the commandments of God.

A second area of qualification is found in another name of Jesus when Isaiah calls him the wonderful counsellor (Isa. 9:6), a description that basically means that he always knows the right thing to say, whether it is giving advice or in defending from accusation. And covering his righteous character and his counselling abilities is his great love for his clients, a love that began long before they had even asked for his help.

How much does Jesus the advocate charge for his services? In Britain, as far as I know, an advocate is the most expensive of lawyers. What price does Jesus demand for representing his clients? The answer is that he does it for free.

What is the basis of his plea on behalf of his clients? An advocate in our courtrooms, when he senses that the case for his client is bad, will look for mitigating circumstances in order to try and reduce the sentence. A whole range of possible aspects will be mentioned as tries to obtain a sympathetic or lenient sentence for his client. Jesus does not present any mitigating factors: he does not base his argument on our regret for past errors or good intentions for the future. Instead, unlike any earthly advocate, Jesus Christ on the throne of God directs his Father’s attention to the wounds that mark his body. Those wounds are the permanent reminder in the heavenly courtroom that the price of sin has been paid. Unlike earthly advocates, Jesus does not have to make a speech urging clemency. In reality, he does not have to say anything because his wounds speak very loudly.

Speaking of his wounds brings us to consider this theological term, propitiation. Other translations use the words ‘atoning sacrifice’, which is an accurate equivalent as long as we know what John is stressing. The verb propitiate, which is not listed in my computer dictionary, means ‘to turn away wrath’. When Jesus suffered on the cross, he performed a work which enables God to cease to be angry with each sinner who trusts in Jesus. He bore the tremendous and distressing situation of undergoing the full experience of the wrath of God against sin.

Recall how Paul describes the state of the Ephesian Christians before they were converted. He says that they were the children of wrath even as others.  In other words, God was angry with them for their sins. But at the moment they believed in Jesus, they could sing with Isaiah (12:1-3): ‘You will say in that day: “I will give thanks to you, O Lord, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, that you might comfort me. Behold God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and song, and he has become my salvation.” With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.’

What is the outcome of Jesus’ advocacy? The answer to this question is firstly to note that he is 100% successful; he has never failed to obtain what his clients need from the heavenly Judge. He has taken in hand millions of clients and represented each of them on an incalculable number of occasions, and on each single occasion he has succeeded. 

The goal that Jesus looks for is that his guilty clients will be forgiven their sins by the Judge. As the Judge looks at the wounds of the Advocate he says about the accused: ‘The price of their sins has been paid. Therefore, they must be forgiven. I’m delighted to see that they are sorry for their sins, but their sorrow is not the basis of my judgement. Instead I forgive them because their Advocate has paid the penalty due to their awful sins.’

John stresses that Jesus is the only propitiation for sin that God will accept. People miss the point when they try and use verse 2 in discussing the extent of the atonement. What John is saying is that the only propitiation available for any sinner in all the world is Jesus. He is the one whose sacrifice of himself has satisfied the justice of God concerning sin. So he alone is the Saviour of sinners.

Some applications

John Bunyan wrote a book called The Work of Jesus Christ as an Advocate. In his preface he writes: ‘Of all the excellent offices which God the Father has conferred upon Jesus Christ our Lord, this of his being an Advocate with him for us is not the least, though, to the shame of saints it may be spoken, the blessed benefits thereof have not with that diligence and fervent desire been inquired after as they ought.’ We should resolve to know as much as we can about this activity of Jesus.

What do we do when we sin? Robert Murray McCheyne has recorded how he interpreted this verse: ‘I feel, when I have sinned, an immediate reluctance to go to Christ. I am ashamed to go. I feel as if it would do no good to go, as if it were making Christ a minister of sin, to go straight from the swine-trough to the best robe, and a thousand other excuses; but I am persuaded they are all lies, direct from hell. John argues the opposite way: “If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father.” I am sure there is neither peace nor safety from deeper sin, but in going directly to the Lord Jesus Christ. This is God’s way of peace and holiness. It is folly to the world and the beclouded heart, but it is the way.’

What do we do when we are harassed by the devil? The answer is to look at what God the Father is looking at – the blood of Christ.

                            Though the restless foe accuses,

                            Sins recounting like a flood,

                            Every charge our God refuses;

                            Christ has answered with His blood (Mary Bowley).

What do we do when we make a mess of our spiritual privileges? We all know that we have spoiled in one way or another various aspects of our spiritual benefits. Perhaps we did not prepare for the Lord’s Supper as we should have done. Maybe we did not engage in our personal devotions as we should have done. The list is endless. Yet with all of our failures we can turn to our Advocate for help. When we do we will discover that he is already on our case.

If Jesus always stands up for us in heaven before the face of the Father and against the accusations of the devil, should we not stand up for him on earth?