ADVOCATE WITH THE FATHER

Here, in the opening verses of chapter 2, John gives us one of the reasons for writing his letter, ‘that ye sin not’. Before conversion there would have been little, if any, thought about sin. It was a natural course of life. Now, the general tenor is to please the Lord and to live for Him. Sin is to be avoided.

However, as long as we remain in the body we are susceptible to the activity of the old nature. There are occasions, and John emphasises that they should only be occasions, when we can be overtaken by sin. It is ‘if’, not when. At such times what should be our response?

John tells us that’we have an advocate with the Father’. He is deeply conscious of his own need for he says ‘we have an advocate’. We can take great comfort from the fact that this is a present and active possession. The One who is the means of our restoration to fellowship is available to us now, whenever we need Him. He comes alongside us as we confess and acknowledge our need and He pleads our cause before the Father.

The effectiveness of our advocate is found in the facts that: He is ‘with the Father’, and that He is ‘Jesus Christ the righteous’. One who is face to face with the Father enjoys the fellowship of the Father. His sphere of operation is at the very heart of deity. The world has a saying that it is not what you know, but who you know that counts. Remember, ‘we have an advocate with the Father’!

He is ‘Jesus Christ the righteous’. As ‘Jesus’, He came into humanity and has seen the reality of our situation and the weakness of our frame. With the title ‘Christ’, John testifies to the truth of His deity having the right to the place that He occupies with the Father. Knowing that He is ‘the righteous’, we can rest assured that He conforms to the divine standard in character and deed. What credentials! What an advocate!

In the light of the wonderful provision that is made for us, how important to confess our sin and have its stain and guilt removed. Our advocate is ‘with the Father’, One who is ready and willing to forgive, One who desires to restore the fellowship that we need.