We all need an advocate from time to time. An advocate is one who pleads the cause of another; specifically, one who pleads the cause of another before a judge. I’ve never needed an advocate with a judge here on earth, but I do need one in Heaven. God is a holy God and cannot allow sin into Heaven. He cannot sin and will not allow sin to be in His presence. He called himself holy in Isaiah 43:3. The Angels cried holy in Isaiah 6:3. In I Samuel 2:2 Hannah is praying, and in her prayer, she declares that there is none as holy as the Lord.
Isaiah 43:3 “For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Savior: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee.”
Isaiah 6:3 “And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.”
I Samuel 2:2 “There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God.”
God requires holiness from His people. In Leviticus 19:2, God tells Moses to speak to the children of Israel and tell them they are to be holy because He is holy. In I Peter 1:15-16, we who have been redeemed are to be holy. Here he tells us to be holy in all our “conversation.” The meaning of this use of conversation means conduct. Therefore, we are to present ourselves to the world in our actions as a holy follower of Jesus Christ. This is a tall order. We know that no one is perfect, and on our own, we can do nothing to please God. That is why we need an advocate.
Leviticus 19:2 “Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy.”
I Peter 1:15-16 “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.”
Our advocate is the greatest of all advocates representing us to the Almighty Judge! John refers to us as “little children.” We are as children of God and He is our Father. Jesus comes along beside us and pleads our case to Him. John writes that as children of God we are not to sin. We are to seek to please God in all we do but when we do mess up, He is there to help us.
I John 2:1 “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:”
This is not a license to sin, but it acknowledges the fact that we still possess a sinful nature and we will have a need for someone to represent us to the Father. When we are aware that we have sinned, there is no need to be despondent and live defeated. We have the perfect advocate.
I John 1:8-9 “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
We know that we are guilty of sin before a holy God, and God requires that there is a payment for sin. Justice must be served. The wrath of God must be poured out on those who have sinned against their creator. Because of God’s love for us, He planned for our redemption and because of His holiness, the plan must be executed for us to be forgiven. In I John 2:2, Jesus became the propitiation for us. Propitiation is the removal of the wrath of God against sinners by the death of Jesus.
I John 2:2 “And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”
He can and does represent us in Heaven because of what He has already done for us on the cross. When we sin, he doesn’t make a new sacrifice each time, but he shows the evidence of our receiving the payment and the Father is satisfied. God’s wrath is satisfied against us. He is our advocate! I’m thankful that God loved me enough to make a way for me to be forgiven. I’m also very thankful my advocate is the Son of the Judge. You can’t get better than that!
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