Our Defender

“My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous.” 1 John 2:1

Advocate, champion, spokesman, counselor, attorney, defender. This is who Jesus is to those who are found in Him. Through the blood of Christ, we have been made right with God, cleansed of all unrighteousness, and found fit for the kingdom of heaven.

John encourages believers not to keep on sinning. Yet even those in Christ sometimes find themselves falling down the slippery slope of sin. How encouraging it is to know that if we do, we have an advocate with the Father.

When our sin finds us standing accused in the heavenly court, before our righteous Judge, God the Father, Jesus pleads our case. The wages of sin was, is, and always will be death, but Jesus, the one who is truly righteous and therefore qualified to represent sinners, draws near to the bench. As He approaches the Righteous Judge, He says, “I already paid the price for this one.”

Once again, God’s wrath is turned away. The verdict: Not guilty by reason of substitutionary sacrifice. Case dismissed.

“If we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” 1 John 1:9

We have an open invitation to restoration through confession. We are called to imitate Christ in His everyday walk with God the Father. A Christian life should be marked by fellowship and obedience, but what joy to know that even if we stray, as humans sometimes do, Jesus, our defender, will plead our case before a Holy God and restore what sin has broken.