Jesus Christ, Our Advocate

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 ‭NLT‬‬

As believers in, and disciples of, Jesus Christ we are called to be set apart from the world. This doesn’t mean that we don’t wear ordinary clothes, work regular jobs, and live ordinary lives. This does mean that we are seeking to please our extraordinary God in our words, thoughts, and deeds. We aren’t working for our salvation, but we are working for His Honor. We are His children and we should display His likeness as we grow and mature in Him. He knows our frame, that we are carnal (sinfully lustful) creatures. “For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust.”‭‭Psalms‬ ‭103:14‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Through Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we are able to live a life that obeys and honors our Father. We cannot do this on our own merit. We must depend upon the presence and power of the Holy Spirit (see Galatians 5:16). We can make excuses for our sin or we can choose a way of escape from sin through Christ (see 1 Corinthians 10:12-13 and James 1:12-15). We can overcome through the power of Jesus Christ. We do not have to resign ourselves to the depravity and debauchery that this world thinks is “the life”. Personally, I choose Christ and the way of righteousness. Only He can satisfy my soul and give me real life here and eternal life to come. Hallelujah!!! If we do fall down, as believers, and find ourselves in a mud puddle of sin, we can confess our sins (1 John 1:9), repent of our sin (Acts 2:38 and 2 Corinthians 7:10). When we do this, we have an advocate named Jesus who pleads our case before the Father! The prosecuting attorney is Satan. He has his case nicely ordered to nail us to the wall. His attack is ferocious and relentless. His arrogance is repulsive. His statements against us are convincing and stinging, but, wait a minute!! Jesus, our defense attorney, has been here before. He knows every detail of our transgressions (violations). He is keenly aware of our guilt. He has accepted our case out of our cry for mercy and our desire for grace. He stands in the court room with absolute poise and confidence! He has faced this prosecutor, Satan, over and over again. In each case, that He has been asked to defend, His record is spotless. He has never lost a case to Satan. Suddenly, our head can lift from shame and disgrace to the gavel smash of a not guilty verdict and an announcement of grace and freedom. Our soul is stunned and overwhelmed as we walk out in utter amazement. We ask “how did this happen”? Jesus then replies “I paid your debt and your record is now expunged” (erased completely). Never has such love been known to us. We are free!! (see John 8:32, 36; Romans 8:1-4; and Galatians 5:1). Let’s not use our freedom as a license to sin, rather an opportunity to glorify our Savior!! After all, doesn’t He deserve our obedience? Let’s use our lives as a stage to present Him to others!