We Have an Advocate

The Passage

If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us. My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world. 1 John 1:10–2:2

Explaining the Passage

These last three Sundays, we’ve looked at three what if questions John raised in his letter. First, we looked his question, what if I deny sin breaks my fellowship with God (vv. 6-7). If you deny sin breaks your fellowship with God, then you deny God. Next, we looked at his second question, what if I deny my sinful nature (vv. 8-9). If you deny your sinful nature, then the gospel isn’t for you. Finally, John asks what if you deny your sinful actions? This entire section deals with false teachers and false believers. Sooner or later, false believers deny the evil of their actions.

John combats a popular heresy in his day and it’s still prevalent in ours. We believe our sin isn’t as bad as everyone else’s. We believe our secret feelings and personal opinions are better than they really are. Notice in verse 10, John says if we deny that we commit specific sins, then we affirm God lies. If we deny we sin, we affirm God sins and we don’t trust Him. That’s because God has spoken on man’s sinfulness multiple times (see also 1 Kings 8:46; Psalm 14:3; Isaiah 53:6; 64:6).

Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins. Ecclesiastes 7:20

John wants us to know we’re sinners, but he also wants to know we don’t have to sin. If we died with Christ, we are no longer slaves to sin (Romans 6:6-7). Look at chapter 2, verse 1. He calls this church his little children. Likely, John is an elderly man at this time and he approaches his brothers and sisters in the faith like a loving father (1 Thessalonians 2:11). He comforts his spiritual children

 You’re a Sinner but Don’t Sin 

John as a spiritual father lays out two ditches on either side of the road for Christians to avoid. One ditch is the outright denial of sinful actions, the other ditch is the utter despair over sinful actions.

If you deny your sin, the word is not in you. We usually think of people who deny sinful actions as the rebellious teenager or the rough backslider. We have the image in our mind of tattoos, piercings, drugs, and a creepy van. In my experience though, most people who live rough lives, when pressed, will eventually admit they’re sinners. They know their life is destructive. Its nice people and people pleasers who deny sinful actions in the church. You see, they don’t like negativity or bad vibes. You see this behavior all the time. A father sees his beautiful teenager girl dresses like she belongs at the red-light district but denies it. A woman knows the Bible says something about respecting husbands, but she married an idiot, so that verse doesn’t apply to her. What makes nice people so dangerous is that they believe they’re actually doing the right thing. But what does God’s word say? Is He the liar or you? If you deny your sin, the word is not in you.

If you’re despair over your sin, remember that Jesus is your helper. To deny negativity decreases the positive power of the gospel. But so does staying in negativity. When people despair over their sin, a main reason they believe this is because they’re alone. They picture themselves alone in a prison cell. But they aren’t alone. What does scripture say? They have a helper, Jesus Christ the righteous. So, if you ever get burdened over your sin and feel alone, don’t believe those lies. Jesus is with you. He won’t leave you or forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:6).

Worldly thinking only gives you fake positivity or utter negativity. The world only gives you lies. Paganism gives you the choice of either licentiousness or legalism. But Christ gives us redemption, salvation, and grace. 

We Need Spiritual Fathers

Where are all the spiritual fathers? Notice John instructs fellow Christians like a spiritual father. Christians need encouragement and instruction in the faith. Its commanded all over the place.

The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. 2 Timothy 2:2

 For many years, the church has not been a place for men. In most churches the demographic ratio leans heavily toward women. More women attend church than men. One reason is because men don’t feel welcomed. God made men for glory, honor, and missions. There’s bunch of talk of glory, honor, and missions in the Bible. But churches don’t talk about it because it may make some church ladies upset. So, the men outside the church remain outside. And the men inside the church feel like the only way to be godly is to not live a man. We need spiritual fathers.

 I think it’s safe to say one reason our culture is in the mess it’s in is because we have no spiritual fathers. We are all spiritual bastards. I’m not using this word as a curse word. I’m using it correctly. A bastard is a child no one claims or wants. They are left with no encouragement in school, no instruction on how to pay bill, no correction on how to shift gears. Today, the church is left with many spiritual bastards because no one teaches how to live and what to avoid.

Men this is a problem only obedience to Christ and courage for Christ can solve. Women, this is also something where your good intentions usually do more harm than good. It’s not Eve’s job to defend against lying serpents. Not only is it not her job, she’s bad at it. We need more men like John who protect the church from sinful influences, who provide the church with the joyful assumption of sacrificial responsibility. We need more godly dads who provide rigid structure mixed with playful joy.

Righteous, Advocate and Propitiation

 If we sin, we have an advocate with the father. In Greek, the word for advocate literally means “called alongside.” It carries the idea of someone walking along side you as you walk. The person beside you when you’re trying to walk is a helper. The person beside you in the courtroom is an advocate. The person beside you in a dispute is a mediator. Not only that, a holy mediator.

Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens; Hebrews 7:25–26

Jesus is our helper, advocate, mediator (John 14:16) and He also gives us the Holy Spirit who is another helper (John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7). Jesus pleads our case in God’s courtroom against Satan, the accuser (Revelation 12:10).

Jesus can help our case because he destroyed the case against us. Satan has a list of sins against us that would condemn us for an eternity of eternities. Satan knows God is just and we are guilty. He knows God will be forced to condemn us all to hell because of our sin. But what God does instead is take our punishment for us on the cross. God the father poured out all His wrath for you on God the son. This is what propitiation means. It means God’s wrath for you is gone. So, back to the courtroom, when Satan brings evidence against you in court, Jesus, your attorney replies back with, “the punishment for this crime has already been paid. You have anything else, Accuser?”

Jesus is the judge of the world. He is also our lawyer. In God’s courtroom, when Satan throws an accusation against you to the judge, He gives that accusation to Jesus on the judges bench. Jesus then goes down to the defense desk and pleads your case. Jesus then walks back up to the judge’s bench and declares you innocent, forgiven, and justified. After this, Jesus the judge invites you to his home and adopts you into his family. God is now your father. Jesus is your king, priest, and older brother. And the holy spirit is your encourager.

Savior of the Whole World

Verse 2 likely confuses some faithful Bible readers. How can Jesus save the sins of the whole world if people go to hell? Some who hold to the heresy of universalism cite this verse in their arguments. Universalists believe that God will universally save everyone, even the Devil. In order to believe this, they have to not believe other passages of scripture like Matthew 25:31-46 where Jesus at the judgement will cast people into hell for their sin. So, this option doesn’t work.  

Some also believe Jesus died to potentially save. But Jesus didn’t make a way to salvation, He is the way, and He saves. Added to that, scripture also teaches God has sovereignly decreed and orchestrated the salvation of every sinner who makes it to heaven (Ephesians 1:5). So, God predestining salvation and God promising that people will go to hell seems to contradict this passage. But it really doesn’t.

I believe this instead points to God’s salvation project to save the entire world. Right now, all the world isn’t saved. But also right now, more people are saved now than at any time in human history. I believe the glory of the Lord will fill the earth as the waters cover the sea (Habakkuk 2:14). I believe Jesus is ruling and reigning in heaven and will come back to earth after all His enemies are under His feet (1 Corinthians 15:25).

God loves the whole world (John 3:16) so He will save the whole world. As His kingdom grows like leaven in a loaf of bread (Matthew 13:33), more and more people will be saved. Revelation 5:9 and 7:9 show eventually a great number from every tribe and nation worshipping Jesus. Right now, we’re close than we ever have been, but we still have a long way to go.

Conclusion

Don’t deny your sin, you have a savior of sins. Don’t despair over your sin, you have a helper. Jesus is patient and Jesus is saving the world. Jesus is willing to wait thousands of years to accomplish his plan. This means he is patient with you when you sin.