6. 1 John 2:1-2: Our Advocate

1 John 2:1-2 and the Need for an Advocate

Bibles once again to the epistle of 1st John. John 1st John chapter 2. 1st John chapter 2 starting in verse 1. Hear now the inspired Word of God. 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.

Let's pray. Father once again as we look into your Word we are encouraged when we realize and we read that we have an advocate for our sin none other than the righteous one Jesus Christ. We pray now Father that as we read and we study this these two verses that you would open our eyes our ears and our hearts that we would see hear and understand what you have to say to us and then we would live in accordance with that.

We pray this in Jesus name amen. Please be seated. Frequently when I'm at a social function and somebody finds out I have a background in law enforcement that always prompts a few questions. One of them is that I've asked been asked this numerous times what should I do if I'm arrested and I'm innocent?

My response is always the same get a lawyer and they say but doesn't that make me look guilty? No it makes you look smart. You see over the years our legal system has grown more and more complex and if you find yourself in trouble you need a lawyer who can navigate through the legal complexities to see that justice is served because the average person in America today is ignorant of the workings of the criminal justice system and that can work to your detriment.

I would never speak to a police officer or anybody else who's doing an investigation without having a lawyer present. So you need an advocate that is someone who is an expert in law and will work for your best interests.

That's true in both criminal and civil cases and in fact the courts hold this to be so such an important doctrine that in the case of Miranda versus Arizona which was decided way back in 1966 the Supreme Court held that once the suspect requests the lawyer all questioning must stop until the lawyer is present and further the court held that if a suspect can't afford a lawyer one would be provided by the municipality.

Shows the importance of having an advocate when you're in trouble but even if you're not in trouble but just appears that way get a lawyer. This principle of advocacy goes beyond the legal system though.

Consumer advocacy groups have made great inroads in encouraging manufacturers to have safe products. You have human rights advocacy groups advocacy groups and some of these groups have accomplished great things.

In our text for this morning we are told that we have an advocate in the person of Jesus Christ but there's an important point leading up to the introduction of Christ as our advocate so I want to look at verse 1 of chapter 2 of first John and John opens this chapter by stating this.

Children of God and the Call to Not Sin

My little children I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. Now notice how John speaks of those under his care. My little children. Now we know that the people of God we're a family. God is our father.

We're adopted when we come to Christ. We're adopted into his family. We become sons and daughters and join heirs with Christ. Brothers and sisters of Christ. It's a beautiful analogy that's rife with spiritual meaning when we think of who we are in Christ and he's our brother.

When I was young I had a big brother who was he's eight years older than me and he was an all-sports winner and everything else. I didn't have too much trouble on the playground because everybody knew my big brother.

You have a big brother in Jesus Christ. So we have this beautiful analogy of being in the family of God. So it seems natural for John as as an apostle to refer to those in his care as children but as I've studied this text I think there's more involved with these words than just referring to the family of God.

What I see and not only just here but throughout John's writings especially the gospel and his three epistles I see a personal touch. Here's what I mean. John's writing this letter in his older age and I did some calculations and I believe he was probably just about my age when he wrote this letter which means he had given watchful care for those in the church for upwards of 30 to 40 years.

His relationship is more than being an overseer of the church as important as that is. He was personally involved with these people. It's a relationship that I can identify with personally. I've been a pastor of this church for over 27 years now.

During those 27 years I've officiated at many of your weddings. I look out and I can point to people that I have married. I've rejoiced at the birth of your children, a lot of children. I've mourned with you at the loss of your loved ones.

I've officiated at too many funerals. I've baptized many of you and have seen you grow in grace and grown in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And yes, it's my privilege to be charged with watching over your souls as one who will stand before the Lord and give an account.

But with those thoughts in mind, I can understand why John interjects by calling these people my little children. This letter of 1 John is coming from a pastor's heart to those he has labored with and labored for in the kingdom of God.

So my job is to present this letter from a pastor's heart to you from your pastor's heart. So look what he says again. My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. Now in light of what we've been reading, I find this rather interesting.

We already know that the main purpose of this epistle is to give assurance of salvation to those who are within the church. And now he says he is writing these things so that you may not sin. Well, what things is he referring to?

Remember, John didn't write in chapter designations. The things he's alluding to are the verses immediately before this verse, whether they be in chapter 1 or elsewhere. Remember the strong warning against you saying that you have no sin.

Remember what John said just a couple of verses back. If you say you have no sin, you're deceiving yourself. In fact, even worse, he comes right after that and says, if you're saying you have no sin, you're calling God a liar.

And right on the heels of those warnings, he says, don't sin. What does he mean by that, then? If we know that we're going to sin, why does he say that you may not sin? Well, the answer to that is really found throughout the scriptures, but one of the primary dangers in the Christian life is to gravitate to the extremes.

We all have a tendency to, when we get something, is to take it to the extremes. In the present case, John has basically said, no one is perfect. Everyone sins. But God has given us a way to be cleansed from sin by confessing it and being forgiven by God.

The dangerous extreme on the one side of that is to become complacent. If we know that we can confess our sin, the danger is to say, it's no big deal to sin. If I sin, I'll merely confess it and I'll be forgiven.

It's like having a get-out-of-jail-free card in Monopoly. The other extreme is to fall into depression or hopelessness, seeing that sin will always be a problem in this life. There's often a feeling that, well, God can't forgive me because my sin is too great, or even though I've confessed my sin, I still feel guilty.

That kind of thinking can easily cause one to lapse into despair or depression. So what does John mean when he says he's writing these things that you may not sin? Let me pose a couple of thoughts. First, since John has stated in rather definitive terms that sinless perfection is not possible in this life, we can rule that out right away.

What John is addressing here is the attitude of the heart. John is asking this question, which I'll pose to you. Are you in a right relationship with God? Can you say, along with the Apostle Paul, for me to live is Christ?

Jesus said, my food, my sustenance is to do the will of my Father in heaven. What Jesus said in that, in other words, the reason for the incarnation was to do the will of his Father. How many people in this world live their daily lives as though God is not there?

Don't give another thought about it. How many Christians fall into the same trap? Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, great theologian of the past century, said of this, that is sin. To live and to dwell in that kind of atmosphere and to be living that sort of life as if God did not exist and as if this were the holy only world and as if man were the supreme being in the universe, that is gross sin.

So the first step in not sinning is to be ever conscious of your sin, a healthy consciousness of sin, not a destructive view that leads to hopelessness. But there's a more positive side to not sinning and that is to be conscious of God who is and the relationship you have with him.

Once again, Martyn Lloyd-Jones says it this way, the best way of not sinning is to positively to be living the godly life and that means walking in the light. In other words, it means living as to God and to his glory.

There's nothing new in that statement, is there? The second question of Keech's Catechism, what is the chief end of man? And of course we all know the answer, that man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.

However, putting off sin is only part of the equation. Paul tells us that we are to have the mind of Christ. Your sanctification is the process of being conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. It is putting to death the deeds of the flesh but also putting on the Lord Jesus Christ.

That is what the Apostle John is telling us, he's telling his dear little children. He says don't fall prey to the error of extremes but walk in holiness. That's some pretty good advice, isn't it? Don't dwell on your sin.

Be conscious of it but don't dwell on it. Dwell on Jesus Christ and living for him and sin will become abhorrent to you. But when you sin, and notice I said when you sin not if you sin, don't minimize it.

And remember we have an advocate. So what is exactly an advocate? Well we addressed this briefly in the introduction but let's look a little bit further into it. The first connotation is that of a legal advocate.

The Greek word that is translated advocate is parakletos. Does that sound familiar? That word is used to describe the Holy Spirit. It literally means one who comes alongside. You see all men stand guilty in the sight of God.

All men stand fully deserving eternal condemnation. It's not a pleasant thought, is it? But it is the reality. When you are redeemed by Jesus Christ, he is your advocate. You know in our earthly courts the lawyer, the advocate, stands with the defendant and pleads his case for him.

He offers evidence. He examines witnesses. He objects if he sees an error being committed in the proceedings. He speaks for his client just as though the defendant was speaking for himself. In fact, when a judge speaks to the defendant and says, will the defendant please rise, the lawyer stands with him right alongside him.

In capital cases, the defendant's life is literally in the hands of the advocate. But the advocacy ends when the trial and the appeals are over. Whatever the sentence imposed upon the defendant, whatever that is, the advocate doesn't serve it with him.

He walks away, his job being finished. But not our advocate. Not Jesus Christ. The advocacy of Jesus Christ is different. He takes advocacy to the nth degree. If you belong to Christ, he not only pleads your case, but he himself has taken the punishment for sin upon him.

It's what happened at the cross. Christ became sin for his people and his righteousness was imputed to us. More on that in a few moments. So when God looks at the Christian, he sees the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

That's an advocate. But the advocacy of Christ is not a one-time advocacy. John, addressing the church, uses the present tense in describing it. He says, we have. Not had. We have an advocate. It's ongoing.

He is the mediator between God and man. First Timothy 2 .5 says it so plainly. For there is one God, one mediator also between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. But we can't skip over the next description of Jesus Christ, also found in verse 1.

Because it's the reason Jesus is our advocate. Look at how he's described. If anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous. There's two ways you can describe the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

First, the legal righteousness of Jesus, which is imputed to us, the believer. We'll address that in a few minutes. But second, the righteousness of his character. See here, Jesus is described as our advocate with the Father, and he's described as Jesus Christ, the righteous.

It is his righteous character that qualifies him to be the advocate par excellence for us. We are assured that our advocate is always operating in our best interest because he is the perfect, infallible advocate.

Christ Our Propitiation and the Wrath of God

And then John addresses a third description of Jesus in verse 2. Look at the beginning of verse 2. And he himself is the propitiation for our sins. Propitiation, that's a big fancy word. It's not used much these days, is it?

In fact, most modern liberals and even some conservative leaders avoid using the word. Another translation is the atoning sacrifice. The liberals reject the idea that God will pour out his wrath on humanity, and the idea that a sacrifice is needed to avert God's wrath is foreign to liberal theology.

They reject out-of-hand sermons like Jonathan Edwards, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. By the way, if you've never read that sermon, may I strongly suggest that you read that. It gives you a great perspective on how tenuous life is without Christ.

And they often reinterpret verses such as Romans 6 .23. For the wages of sin is death. Could anything be more simple, more clear? If you sin, you die. And Paul, giving the upside of that, in 1 Thessalonians 1 .10, he says that we're waiting for his son from heaven whom he raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.

That first means nothing if there is no wrath. What they fail to realize is that by mitigating God's judgment of sin, they strip grace of its meaning also. I would be remiss if I failed to address one other false view of the atonement.

There are those who teach that Satan holds the power of death, that we are rescued from hell where Satan has dominion. That's blasphemy. Satan does not have the power over life and death, and he doesn't and will not reign in hell.

He will be its most infamous occupant with a place reserved just for him. The reality is that every man is born under the curse and the wrath of God hangs over him. And he is powerless in and of himself to satisfy God's wrath.

Enter the Savior, Jesus Christ, the righteous one. And he is the propitiation, the only acceptable atoning sacrifice that satisfies God's justice. Now notice, this is all New Testament teaching. There are those who like to say, well, God was a God of wrath in the Old Testament, but not in the New.

No, I've just quoted you from all New Testament passages. What has changed from the Old to the New is the better sacrifice of Jesus Christ. All the blood of bulls and goats, all those sacrificed, could never atone for sin.

They pointed forward to the only propitiation, the only blood that could atone for sin, the blood of Jesus Christ. John has already addressed that in verse 7 of 1 John 1. He says, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.

Before we move to the third point of our sermon, I want to address something. One of the reasons we sing mostly hymns and psalms in this church is the rich theology that's contained in them. Paul says in Colossians 3 16, let the Word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, teaching and admonishing.

If the music, if the songs aren't teaching you something, if it's not teaching you truth, why would we sing it? One such hymn, which addresses our text for today, was written by Charles Wesley in 1742.

I almost had to sing it this morning, but I wanted to pause and reflect on the words. It's a hymn. Arise, my soul, arise. Listen to some of the words as Wesley just sums up this point so accurately. Arise, my soul, arise.

Shake off the guilty affairs. The bleeding sacrifice in my behalf appears. Before the throne my surety stands. Before the throne my surety stands. My name is written on his hands. He continues. He ever lives above for me to intercede.

His all-redeeming love, his precious blood to plead. His blood atoned for all our race, his blood atoned for all our race, and sprinkles now the throne of grace. You see the truth that's tied up in these words?

He continues. Five bleeding wounds he bears, received on Calvary. They pour effectual prayers, they strongly plead for me. Forgive him, oh forgive him, they cry. Forgive him, oh forgive him, they cry.

Nor let that ransomed sinner die. My God is reconciled. His pardoning voice I hear. He owns me for his child. I can no longer fear. With confidence I now draw nigh. And father, Abba, father, cry. Isn't that worth singing?

Isn't it worth pondering the words? As Wesley sums up, what beautiful truth is found. John then adds a clause that has become very controversial. He starts with, Christ is the propitiation for our sins.

That is the sins of believers. But he adds this, but also for those of the whole world. Now as reformed Baptists, we hold to what's called the doctrines of grace. That is, God is sovereign over redemption.

Those doctrines are nicknamed Calvinism. That includes the limited atonement or particular redemption. That means that Christ actually accomplished redemption for his people on the cross. He didn't merely make it possible, he actually accomplished it.

He uttered on the cross, Tetelestai, it is finished. But this verse seems to say that Christ is the propitiation for the whole world. For everything. How does that comport with the rest of scripture and our confession of faith?

Well, there's two ways to look at this phrase. First, that Christ actually died and atoned for the sins of everyone in the world. If this is true, then everyone in the world have had their sins forgiven.

That also means that the work of Christ on earth was completed in perfection, and all men with their sins forgiven will be saved. That's called universalism. Everyone, with no exceptions, will be in heaven.

Doesn't that sound nice? But Jesus himself says, not everyone will be saved and wind up in heaven. In Matthew chapter 7, verse 21, Jesus says, not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven.

But he who does the will of my father who is in heaven and will enter. Many will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? And in your name cast out demons, and in your name perform many miracles.

And then I will declare to them, I never knew you. Depart from me, you who practice lawlessness. So we know some people are not going to be in heaven. And one more, Matthew 25, where Jesus gives the parable of separating the sheep and the goats.

And he says in verse 31, but when the son of man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him and he will separate them from one another.

And as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And Jesus then describes in great detail the results of that judgment. And at the end he addresses the wicked and he says, these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.

So based upon the words of Christ, it cannot be that John means that every man's sins have been paid for by Jesus Christ. So if that doesn't, it can't mean that, what does it mean? Well, remember who the most ardent enemy of the early church was.

It was the Jewish leadership of Israel. There are many reasons for this, but one in particular was the inclusion of the Gentiles into the kingdom of God. See access in the old covenant to God was always through the Jewish nation.

Jesus affirmed this on several occasions. Remember when the Canaanite woman appealed to, she wanted Jesus to heal her daughter. Remember what Jesus said? It kind of sets you back when you read it the first time.

He answered, I was only sent to the Lord's sheep of the house of Israel. But he's making a point, salvation had to be through the Jewish nation. And again the Samaritan woman, when he met her by the well, and he puts it very plainly to her, you worship that which you do not know.

We worship what you know, for salvation is from the Jews. So we see that salvation in the old covenant had to come through the Jewish nation. But with the atonement of Jesus Christ and the institution of the new covenant, Gentiles are now included.

As Paul is explaining this to the Hebrew, I'm sorry, to the Ephesians, he actually calls it a mystery. He says in verse 4 of chapter 3, by referring to this when you read, you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ.

And what is mystery? Which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by his holy apostles and prophets in the spirit. And then he says what the mystery is.

To be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise of Jesus Christ through the gospel. And Paul says that he's not ashamed of the gospel, for it's the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also the Greek.

So John, as he's encouraging the church to walk in holiness, to be assured of their salvation, because of Christ as our advocate and our propitiation, he breaks into a short word of praise. Christ is not just for us.

He's not just for the Jews, but he's for men and women of all nations, all tongues, all races, all tribes. And that's why Jesus commanded that the gospel in the new covenant should be preached to the whole world, and all who believe will be saved.

And I believe that's the primary meaning of John here, that now the salvation is open to the whole world. There's one other view of this text that's worth noting, and I throw this out for your perusal, for your discussion.

It was offered by B .B. Warfield in an essay titled, Jesus Christ the Propitiation for the World. Warfield says that Jesus came into the world because of love for the world, in order that he might save the world, and he actually saves the world.

But only eventually, as the impact of the Christian message is increasingly proclaimed and believed on widely. Warfield continues, he says, we are a little flock now. Tomorrow we shall be the world. At the end, though not at the beginning, Christ shall have saved a world to present to his Father.

Like I say, that's an interesting thought. We can discuss that more over lunch, if you'd like. So this morning, we've looked at Christ using three descriptions. He's an advocate, in fact the best possible advocate.

He is the righteous one, the only pure righteous one. He is the propitiation for our sins, the atoning sacrifice, the only one who could do that. And so John writes to admonish his children into faith, not to sin, but rather to walk in the light as he is in the light.

To pursue holiness without which no one will see heaven. I want to close with some thoughts from Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones. In his commentary on 1 John, he gives eight practical reasons for Christians not to sin.

And I give them to you, as John says, that you may not sin. The good doctor says, first, sin is something which is condemned and hated by God. Something which is utterly opposed to him and his divine and holy nature.

Second, sin is wrong in and of itself and in its own nature. Third, shouldn't sin because sin is the terrible and foul thing that caused the suffering of our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. Fourth, sin is dishonoring to the gospel, to its claims, and to its power.

Fifth, sin is utterly inconsistent with our profession of faith. Sixth, sin always leads to an evil conscience. Seventh, sin leads to doubts. It will at times make you uncertain of your relationship with God.

And then lastly, sin always leads to ultimately to a sense of hopelessness. That is why these New Testament epistles were written. If you're here this morning and you've come to Christ, I hope you realize that you need your sins forgiven.

I would urge you to repent of your sin and be saved, and call upon your advocate because you have the best advocate possible. He will never leave you, nor forsake you, and he knows exactly what is best for you in each and every circumstance of life.

Let's pray.