Your Eternal Defender

1 John 2:1-2 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense – Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
 
JESUS labeled John and his brother James “Sons of Thunder” (Mark 3:17). They must have been impulsive young men, ready to act quickly to defend Jesus with any means necessary. Once, when a Samaritan village refused to welcome Jesus, they responded, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” (Luke 9:54b) Judgment was their response to sin.
   But in this letter, John’s words tell us he’s become a new creation in Jesus Christ. He speaks to the church not as an impulsive judge but as a loving, patient father. John has learned to be as Jesus, who came to seek and to save that which was lost (Luke 19:10). John sought to guide the Christ-centered heart into a “less sin” life. He assures the church Jesus is their ever-present Advocate before the Father.
   This seems a bit odd, doesn’t it? Why would we need a defense of our sins before the Father? After all, God has elected us into his salvation. Do we constantly need Jesus’ to defend our salvation? Is God a mind-changing judge?
   No. Of course he is not. Jesus is not as a defense attorney who claims before the judge that his client is not guilty. Jesus knows you were guilty. But as you are saved, Jesus defends your salvation because he is the ongoing atoning sacrifice for our sins.
   In God’s law, on the Day of Atonement, the priest would lay hands on two goats to confess the nation’s sins. One goat was sacrificed on the altar. The other goat was taken out of the camp into the desert. This “scapegoat” symbolized the removal of sins. Each year the ritual was repeated.
   This atoning sacrifice became permanent when Jesus was taken outside of the camp – Jerusalem – to be crucified. The Father placed the sins of the world on his Son, the Righteous One, sacrificed on the altar of the cross. His death is the full atonement to the Father for the sins of the whole world. In this way, Jesus is your constant, sure Advocate before the Father of all who confess their sins and confess Jesus is Lord.
   Are you living a “less sin” life than when you confessed the Savior as your Lord? Do you trust that when you sin, your Advocate has defended you? John knew the people of the church would continue to sin. So he wanted them to know they could trust God’s forgiveness as they journeyed toward a more complete obedience of Jesus’ teachings.
   May the light of God’s salvation in Jesus guide you each day toward a more pure life. Amen.