40 Days of Praise - Day 25
Day 25
“My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.”
1 John 2:1–2
A friend of mine had made some bad choices and had a court date to face charges. He reached out to me, concerned about how he would represent himself. An attorney that I knew said that wasn’t the type of case that he handled, but he would make a call. He let me know shortly thereafter that his fellow attorney would handle it pro bono.
My friend arrived in court on the required day and time, but his name was not called. After waiting for an extended period, he approached the clerk. The clerk said his attorney had come earlier that morning and taken care of the case and he was free to go. He called me, grateful and quite surprised.
When we mess up, it’s good to have an advocate.
In the first chapter of 1 John, we learn that God is light and that in Him there is no darkness at all. He is completely and utterly holy, and He is all seeing, all knowing. Nothing escapes His notice. So when we sin, He knows. There’s no point pretending or denying. We are caught.
But there is hope. John tells us that if we confess our sins, if we own them without excuse and agree with God that what we did was wrong, that He’s faithful and just to forgive our sins and then to wash us clean from all of our unrighteousness.
We could read that and think, “Well if that’s the case, my sin doesn’t really matter.” That would be a mistake. In today's verses, John makes it clear that we should not sin. But if and when we do, we are not pleading our case to God alone. We have an advocate
Jesus lived a perfectly righteous human life. He pleased the Father in every way. Our Advocate has a perfect record before the court, so He has favor. He stands in for us, to plead our case. But He does so on a unique basis. He is the propitiation for our sin. He is the sacrifice that turns away the wrath of God from us. It’s on the basis of what He has done that we are forgiven; He has already paid the penalty for us.
And John reminds us that it’s not just for us. Jesus is the propitiation for the sins of the whole world -- all who receive Him as their Savior and Lord. He's reminding us that we should share this good news.
Because we all need an advocate.
There are so many reasons to love our Lord!
Charles M. Butler
“My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.”
1 John 2:1–2
A friend of mine had made some bad choices and had a court date to face charges. He reached out to me, concerned about how he would represent himself. An attorney that I knew said that wasn’t the type of case that he handled, but he would make a call. He let me know shortly thereafter that his fellow attorney would handle it pro bono.
My friend arrived in court on the required day and time, but his name was not called. After waiting for an extended period, he approached the clerk. The clerk said his attorney had come earlier that morning and taken care of the case and he was free to go. He called me, grateful and quite surprised.
When we mess up, it’s good to have an advocate.
In the first chapter of 1 John, we learn that God is light and that in Him there is no darkness at all. He is completely and utterly holy, and He is all seeing, all knowing. Nothing escapes His notice. So when we sin, He knows. There’s no point pretending or denying. We are caught.
But there is hope. John tells us that if we confess our sins, if we own them without excuse and agree with God that what we did was wrong, that He’s faithful and just to forgive our sins and then to wash us clean from all of our unrighteousness.
We could read that and think, “Well if that’s the case, my sin doesn’t really matter.” That would be a mistake. In today's verses, John makes it clear that we should not sin. But if and when we do, we are not pleading our case to God alone. We have an advocate
Jesus lived a perfectly righteous human life. He pleased the Father in every way. Our Advocate has a perfect record before the court, so He has favor. He stands in for us, to plead our case. But He does so on a unique basis. He is the propitiation for our sin. He is the sacrifice that turns away the wrath of God from us. It’s on the basis of what He has done that we are forgiven; He has already paid the penalty for us.
And John reminds us that it’s not just for us. Jesus is the propitiation for the sins of the whole world -- all who receive Him as their Savior and Lord. He's reminding us that we should share this good news.
Because we all need an advocate.
There are so many reasons to love our Lord!
Charles M. Butler
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