LIVING WORD DEVOTIONAL
By Pastor Mensa Otabil
Monday 21st February 2022
JESUS, OUR ADVOCATE
Scripture Reading: 1 John 2
My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 1 John 2:1
The Apostle John exhorts us not to be in the habit of committing sin after we give our lives to the Lord Jesus. He presents two situations for the believer – living without sin and what to do when we sin. God’s ideal condition is that we live our lives without sin. However, the Lord does not abandon us when we sin. Jesus Christ, the righteous One, is our Advocate with the Father.
The context that the text envisions is similar to a courtroom – God’s courtroom. In that courtroom, God sits as judge. When we sin, the accuser of the brethren, who is also known as Satan makes a case against us. That is similar to the way a prosecutor makes a case against an accused person. An accused person who is prosecuted in a court needs to have a defense lawyer – an advocate.
• Jesus, our Advocate. An advocate is a defender who stands with the accused. He defends the accused person against the charges brought against him. Jesus Christ is such an Advocate for us before God. He stands with us before the Father and not against us.
• His righteousness speaks for us. In the passage, Jesus is also called the Righteous. He is a righteous Advocate who can stand before God on the basis of His own righteousness to speak for those who have sinned against God.
When the Lord Jesus stands before the Father on our behalf, He does not present our sins to the Father. He presents His Righteousness to the Father. He tells the Father not to judge us because of our sin but to see us through His righteousness.
Our Heavenly Father, desires that we live for Him without sin. He does not want us to form sinful habits. However, when we sin, instead of running away from God’s presence, Christ our Saviour is our Advocate before the Father, and He wants us to reconnect with God.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, I desire to live righteously before you. Thank you for providing a way out of sin. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
