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Jesus Our Advocate


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.
I John 2:1

An advocate is one who pleads another's cause before a tribunal or judicial court. Since all men have sinned against God, all men need an Advocate to defend them. Until and unless they acknowledge Jesus Christ the Righteous as their Advocate, they will not stand any chance to win their cases. And the Chief Justice is God Himself. But their prosecuting attorney is Satan. His name is also known as the Adversary, and the Accuser.

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. (1 Peter 5:8)

Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, "Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death." (Revelation 12:10-11)

The Greek word for Advocate is parakletos (Strong No. 3875). It means an Intercessor, a Consoler, an Advocate, a Comforter and a Helper.

Our Consoler, Comforter and Helper is the Holy Spirit Himself:

And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever-- (John 14:16)

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. (John 14:26)

But when the Helper comes, Whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth Who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. (John 15:26)

Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. (John 16:7)

When God is silent, He is to be feared even more. Between the end of Genesis and the beginning of Exodus is a period of 430 years (Exodus 12:40) of silence where the Israelites lived and were enslaved in Egypt. But God sent a deliverer Moses. They sang a mighty song of victory when they had crossed the Red Sea on dry ground. The period between the Old Testament and the New Testament is known as the four hundred silent years. But thereafter God sent The Deliverer, Jesus Christ, to save not only Israel but also the whole world from their sins.

What are we to do when God is silent? The below are some examples to follow:

Exodus 14:13-14 And Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace."
Number 9:8 And Moses said to them, "Stand still, that I may hear what the LORD will command concerning you."
2 Chronicles 20:17 'You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, Who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!' Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the LORD is with you.
Psalm 46:10-11 Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

One of the miracles of Jesus is calming the troubled waters of the raving sea. In Mark 4:39-40, He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!" And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to His disciples, "Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?"

We are living in very troubled times, full of uncertainty and unrest. But we have a Heavenly Advocate Who pleads on our behalf night and day before God the Father.

Intercession is the act of petitioning God, or praying to God, on behalf of another person or group. Our world is full of foes and woes. We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12). It is therefore necessary for righteous men and women to go before God to seek reconciliation between Him and His fallen creation. In the past, we have Abraham interceding to God on behalf of Sodom (Genesis 18); Moses pleading to God on behalf of the Hebrew people (Exodus 33:14-17); and many other faithful intercessors.

But now, we have Jesus Christ, the greatest Intercessor of all, praying for us. He had prayed on behalf of Peter (Luke 22:32) and His disciples (John 17). Then in the most selfless intercession of all, He petitioned God on behalf of those who crucified Him (Luke 23:34). But Christ's intercessory work did not cease when He ascended to heaven. In heavenly places, He intercedes for His church today (Hebrews 7:25):

Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

His Holy Spirit also pleads on behalf of the individual Christians (Romans 8:26-28):

Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He Who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

With Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit as our two excellent examples to follow, we need to do likewise - to intercede for all people (1Timothy 2:1-4):

Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, Who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Finally, let us thank God for being our righteous Advocate and our loving Judge.

What then shall we say to these things?
If God is for us, who can be against us?
Romans 8:31

The LORD is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the strength of my life;
Of whom shall I be afraid?
Psalm 27:1

And He (Jesus) said to them,
"I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven."
Luke 10:18

Source:
Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary

Written on:
19 June 2004