I don't think we can talk too much about God's forgiveness, Christ's advocacy, or our own need of Him.
We all sin. " for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). We are guilty of sin ("all have sinned") and we all continue to fail ("all... fall short"). There is no one who does not continue to sin.
Our response to this fact is telling. We might respond by leaning into it, perhaps even celebrating it. "We all sin" we might say dismissively, while our passions rule us and drive us deeper and deeper into it.
We might respond with a less enthusiastic – but equally useless – resignation. "We all sin" we might say, shrugging with a defeated sigh.
But Scripture lays out something different. The first response to our sin is on Christ's part. "If anyone sins" – not, "if anyone repents" – "we have an advocate with the Father" (1 John 2:2). It's important for us to recognize that Christ doesn't wait for us to repent, to confess, or to pray. No, whenever we sin, He is our advocate with the Father. Long before we feel any sense of remorse, He is already working on our behalf with the Father in heaven.
Our response to sin is laid out in 1 John 1:9, "if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins." It's remarkable that it is Divine justice that is linked to our forgiveness. God's justice demands He forgive us when we confess, because Christ has already paid for our sins. What an amazing thought, that the same justice that we would expect to drive God to wrath to punish us for our sins actually drives Him to forgive us, because Christ has died for us (cf. Romans 3:24–26).
There's a tendency for us to think that we earn God's forgiveness by our confession, which shows just how fallen we are. There is no merit in confession, it's simply an acknowledgment. It's saying what God already knows: we have sinned.
The language of 1 John 1:9 has a sacramental sense. It's for our benefit: we can point to confession and say, "I know God has forgiven, because I have confessed, and He promises to forgiven when I confess." The fact is that we have forgiveness of sins as a present blessing (Colossians 1:14). God doesn't wait for us to confess before He forgives. But we need that assurance of forgiveness. We need to know that He has forgiven, and so we have this answer: "if you have confessed, then I have forgiven." And we can point to that confession as a sort of a receipt of forgiveness.
Of course we still have a tendency to hang on to guilt, and we really insult God in doing so. We act like God's forgiveness is all well and good, but we need something more. It's an unimaginably arrogant thing for us to think that God might have forgiven me, but my standards are higher than His. It's a wicked thing to think.
And of course we might need to make amends to some other person. If we have sinned against our brother or sister as well as against the Lord, we might need to ask their forgiveness as well. But the fact remains that God is the most injured party regardless of whom else we have hurt.
We recognize, too, that our confession of sins is really a tangible result of Christ's advocacy for us, and the Holy Spirit's work in us. It's not our idea to confess our sins to God, but His. When we confess our sins and have that receipt of forgiveness, we come to understand that it's because Christ had already been advocating for us – even while we were still sinning – that we were brought to our knees to confess.
It's worth bearing this in mind. It's worth contemplating this. "Whoso is wise, let him observe these things, and let them understand the loving-kindnesses of Jehovah" (Psalm 107:43).
8 comments:
“Saints forget often that Christ is a great deal more watchful than they are. He said to Peter before he failed, "I have prayed for thee." Directly the heart of a believer recognises sin, it ought to recognise Christ praying for him. This blessed Lord is not only the restorer of our souls, but the One who continually renews the flow of affection between the Father and the wandering child.” (GVW)
I remember Robert telling us that there is a difference between Christ as our Great High Priest, and Christ as our Advocate; and that if we would learn to make better use of Christ as our High Priest we wouldn’t need so much of His Advocacy. (Robert, please correct me if I misquoted you.)
“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:15-16
(By the way, I fully agree with your first sentence. We truly can’t talk too much about Christ, and His finished work and ongoing work)
I am sorry that have have not had much to say in the past weeks. I went to France on holiday and had 12 hours of sunshine every day for two weeks but somewhere I caught a version of Covid and have been living for the past four weeks going to the meetings and then home to bed. I am a lot better now and catching up.
Rodger, you have a good memory and quoted what I said. We have a high priest with God for our weakness on the wilderness journey and an Advocate with the Father if we sin.
Some thoughts on 1 John. John cannot be interpreted by the thinking of Paul or James. With John sin is an ‘if’ not a ‘when’ in the life of the believer. That’s because of the new birth and divine nature within. And I agree that we should take note that it is not that ‘he has an Advocate’ but ‘we have’.
I am pleased Mark that you did not mention the notion of an Advocate pleading our case before the Father as it has often been expounded. Satan on one side and Christ on the other pleading our cause is not in view surely. It is not a judicial scene but a family one. It is not about our standing before the Father but our communion. I once asked a very well taught brother what our Advocate does and he said, nothing! When I pressed him to explain further, he asked, what does the verse say He does? When I replied that the verse doesn’t tell us why He does, he replied that’s because the verse is telling us about who He is before the Father, not what He does. Worth considering.
You guys are greatly appreciated.
Robert, so glad you're much better now.
Pray for the peace of Israel!
Maranatha!!!
Susan - in our meeting last night we read the last parable of Balaam in Numbers 24 concerning Israel in the latter days:
“ I shall see him, but not now:I shall behold him, but not nigh:there shall come a Star out of Jacob,and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel,and shall smite the corners of Moab,and destroy all the children of Sheth. And Edom shall be a possession,Seir also shall be a possession for his enemies;and Israel shall do valiantly. Out of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion,and shall destroy him that remaineth of the city.”
No matter what Hamas and its supporters think, Israel’s future is safe in the hands of Christ.
“Notice particularly how it is put. I think if we had written this we should have been likely to put it thus -- "and he made propitiation for our sins", but that is not what the Holy Ghost says. The blessed Spirit wishes to concentrate our thoughts rather upon THE PERSON who did the work than upon the work itself, and He says, "HE is the propitiation for our sins". All the value of the work resides in the Person who did it, and if you want to have the benefit of the work you must go to HIM by faith -- you must believe on His Name. A very simple illustration may help you to understand it. The medical student poring over his books, making his dissections, walking the hospitals, is working for his future practice. But when that work is done and he comes out as an M.D., all the value of the work resides in the person who has done it, and if you want the benefit of that long study and labour you must go to the person who did it. It is so in this matter of forgiveness. The great atoning work, which is its everlasting basis in righteousness, was finished -- once for all -- at Calvary; but all the value of that work resides today in the glorious Person who did it. "HE is the propitiation for our sins". Never, from the moment in which He cried, "It is finished!" to all eternity, can one jot or tittle be added to the perfection of His atoning work. All the efficacy and value of that work is available for every sinner under heaven, and is to be secured by faith in the Person who did it. The Gospel Proclamation is surely plain enough. Listen to it! "Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto YOU the forgiveness of sins; and by him all that believe are justified from all things" (Acts 13:38, 39).” (CAC)
How do you all understand, “Keep yourselves in the love of God” (Jude 21), and does Christ’s advocacy and priesthood tie into that in some way?
I think there are two thoughts in v. 21 and v.24. Keep yourselves in the love of God is something the individual believer can do. It relates to “building up yourselves up on your most holy faith” and “looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ”.
I have sometimes come home from work and asked my wife how long the sun has been shining and she will say, all day. I did not know the sun was shining because my office window is obstructed by higher buildings. So the only way I can enjoy the sun is to go out and look for it. In practical terms we need to put ourselves into the sunshine of the love of God through reading the Word, praying, reading commentaries, meditating on what we have read, talking with other believers, attending the gatherings of saints and also denying everything in our lives that we know will bring us into the shadows.
The BBC has a morning news programme on the radio. I used to listen to it in the car on the way to work and it gave me a summary of what was happening in the world. But some years ago I realised the production values had shifted from factual journalism to the promotion of woke ideology like the ‘climate emergency’, gay and trans rights and much more. So I used the off switch and stay out of the shadowland first thing in the morning!
That’s what we can do. Jude begins by telling us that people have fallen, angels have fallen and cities have fallen. What can we do to keep ourselves from falling? The answer is - nothing! That is beyond our abilities. But we have a High Priest with God and an Advocate with the Father - “Him who is able to keep us from falling and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy”.
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