1 John 2:1 - we have an advocate with the Father

“My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.” 1 John 2:1

I expect to one day stand before God with no excuse. No excuse for why I never did quite get my act together. No excuse for why I persisted to the bitter end with rationalization in the face of fact telling me otherwise. I have been, am and will be an admitted failure. A failure in that I could not consistently be who God would have had me be.

So is it that I can’t stand Him? Would I rather I had never come to faith in Him? Not at all. I’m happy about it. It’s just a flawed world and I’m a flawed guy. Thing is, the truth will and has set me free.

I won’t even bother trying to assign a state of semi righteousness unto myself, nor strive to be a good enough guy to just “get in” by the skin of my teeth. I know that good according to God’s standard is an absolute good which invalidates any sense of relative good. Pretty good, even very good, fall infinitely short of what good truly is.

Am I doomed then? Quite the contrary. You see, the judge is also my advocate. I can and have freely and happily received imputed goodness as a gift. A gift paid for in full, but not by me. I did not have the cash or collateral to pay a price that large. He did and was willing to. Purely out of love for me.

Well heck, why then not just sin like crazy and do whatever I want?

I can do what I wish, but find it not much fun to knowingly turn my back on the One I feel I owe so much. Can’t stray very far before I feel lost and empty; so I run back to His arms. It’s better there.

I’ll soon find a way to convince myself otherwise, even though one aspect of my being will be in direct opposition. Such is the cross I bear. He said it would not be so easy, I would have to pick up my own and carry it. Thing is, mine is nothing compared to the one He carried. And I did not help Him carry His.