Resources/Articles
Why Are These Things Written? (2)
My little children, these things write I unto you that ye may not sin. And if any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
1 John 2:1
If any man sins, Jesus is the Advocate. The Christ is the bridge over the gap. He brings us to forgiveness from God. The Lord comes to our side as if in a court of justice. He is our “legal assistant,” an intercessor for us. WHY? The answer is simple: We sin. We are guilty as charged by the law of God, and we cannot defend ourselves in guilt.
What good is an advocate if you are already guilty? Why plead to a judge if he and the advocate know you are guilty? It is called grace! It is called righteousness for unrighteousness! This advocate is essential to appease the wrath of God and turn away the punishment due to the guilty. Jesus is the “perfect” advocate. He is righteous. He is without sin. He creates the bridge to forgiveness with the cross upon which he died.
At this point it would be worth your time to read the description of what this Advocate has done in Hebrews 2:17-18 and Hebrews 4:14-16.
The real beauty in all of this is it is “for the whole world” (v. 2). God does not want any of mankind to remain in the REALITY of sin. His desire is for us to partake of the IDEAL. Therefore, there is no reason to sit in the REALITY of sin, thinking it does not exist in our lives when it does, especially when a way to get rid of it is available.
To prevent further sin, Jesus also provides “his commandments” for us to keep (1 John 2:3-4). Those who love him will want to serve him and keep those commandments (John 14:15). What that does for us is found in v. 5. Those who keep the word and serve God in love know they are in him, and as a result, perfect the love of God.
Speaking of your love for Christ and his commands are one thing. Abiding in christ and “walking” as he walked brings credibility to your love. When we walk by the pattern of the One who is without sin, we walk in the IDEAL and not the REAL. This means the more time we spend learning of him and how he walked, the less likely we will spend time in sin. We will patiently strive for the IDEAL - JESUS.
No one conquers hatred by staying hateful. You cannot resolve division by being contentious. Divorce never ends as long as couples abandon their responsibility and forsake their love of one another. People can only avoid the REALITY of sin by following the pattern of Jesus Christ.
Here again is another REALITY: Few will want to follow the pattern. There are few saved, because they refuse to enter the “narrow door” (Luke 13:23-24). Refusal of Christ does not mean the IDEAL is ineffective and no good. It just means people refuse the remedy for the REAL - sin.
Besides the blood of Jesus bridging the gap, striving for the IDEAL and obeying Christ is the way to handle the struggle between things as they are and as they ought to be. This is why you hear these words in scripture: “always abounding,” “give diligence,” “put on,” “fight,” “watch,” “walk,” “press on,” “continue,” “grow,” and “pursue.” God never wants us to stop pursuing the IDEAL - SIN NOT. God is looking for more Christians to be “ONWARD Christian soldiers.”
We may be members of a less than perfect church, but we can still be faithful. A person could be a spouse in a less than perfect marriage, but still be responsible and loving. One could be employed in a less than perfect job, but he can still work for Christ. We are given the IDEAL pattern to follow in every relationship. It is not the REALITY we should accept. It is the IDEAL. Let us abound more and more in the IDEAL just like Paul said for every Christian to do in Philippians 1:10 regarding love. “...Approve the excellent [IDEAL] things.”
Here is the REALITY the IDEAL must face: Temptation. Temptation has a way of distracting us from the IDEAL of living without sin. We are told it is not possible, everyone is doing it, everyone makes mistakes, and nobody is perfect. All these appeals are attempts to carry our hearts away from the desires of God and mold us by the desires of the world. If we have educated ourselves on the commands of Jesus, follow his pattern, and devote our attitudes to obey his way, we will be prepared to face each temptation, one at a time. Therefore, instead of saying, “I’m afraid I’ll do it again” or “I’m afraid I can’t do it,” we will change our attitudes to say, “I can do all things in him that strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13).
Every person - unsaved or saved - should know what he or she “ought to be.” Why not let Jesus remove the REAL and strive for the IDEAL. Let Jesus have his way with thee.
