My little children, these things I write unto
you that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have
an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the
righteous. And he is the propitiation for our
sins, and not for ours only. but also for the
sins of the whole world. Thus reads a portion
of the Word of God as found in 1 John, the second
chapter. To me, these are some of the most thrilling
words in the entire New Testament. Oh, what comfort!
What security! What hope! What... There can be
no defeat in Christ Jesus. Know that. John, the
great disciple of love, in the preceding chapter
had emphasized the marvelous truth of forgiveness
through Christ. He had stated in language which
simply cannot be misunderstood when he said,
The blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanseth
us from all sin. More thrilling words were never
written. More thrilling words were never spoken.
It is the blood that maketh an atonement for
the soul. The blood of Jesus Christ, his Son.
cleanseth us from all sin. And in those words
he had assured his hearers that if we confess
our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive
us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
And then he continues. Three little words so
full of love, so full of meaning. My little children.
He called them by the most endearing name possible.
My little children. These things write I unto
you that ye sin not. Was it necessary to sin?
Was it necessary then? Is it necessary today?
Somehow I feel that John knew human nature. Jesus
knew human nature. And I'm so glad that he does.
I'm so glad that he realizes that we're still
human, even though we've been born again. Even
though we belong to him. Even though our past
has been covered with the blood. It doesn't change
the fact one iota that we're still an old body
of flesh. This is still mortal. This is still
corruption. Jesus remembered that we were human.
Paul knew human nature. And we Christians soon
learned that despite our best efforts, despite...
Our sincerity. It happens that sometime we stumble
and fall. We're not perfect. Not one of us. If
you claim perfection, any perfection of yourself,
you only deceive yourself. I cannot honestly
claim any perfection of myself. I would not deliberately
sin for anything in the world. I would not deliberately
go against the word of God. or grieve the Holy
Spirit or grieve my Lord for anything in the
world and yet I can claim no perfection of myself.
I am not perfect. Neither are you perfect. Neither
is any human being in the world today perfect.
Only one walked this earth in complete perfection
and that one is the one who is our great advocate
this very hour, the son of the living God. We
must say with Paul when he said, not as though
I had already attained. Either we're already
perfect. That's right. We have not yet attained
that perfection. We will not. attain perfection
until that which is mortal will have put on immortality.
That which is now corruption will have put on
incorruption. Not as though I had already attained.
Either were already perfect. At best we can merely
say follow after and press toward the mark for
the prize of the high calling in Christ Jesus,
as Paul expresses it. Because of our inability
to reach perfection, some may say, well, what's
the use of trying? Or others may say, because
God is so ready to forgive sins, why should I
put forth any special effort? paralyzed their
Christian life. Hence the apostle pleads that
we should not sin. The antidote which he offers
is that we confess and forsake our sin. But however,
the apostle realized full well that we should
not achieve perfection. but that there will be
sins and transgressions. Hence he says, and if
any man sin, he does not say if we sin. Sin is
the act of an individual. The individual is guilty.
Any one of us may sin. In fact, every one of
us does sin. Of course. As Christians, we do
not want to sin. We fight against it. We do not
become slaves of sin. Sin should not rule over
us. Paul says in the sixth chapter of Romans,
Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body,
that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
For sin shall not have dominion over you. For
ye are not under the law, but under grace. And
yet, we're human. We stumble. We're as little
children. Little children learning to walk. And
we fall. We're exposed to severe temptations.
And the evil one, the devil as a roaring lion,
walketh about seeking whom he may devour. Or
worse still, he will resort to his cunning devices
in putting temptations in our way, in deceiving
us. But not one of us needs yield to temptation.
As long as we have the great advocate, as long
as we have the great mediator, as long as we
keep our eyes on Jesus, for there is one who
is greater than the enemy of our soul, and that
one is the very Son of the living God. We yield
too easily. Scripture presents examples of great
men of God who yielded to temptation and afterward
regretted it deeply. Think of Moses and Aaron
who led Israel out of Egypt but because of their
sins were not permitted to enter the promised
land. of David, who became guilty of adultery
and murder. An afterword described his condition,
saying, When I kept silence, my bones waxed old
through my roaring all the day long. For day
and night thy hand was heavy upon me. My moisture
is turned into the drought of summer. Oh, the
cry of his heart. The cry of his heart. My bones
waxed old through my roaring all the day long.
Think of Simon Peter who denied the Christ. who
cursed and swore that he was not one of Christ's
disciples, and then afterward went out and wept
bitterly. Who is there among us? God's precious
little children. My little children, who has
not wept bitterly because of some failure. Some
remorse. Some sin committed. And he went out
and wept bitterly. Did the master cast us aside?
Did the master cast you aside? Did he cast me
aside? What then if you and I fall into sin?
Is our case hopeless? The grace of God reclaimed
Moses and Aaron and David and Peter and others.
The grace of God wants to reclaim also you and
reclaim me and reclaim that one who has sinned.
I have the greatest message for you this hour
that you can possibly know. I don't care who
you are. There is hope. No case is hopeless.
No night is so dark, but what the master is right
there, caring and loving. The great advocate.
The very son of the living God. And that is the
very point which John wants to emphasize. And
he says, if any man sin, we have an advocate
with the faith. Father, when we have fallen and
are all disturbed and torn by it, God wants us
to know that we have an advocate. In other words,
he's saying we have a lawyer who pleads our cause.
This presents the scene of a courtroom. We are
the accused and must stand trial. God is our
judge. However, here we are told that it is the
Father, Christ's Father, our Father. Oh, what
a wonderful and blessed advantage to have our
Heavenly Father as our judge. Our Father who
loves us, our Father who sent Christ in the world
to establish this blessed, this glorious relationship
with Father and Child. But our case is even more
hopeful than that. For our advocate who appears
for us before the face of God the Father, who
stands by us and speaks for us and directs his
plea to the Father is none other than Jesus Christ.
It is Christ our Savior and Redeemer who once
dwelt on earth. in the depth of poverty and lowliness
and misery and suffering as a sin -bearer, that
he might redeem us. It is Christ, Christ the
anointed of God, who is redeemed for the purpose
of being our prophet, our priest, our glorious
king. And this same wonderful Jesus Christ now
functions as our advocate. He intercedes for
us. Is there anything more thrilling to God's
children? Is there anything more thrilling to
you this very hour as his child than to know
that you have an advocate? There is nothing more
thrilling to me in the midnight hour, in the
darkness of that hour, to know as I awaken and
look through the darkness, the blackness of the
night, to know that I have an advocate. Jesus
Christ the Lord. In this world of sin, I have
security. I have a foundation. Nothing is hopeless.
Because I have an advocate. He intercedes for
me. He intercedes for you before the Father's
throne. The prophet Isaiah saw all of this and
said, He bare the sin of many. and made intercession
for the transgressors. When cruel hands had riveted
Christ to the cross, when godless hands had nailed
Jesus to the cross, he prayed, Father, forgive
them, for they know not what they do. And in
the light of that, Paul asks, Who is he that
condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea, rather,
that is risen again, who is even at the right
hand of God, who also maketh intercession for
us. There is one this very hour, O beloved. Sing
it, preach it, rejoice, tell it, know it, thrill
to it. This very hour we have one in position
of great high priest, seated at the right hand
of God the Father, who also maketh intercession
for us. John is eager. to clinch this glorious
truth even more. And he says of our great intercessor
that he is Jesus Christ, the righteous. All those
two words, the righteous. You know, ordinarily,
a lawyer need not be righteous himself. He need
not plead his own case. This would not benefit
his client in the least. He may... be merely
a petitioner who proves that the cause of his
client is just. But in our case, however, we
the clients are sinful and guilty, but our advocate
is holy and righteous and pleads our cause on
the basis of justice. His own justice and righteousness.
He can say nothing good of us, for we've sinned.
But he can say much good for us, for he has done
much for us. Our advocate is righteous in a twofold
sense. He himself is without sin. He lived a
perfect life. He fulfilled every demand of God's
holy law. No one could convict him of sin. On
the other hand, he is righteous as a substitute.
When he met every requirement of God's law perfectly,
he did it for us in our stead. When he suffered
every stroke of sin's penalty, when he died on
Calvary's cross, he did it all for us. And Peter
says, For Christ also hath once suffered for
sins, the just for the... unjust. And that's
what John means when he declares, and he is the
propitiation for our sins. He bore them in his
own body on the tree. He atoned for them. He
removed this ugly and insurmountable barrier
which separated us from God. Thus he reconciles
us. To God. He brought us the blessed assurance
that God loves us and wants us in his family
for time and for eternity. Surely we must marvel
and wonder at God's gracious dealings with us
undeserving sinners. And it all becomes the more
marvelous when we read, and not for ours only,
but also for the sins of the whole world. Our
gracious God is that who respects your persons,
anyone, everyone, no matter who you are, or who
will live in the days or the years which lie
ahead. has been reconciled to God by Christ,
and our Savior is only too eager to plead for
him before the Father's throne. Oh, beloved,
ponder this glorious truth, no matter who you
are or where you may be. Listen. Christ, who
redeemed us with his precious blood, surely has
every reason. To plead our cause. And in this
moment, put your case in his hands. And he will
decide in your favor. Because as a substitute,
he has merited.