“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
God does not want us to sin, because sin is inherently destructive to our well-being. Sin does not produce God’s best for us. Sin is incongruent with God’s perfect design and so when we choose to sin, we choose a pattern of life that is unnatural, unfruitful, unhealthy, and contrary to who God made us to be. We often believe the lies that Satan and temptation whisper, but the bitter fruit of sin reminds us that sin is never a lifestyle that gives lasting joy, nor does it highlight God as the good and glorious God that He is. The Apostle John writes so that his readers will not sin. He loves them and wants God’s best for them.
At the same time, the Apostle John knows that sometimes we do sin. Sometimes, even when we have the best of intentions, we still fall short of the good God made us to experience. As so, he reminds us that if we do sin, we have an advocate, Jesus Christ. An advocate is one who is a committed friend who is on your side. An advocate is willing and able to step in on your behalf and help rectify your situation.
“We are indeed called to forsake our sins, and no healthy Christian would suggest otherwise. When we choose to sin, we forsake our true identity as a child of God, we invite misery into our lives, and we displease our Heavenly Father. We are called to mature into deeper levels of personal holiness as we walk with the Lord, truer consecration, new vistas of obedience. But when we don’t- when we choose to sin- though we forsake our true identity, our Savior does not forsake us. These are the very moments when His heart erupts on our behalf in renewed advocacy in heaven with a resounding defense that silences all accusations, astonishes the angels, and celebrates the Father’s embrace of us in spite of all our messiness.”[1]
Christ is not only on our side when we are doing well, but especially in those times when we are not. As the popular hymn proclaims, “What a friend we have in Jesus.” He is the groom who stays in sickness and in health, for richer or for poor, through highs and through lows. Even now, He is in Heaven praying for you. Consider how worthy He is of our love and trust.
[1] Ortlund, Dane. Gentle and Lowly. Crossway Books, 2020. Page 92