The Advocate and the One who makes Propitiation (1 John 2:1-2)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 06-24-04

 

My Worship Time                  Focus:  The Advocate and the One who makes Propitiation 

 

Bible Reading & Meditation             Reference:  1John 2:1-2

 

            Message of the verse:  “1 My little children, I am writing these things to you that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; 2 and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.”  (NASB)  “1 I WRITE these things to you, my children, to help you to avoid sin. But if a man should sin, remember that our advocate before the Father is Jesus Christ and He is just, 2 the One who made personal atonement for our sins (and for those of the rest of the world as well).”  (Philips)

            John continues the theme of sin into this second chapter.  He uses two words in these first two verses, which describe two of the works that the Lord Jesus Christ does, or has done in the past. The words are Advocate, and propitiation, and they are significant words for the believer as well as for  unbeliever too.  The word Advocate can mean a defense attorney, one who walks along side you when you are in court.  The Holy Spirit is One who walks along side the believer.  Jesus Christ is Advocate to those who have accepted Him as Saviour and Lord, and He represents us in God’s court in heaven when Satan decides to accuse us of doing wrong.

            The word propitiation carries with it the meaning of being satisfied with God’s holy Law.  God loves the world, yet He is Holy and thus cannot look away from sin, so His solution was the sending of His Son, Jesus Christ into the world to pay the debt of sin.  God is satisfied with Christ’s sacrifice of sin and thus He can justify the believer on the basis of Christ’s death.  The OT word for propitiation is mercy seat, and the mercy seat was on top of the Ark of the Covenant.  There were two angels upon the top of the mercy seat and one represented God’s justice and the other His love.  The blood of the sacrifice was placed upon the mercy seat once a year to cover the sins of the nation of Israel.  God’s justice was satisfied as He looked at the blood of an innocent sacrifice, and thus God’s love could forgive.  Now it is worth noting that in this second verse John writes that this propitiation was for the whole world, and it surely was as can be seen in John 3:16, for it is offered to the whole world, yet as explained it certainly has application to the believer.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I need to remember at all times that forgiveness is free to me, but it was so very costly for God the Father, and for God the Son.  When I sin it is good to remember that that is what caused the death of the perfect Son of God, on my behalf.

 

The Word of God was convicting to my soul today as I read it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  Trust the Lord to be in the courthouse at Barrie ON this morning working out His perfect will for the lives of the investors, and also for Andrew Lech.  I pray that the Lord will continue to impress upon my heart the cost of forgiveness.