John is now telling you that he is writing this so that you will not sin. What is it that he is writing? He just finished chapter 1 with telling you about having fellowship with God and living in the light as He is in the light.
Living in this way will keep you from sinning…if you were to do that 100% of the time. It is very simple: follow God, walk with God and don’t sin. Don’t you wish it were that simple? But it is. The problem comes in that people let their old sinful nature get control and they allow themselves to sin.
At this point John states that if anyone should sin we have an advocate with the Father. Notice that he said “if”, not “when”. In reality there should be no reason for us to sin once we come to Jesus, but we do.
What is advocate? This is a person who stands in the middle between two different parties. He will stand with the higher authority looking out for his best interest, while, at the same time, standing with someone lower, looking out for his best interest.
In this case Jesus Christ is standing with God on your behalf. He knows and understands God the Father perfectly. He also understands you perfectly.
Jesus understands that you will slip up and sin at times. Jesus came to the earth to save you from your sin. He paid the price for your sin–death. He is the sacrifice for your sins.
Now He stands before God the Father telling Him that your sins have been paid for and thrown out. Without Jesus standing before God for you, you would be at a loss as to what to tell God about your sins. You would be unable to show that they have been paid for .
Today thank Jesus for paying for your sins. Rejoice in the fact He is standing before God on your behalf. As you remember this, also, turn away from sin. Choose to not sin today. Choose to turn away from temptation to sin.
I pray that God will help you to turn from sin; that God will help you to remember all that He has done for you; that God will help you to realize the advocate you have in Jesus; and that your life and actions will bring glory to God each day.
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