THIS IS A SENSITIVE subject in the Church. When you teach about God’s grace and forgiveness, someone always believes you’re giving people a license to sin. I always say people do enough sinning without one.
In First John 2:1, it’s clear that God does not want us to sin: “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” In this passage, John addresses those saved under his ministry as his little children. He’s clearly writing to Christians, urging them not to sin.
As Christians, when we sin, our hearts are grieved. How can we remove the heavy weight of guilt and grief? In this scripture, John presents God’s provision for sin: our Advocate, Jesus Christ, the Righteous.
Jesus Restores Us
Righteousness is rightstanding with God and the ability to stand in His presence without an inferiority complex or sin-consciousness. Sin causes us to lose our sense of righteousness with God, and our Advocate, Jesus, restores it. How?
We need mercy when we have sinned.
First John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.” If you have sinned or failed as a Christian, you cannot stand in God’s presence without being aware of your sin. But there is One who can enter on your behalf: Jesus Christ, the Righteous. “He is the propitiation [the substitute] for our sins” (1 John 2:2).
First John 1:9 was written to Christians. If you read First John 1:9–10 and 2:1–2 in sequence, you will see that John is not writing to sinners. Man put divisions between these chapters, but John did not write in chapters and verses.
If a person is born again and has the life and nature of God within him, he doesn’t want to do wrong. But often the devil tempts people through their flesh and overcomes them when they are not strong spiritually.
Paul tells us in Galatians 6:1, “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness.” In Greek, this verse reads, “If any man among you be overtaken in an offense, or sin, you which are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness.” God wants His people restored to full fellowship with Him if they desire it.
For example, if a man were to speak sharply to his wife, he would not be eternally lost because of it. He would, however, be out of fellowship with her! He needs to get back into fellowship with her by apologizing and asking for her forgiveness.
Jesus Forgives and Cleanses Us
Our Advocate, Jesus, forgives our sins when we confess them. But He does more than that. When we are tempted and sin, we can claim the promise in First John 1:9. This scripture teaches that when we confess our sins, He forgives us and cleanses us from all unrighteousness. He also cleanses us of the sin-consciousness or spiritual inferiority complex that would keep us from entering God’s presence.
Many times, new Christians miss God’s will and sin in ways they are unaware of, yet they are walking in the light (the understanding of the Word) they do have. First John 1:7 tells us, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” As I look back, I can see that I missed God many times without even realizing it. At the time, I walked in the light I had, and the blood of Jesus cleansed me from sins I didn’t know about.
When it comes to healing, James 5:14–15 says, “Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.” We see here the possibility of sin in conjunction with sickness, and of forgiveness connected with healing.
Jesus Pleads Our Case
An advocate is a lawyer or someone who pleads our case. When we sin, Jesus serves as our Advocate, pleading our case before the Father. If a believer is tempted and allows Satan to gain mastery over him in some matter, when he cries out for God’s mercy, he can hear Christ, his Advocate, remind him of First John 1:9. He can also hear Jesus say, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace.” Why? “That we may obtain mercy” (Heb. 4:16). We need mercy when we have sinned.
To illustrate, a minister friend of mine once ran a red light in a small town. A policeman pulled him over and issued a ticket for going 45 in a 30-mph zone. When he appeared in court, the judge asked whether he had anything to say.
This minister said yes and explained that he was on his way to preach when he received the traffic ticket. “Judge, I don’t have a dime,” he said. “I’ll just have to go to jail or work it out on the county farm. I’m not going to ask you for justice because I’m guilty.”
Then he told the judge that he was like the woman in the Bible who had been caught in the act of adultery. When her accusers brought her to Jesus, He said, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her” (John 8:7). One by one, the accusers left. When Jesus asked her whether any man condemned her, she said no. Then Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more” (John 8:10–11).
“Judge, I’m asking for mercy, and I’ll go and sin no more,” the minister concluded. The judge asked, “Is that story in the Bible?” When the minister said yes, the judge replied, “I wish you would show it to me.” The minister had his own copy of the New Testament and showed the judge the passage. “I teach a Sunday school class at a local church,” the judge explained. “I’m going to teach that passage. Case dismissed.”
Mercy and grace are always available to us when we sin. All we need to do is call on Jesus, our Advocate.
Author
Kenneth E. Hagin
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