Advocate

Virtue of Not Sinning

Ken

“For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not” (Ecclesiastes 7:20 KJV). The vanity of trying to do it right but not succeeding was felt even by the Apostle Paul. “19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. 24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” (Romans 7:19, 24). Is there deliverance from sinning? Yes! Paul answers the question. “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (7:25). And, immediately tells how. “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (8:1). Walking after the Spirit is either a mystical, theological description of what every Christian has-but-doesn’t-know or we really don’t understand, since too many Professed Christians still identify with the camp of Desperately Seeking Deliverance from sinning. If that isn’t true, why don’t we hear more testimonies of overcoming sin in the daily life than testimonies of the dramatic change, when first becoming a disciple?

Quite simply, Jesus Christ our Advocate is and should be the reason we do not sin, for the very name of Jesus means “YHWH delivers,” from the penalty of sin and the necessity 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” (1John 2:1). Jesus Christ is our Advocate or Paraklete with the Father. He functions in us through the work of the Blessed Holy Spirit. This is what Paul began to tell the Romans in Romans 8. “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:2). Paul explained the liberation from sinning was needed, because of past vain attempts to render obedience to the law of sin and death. The Jews already proved that method of rendering obedience and not sinning didn’t work, for they ended up crucifying the very Messiah, who was sent to set them free. “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me; because the LORD hath anointed Me to preach good tidings unto the meek; He hath sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound” (Isaiah 61:1). 

The virtue of not sinning is clearly the victory that overcomes the world. “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith” (1John 5:4). Our pisteuō commitment of faith to Jesus is our sense of abiding or remaining in Christ, which understanding Jesus was especially trying to impart to His inner circle in the days immediately before His crucifixion. “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me” (John 15:4). 

We do not immediately think of the virtue of not sinning, since it is an inverse method of reflecting on faith, obedience, and knowing Christ. “Whosoever abideth in Him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen Him, neither known Him” (1John 3:6). The mental gymnastics of how only a present tense abiding in Christ can yield a present tense condition of not sinning, must actually and more firmly be a part of the foundational thinking of every disciple, or else we will develop the alarming condition of reassuring ourselves of having come to know Jesus, even while we are continuing in present sin and disobedience. 

This weakness will especially be exploited by the Man of Sin before the soon reappearing of the Lord Jesus Christ, for he knows the uselessness of a faith, which does not produce the work of the abiding fruit of “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness [gentleness], temperance [self-control]” (Galatians 5:22-23), for he will re-explain all of reality to those left behind after the Harpazō Rapture. Your faith was only an illusion of which I am now your present, powerful, and awe inspiring reality. “Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time” (1John 2:18). 

Not sinning is virtuous, since it is part of our wholehearted pisteuō commitment to our Lord Jesus Christ, which is the antithesis of the works of the devil. “He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil” (1John 3:8). Destroying the works of the devil and destabilizing the future foundation of the Antichrist requires us to be campaigning to not sin, as much as our need to abide in Christ. “Whosoever abideth in Him sinneth not” (3:6). 

O be careful little heart whom you trust

O be careful little heart whom you trust

For the Father up above

He’s looking down in love

So, be careful little heart whom you trust. 

Father, You are the One who sets the agenda for how we should act in these Last Days. May we enlarge our thinking that we will perceive more of the reality of what is fast unfolding before our eyes. May we do our small part of destroying the works of the devil by not sinning. Increase the understanding of the Body of Christ of how not sinning must be part of abiding in Christ. We know we cannot stop all sin or the embrace of the world for Antichrist, but help us to give our last full measure in promoting and embracing Jesus, the only Way, Truth, and Life. Lord Jesus, return quickly. In Your name, we pray. Amen.

Not Leave You Comfortless

Ken

“I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you” (John 14:18 KJV). Jesus was about to fulfill His earthly mission of dying for our sins upon the Cross. He would rise from the dead and ascend back into Heaven, then He would send us His Spirit — the Paraklete or Comforter. “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you” (16:7). What is this Comforter?   “And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another [Greek, allos, another of the same kind] Comforter [Greek, paraklētos, advocate], that He may abide with you for ever” (14:16). Jesus was assuring us He would send us His Spirit to advocate for us, just as He did and does for us before the Father. “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” (1John 2:1). A Paraclete or Advocate for the Christian is the direct opposite of our adversary the devil, who is the “accuser of our brethren” (Revelation 12:10). 

We need to get it into our understanding, “The LORD is on my [our] side” (Psalm 118:6). He is a holy God, who has chosen us to be His people, “because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth” (2Thessalonians 2:13). And, if you are not convinced you are chosen, then read this description of yourself here: “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty” (1Corinthians 1:27). There! God has chosen you. If the Spirit of God can persuade us of that truth, then the wicked one cannot succeed in his prosecution against us. “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). We have Jesus’ promise, “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you” (John 14:18),  which gives us His Indwelling Spirit. Ever wonder why the NT makes such a big thing out of “repent and be baptized” (Acts 2:38)? Because that baptismal declaration to “confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus” (Romans 10:9) declares your loyalty to Christ in front of humanity (not just the angels), for which He grants you the “gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38). 

The Holy Spirit is not simply a ghostly presence, but the active source of all God’s gifts to us, as His children. “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?” (Luke 11:13). (1) All of the Spiritual Gifts given for the ministry of the Church, are given through the Holy Spirit, i.e., “It is one and the same Spirit, distributing as He decides to each person, who produces all these things” (1 Corinthians 12:1 NET). (2) The Holy Spirit must guide our praying, since we really don’t know how to pray as we ought — just get your prayer started and trust the Holy Spirit is making suggestions to your mind, i.e., “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit [Himself] maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because He maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God” (Romans 8:26-27). This only introduces a small part of the comfort, which we are given through the Holy Spirit. 

Father, cause us to be encouraged that You are advocating for us and not simply plotting against us to catch us in our too often sins. May we give you the credit for the Comfort You Are to us. May we volunteer to be on Your side, since You are doing so much to be on our side. We love You, and ask that You would cause us to “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2Peter 3:18). Glorify Your name. And, Lord Jesus, return quickly. In Jesus’ name, we pray, amen.

Mysteries of the LORD

Ken

God is not trying to exclude anyone from His company, but we block ourselves from receiving privileges from Him depending on how much we fear Him. “The secret of the LORD is with them that fear Him; and He will shew [shō] them His covenant” (Psalm 25:14 KJV). “Our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:29), but He can also be a fearful master, if we do not give Him the respect He deserves. God is not like an object we purchase to be discarded, when we tire of Him. We are His creation, and we do well to find how best to approach Him. His covenant is simple. “Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be My people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you” (Jeremiah 7:23). He gives us our own personal comforter (John 14:16), advocate (1John 2:1), teacher (John 14:26), guide (Isaiah 30:21), mentor (1John 2:27), coach (1Corinthians 12:1-11), body guard (Isaiah 52:12), reminder to walk humbly because the Spirit draws attention to Jesus not Himself (John 16:13), reminder of His love (2Corinthians 13:14), and insurance that we can obey His commands (Ezekiel 36:27), when we took our loyalty oath of water baptism to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). Though we want to encourage all those around us to embrace the understanding He has given us, we are not to slow down or hold back in our seeking to understand more about our Master, even if our fellow disciples do not yet share all our appreciation of Him. Father, cause us to hunger and thirst for Your righteousness. Cause us to be drawn to a better understanding of who You are. Cause us to be drawn into greater love with You (16:02). Show us Jesus. In His precious name, we pray. Amen.