The Advocate

"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." (I John 2:1)

When I was a child, one of the programs my parent always watched on television was "Perry Mason". Mason was the consumate lawyer and the show is probably responsible for setting some very high public expectations of lawyers. Since that show there has never been a broadcast season that did not have its fair share of  "lawyer" shows.

We understand the importance of a good lawyer when we face legal issues. It seems that at times it is not the tone of the law or the preponderance of evidence, but the quality of the lawyer that determines the outcome of a court case. We may complain about the fees lawyer's charge, but the work of an effective lawyer is worth the amount he charges.

We want an effective advocate in the court, someone who can plead our case powerfully and with desired results. But there is one court where the Judge is impartial and the law implaccable. It is the court of God's perfect justice. We are charged by His law to be transgressors. And the truth is, we are. Where can we find an effective advocate for God's court? John says we have One in Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the epitome of an effective advocate. When we stand in God's court, condemned by God's law as transgressors, with the evidence of our lives against us, Jesus says, "This one is Mine." The perfect life and sacrifice of Jesus answers the demands of  law. We have an Advocate who will not fail, who alone is able to answer the charges for us, who stands beside us because He loves us.

We have an Advocate. His name is Jesus. He will prevail.