18 Days in the New Testament with Chuck SwindollSample

Christ Our Advocate

YOU HAVE a divine Defense Attorney in your corner. You never have to make an appointment with Him, and unlike every other attorney on the planet, He’s free. You know what else? He’s never lost a case! He stands before God, not to declare your innocence, but to declare your guilt—and then to say, “My death has acquitted the accused of the penalty.” Isn’t that a great thought?

Consider the blessings we enjoy with Jesus Christ as our Advocate before God. First, because we have an Advocate, we have been justified before God. Fellow sinners, do you know what that means? Justification is the sovereign act of God whereby He declares righteous believing sinners while we are still in a sinning state. Because of Christ, God has done this for us. That, my friend, is the grace of God.

A second lasting benefit is that we can continually claim forgiveness for our sins. This is what made the difference for Martin Luther, one of the Reformers. He had learned his theology at the feet of the prelates of the church and had wound up as a monk in a cell, consumed by his guilt and his sin hour after hour, day after day. He could never get beyond his sins—that is, until the light of the letter to the Romans broke upon him and he saw Christ’s intercessory power. He saw the priesthood of all believers. He saw justification by faith. He saw his sins forgiven! His cries of guilt turned into songs of praise. We have a continual basis for forgiveness because of Christ’s advocacy.

The third benefit is that we gain Christ’s strength in the midst of our weakness. The next time you feel a sense of fading strength, focus on your Advocate in heaven, and call on Him for strength. Knowing our frailty, He intercedes for us. The psalmist writes, “Let all the godly pray to you while there is still time, that they may not drown in the floodwaters of judgment. For you are my hiding place; you protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of victory” (Ps. 32:6-7). Then in response, the Lord answers, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you” (Ps. 32:8).

The fourth lasting benefit of having Jesus as our Advocate is that we can live confidently in spite of any adversary’s accusations. It does a psychological and emotional number on you when you know that somebody is accusing you, especially somebody you are likely to run across personally. There is a wonderful confidence that comes from the work of Christ, our Advocate. He isn’t just busily engaged in the throne room with the Father, as important as that is. He is also continually moved by the feelings that come with our infirmities.

Christian, you have an Advocate. The Righteous One pleads your case. There is no sin that will blot you out of God’s love or presence. Though your sin grieves Him, He does not cancel His relationship with you because of it.