DAY 25 of #100daysofJesus - He Is our Advocate

 DAY 25 of #100daysofJesus

Jesus is our Advocate.

John penned the beautiful words, "And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: and he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world."

There's some big words here, so let's define:

Advocate --> One who pleads another's cause.

Propitiation --> atonement (vicarious sacrifice for sin)

All of us sin and fall short of the glory of God. In such a sinful condition, we would never be able to make it back to God's presence on our own.

The prophet Lehi, in the Book of Mormon, taught a few hundred years prior to Jesus' birth that He "shall make intercession for all the children of men; and they that believe in him shall be saved."

The prophet Moroni similarly wrote that Jesus "advocateth the cause of the children of men."

The words used throughout the scriptures bring a heavenly courtroom to mind. This imagery has likely been used because a courtroom with judges and lawyers is something people have been able to relate to for thousands of years - and still do.

However, this analogy can also mislead us into confusing who the enemy is. In this light, it's easy to view God as a cold, blind enforcer of justice while Jesus is the "good guy" in the story who comes to our rescue and saves us from God's wrath. THIS VIEW OF GOD IS FALSE.

God is our loving Father in Heaven who cares about each of us, is rooting for each of us, and prepared a way (through Jesus) for us to repent and return to His presence. GOD IS ON OUR SIDE.

So, if God loves us and His "work and glory" is our salvation, and Jesus Christ loves us and advocates for us, then who is the enemy?

THE ENEMY IS SIN. Jesus saves us from our sins and from the justice required for each and every sin. It is through God's MERCY that Jesus came to earth to save us from the full consequences of our mistakes.

If we fear God as a punishing enforcer of justice, we will never be able to form the relationship with Him that we need. Jesus and His Father are united. How many times do the scriptures describe their oneness?

They are rooting for each of us AND they have prepared the way for each of us to overcome our sins and struggles. Because of them we can make it!

(References: 1 John 2:1-2, Romans 3:23, 2 Nephi 2:9, Moroni 7:28, Moses 1:39)