The Heavenly Defender

My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense-Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

1 John 2:1,2

Nowadays, it is difficult for anyone to discover what the Christmas season stands for. We are bombarded with messages telling us to buy gifts, celebrate winter, bake cookies, and so on. But the Scriptures tell us that Christmas stands for God’s giving of a gift-the gift of his Son, Jesus Christ, who is the heavenly treasure par excellence. It is this gift of God which meets our deepest need. The eternal Son of God became incarnate to destroy the works of the devil and to take away our sins so that we may have fellowship with God and with the people of God and experience the fullness of joy that comes from such fellowship.

The Purpose of John’s Epistle

In 1 John 2:1-2 John writes, “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense-Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for the sins of the whole world.” The first question we want to ask is what the purpose is of John’s writing this epistle.

There were several reasons John wrote his epistle. The major one is disclosed to us in 1 John 5:13, where John says, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.” So this letter is written to God’s people primarily so that they may have assurance of salvation.

But there is another purpose, which is given here. John writes, “My dear children, I write this that you may not sin.” The first thing we must notice is that the apostle John calls these believers, “my dear children.” Here was the aged apostle/pastor, maybe the only apostle still living at this time who had walked with Jesus Christ, heard his voice, handled him, and saw him before and after his resurrection. He is full of affection for the people of God, and that affection can be seen in his address to these believers: “my dear children.” According to William Barclay, these words teknia mou, “my little children,” are full of caresses, love, and affection.

John said he was writing to God’s people for the purpose that they may not sin. In the Greek the phrase, “that they may not sin,” is in the aorist tense. It means “that they may not commit a sin,” not “that they may not continue on a sinful course of life.” If we are Christians, God has delivered us from the sphere of continuously sinning. But the issue here is that “they may not commit a sin.”

Why Should a Christian Not Sin?

Sin, we are told by this apostle, is lawlessness and wickedness. We must ask the question, “Why should a Christian not commit a sin?” Why did John write this epistle to warn Christians not to sin? There are several reasons.

1. God condemns sin. That in itself should be a sufficient reason for a Christian not to sin.
2. Sin is wrong in and of itself.
3. Sin caused the suffering of Christ.
4. Sin dishonors the claim and power of the gospel. The gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes. When we sin, we discredit that claim.
5. Sin breaks our fellowship with God and with one another. We see this all the time. A person who sins is cut off from fellowship with God and with the people of God.
6. Sin is inconsistent with our Christian profession. As Christians, we are to love righteousness and hate wickedness. As Christians, we desire to be delivered from sin; therefore, sin is inconsistent with our Christian profession.
7. Sin leads to a defiled conscience.
8. Sin leads to doubt, so that we are unable to pray. A Christian must pray in faith, but the person who doubts because of sin cannot pray in faith.
9. Sin leads to hopelessness. The devil delights in accusing a Christian when he sins.
10. Sin leads to the divine discipline of God’s people. This discipline results in weakness, sickness, and even death.
11. Sin contradicts God and robs him of his glory. Sin is lawlessness, a transgression of God’s law; when we sin, we are showing contempt and disregard for God and his law.

So John was saying, “I write these things that you may not commit a sin.” In 1 John 1:9 he said, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” But we can misunderstand this glorious declaration, even as we can misunderstand the declaration of Paul in Romans 5:20, “But where sin increased, grace increased all the more.” When we read these statements, we can come to the conclusion: “Why not continue in sin? It is easy. The Bible tells us forgiveness will be granted as long as we confess our sin.” But Paul asks in Romans 6:1, “Shall we go on sinning that grace may increase?” And the resounding answer of Paul is, “God forbid!”

The goal of the Christian life is perfection. That means we must strive to not commit a sin or transgress God’s law in any way. Is this possible for Christians? Yes. Jesus himself told us that if the Son sets us free, we will be free indeed. A Christian is free from the dominion of sin and so he does not have to sin.

An unbeliever lives in the sphere of sin, meaning he can only do one thing, which is to sin. An unbeliever is born a sinner and practices sin. He is characterized by total moral inability to not sin. The Latin phrase for that state is non posse non peccare, “not possible not to sin.” But God in Jesus Christ has delivered us and set us free from the dominion of sin; therefore we are now able not to sin. That is the glorious experience of every true Christian who is born of God, in whose soul the divine seed of eternal life is planted. In fact, one day we shall come to a condition in which it will be impossible for us to sin.

How to Not Sin

Thus, one purpose John was writing this epistle was to let believers know that they can live a holy life through the freedom and power they receive from God’s Son, Jesus Christ. As Christians, we are a people in whom the Holy Spirit dwells and to whom God has given the light of his word. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we are able to walk in the light of the Holy Scriptures, meaning we can walk in the way of holiness unto perfection.

However, Christians must cooperate with God in this effort to live holy lives. We must actively pursue holiness and exercise our freedom for holiness. We find many scriptures throughout the New Testament which speak of this responsibility we have to actively pursue holiness.

In Ephesians 4:22 we read, “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires. . . .” It is impossible for an unbeliever to put off the old way of life, but a believer can do it. In verse 24 we read, “and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” Put off and put on. This is the freedom a Christian enjoys.

In Philippians 2:12 we read, “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed-not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence-continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” We must work out! The Christian life is not a life of passivity but of activity. It is cooperation with the Holy Spirit of God. It is obedience to the will of God with the freedom and power God has given us to obey his commands.

Listen to the language of Colossians 3:5: “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.” In other words, we are asked to kill these things which belong to our old sinful nature. How can we do this? Because through Christ we have been given the freedom, the desire, and the power to do so.

In 1 Timothy 6:11 Paul tells Timothy, “But you, man of God, flee from all this,” meaning sin. We must flee sin! Elsewhere, we are told, “flee from sexual immorality,” and in 1 Timothy 6:12 Paul says, “Fight the good fight of the faith.” Fight! Flee! These are things we are asked to do as Christians.

In Romans 6:11 we read, “In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” In other words, we must know what happened when we became Christians and understand our union with Jesus Christ. Then Paul tells us in Romans 8:13 to put to death by the Holy Spirit the misdeeds of the body. In other words, the Christian life requires us to be active, to cooperate with the Holy Spirit, to fight, flee, put to death, and resist sin.

The life of God in the soul of man-the eternal life we have received from Jesus Christ-will manifest itself powerfully in our being in its opposition to evil and in its love for righteousness and for the glory of God. If we are truly born of God, if we have received eternal life, if the seed of God has been planted in our being, this new life will sprout, grow and manifest itself in its opposition to evil and its desire to do righteousness.

John speaks about this in 1 John 5:18, saying, “We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin. . . .” Being born of God is the key. People make claims all the time-claims that they are without sin, claims to have fellowship with God-but that doesn’t mean they are Christians. Such claims can be empty, false professions, such as those John dealt with in 1 John 1:6-10. But we are talking about people who are born of God, people in whom the life of God is implanted, and in whom that life manifests itself through vital opposition to evil and determination to do the will of God.

Types of Antinomianism

Are we speaking about sinless perfection in this life? No. True Christians can never be perfect in this life, but they are always moving toward perfection, which we arrive at only when Jesus Christ returns. We read about this in 1 John 3:2: “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” John is speaking about the day of perfection, when we will be like Christ, without sin and without evil. We are daily progressing on the path of holiness and righteousness, moving on the road to perfection.

Consequently, we must reject with all our heart the philosophy of antinomianism. When John speaks of the Law, he means God’s law, which is holy, spiritual, and good. Thus, we could say that antinomianism is anti-Godism.

There are different types of antinomianism we find in the church of Jesus Christ. First, there is dualistic antinomianism, which says that salvation is for the soul only, so what our body does is irrelevant.

Next, there is spiritual antinomianism. A person who practices this type of antinomianism will say, “I am Spirit-filled; therefore, I enjoy freedom from the law, not only as a way of salvation, but also as a guide to conduct. Just as I am not saved by keeping the law, I am also led by the Holy Spirit, not by the law.” In other words, such people say, “We somehow transcend the law, the Scriptures, the will of God, because we have the Holy Spirit in us.” They do not take into account that the Holy Spirit would never contradict the Holy Scriptures God has given us.

Next, there is what I call in-Christ antinomianism. This is practiced by those who claim, “I am in Christ by faith, so when God looks upon me, he sees Christ. Christ is perfect, so my behavior makes no difference. I am united with Christ.”

Next, there is dispensational antinomianism. Practitioners of this type of antinomianism say, “We live in this dispensation of grace, so keeping of the moral law is not necessary at any stage of compliance.”

Next, there is intentional antinomianism, meaning antinomianism in reference to intention. Those who practice this antinomianism will say, “As long as my motivation, my intention, is love, I may disregard the law of God.”

These are all false, wrong ways of thinking, but such antinomianism was found in the early church and it is found in the church today. That is why John wrote, “My dear loved ones, my dear children, as your aged pastor who is concerned about your welfare, I am writing these things to you that you may not commit a sin, that you go on and on in the way of holiness unto perfection.

What If We Sin?

John tells his readers not to sin. But then he adds, “ean tis harmatai,” “But if anyone commits a sin.” Here again we find the verb in the aorist tense, indicating a one-time past action, not a life of continuous sin. (PGM) You see, our goal is to not commit sin, and we now realize that we can live in obedience to God because his Son has set us free. We have the life of God in the soul of man because his Holy Spirit dwells in us. We have been delivered from the dominion of sin and the sphere of sin. We are no longer under the control of the evil one; rather, we are born of God and given the Holy Spirit. That it is why it is possible for us not to sin.

But the apostle John was a pastor who knew people sin, so he writes, in essence, “But if we were tempted and fell into a sin, what do we do now? Do we lose our salvation? Do we cease to be children of God? Do we have any hope of restoration?” A person might say, “Yes, Pastor, I am conscious of my sin, and I have repented, confessed and forsaken it. Is there any hope for me that I am a Christian since I committed a sin?” Here the apostle John, the great aged pastor, gives great encouragement and great hope to all believers throughout the ages, and we must receive it. He says, “If anyone does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense-Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.”

All the apostles taught this great doctrine. In Galatians 6:1 Paul writes, “Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin. . . .” Note, here Paul is speaking about God’s people, not about unbelievers. Unbelievers are never caught in a sin! They are always sinning. They cannot do one thing that is not sin. But here Paul is saying that Christians may commit a sin. So Paul writes, “Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently.” In other words, a Christian who sins can be restored. Now, I am not speaking about someone who commits a sin but refuses to repent, acknowledge, forsake, and feel any pain over the sin. Such a person is not a Christian. I am speaking about someone who, having committed a sin, is miserable. He is is very conscious of his sin, and he has repented and forsaken it.. But he is still troubled in his conscience, wondering whether God will accept him and restore him. He wonders whether he will ever again see the sunshine in the face of the heavenly Father. What is the answer? God will restore such a person.

James speaks about this in James 5:19, saying, “My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.” James addresses these words to brothers. In other words, these are Christians, fellow believers, God’s people. Here again we see that there is a possibility that a Christian may wander away from the path of righteousness, yet be later restored.

In 1 John 5:16 we find another mention of this great possibility of restoration after sin. John writes, “If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life.” There are different kinds of sin. What is the sin that leads to death? It is refusing to confess that the eternal God has come in human flesh. It is denying the incarnation. The sin that leads to death is a credal denial of the orthodox faith.

But John is speaking about a person committing a sin that does not lead to death. So he writes, “If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life.” There is great hope for a Christian who committed a sin, but is repenting and longing to be restored, because a true Christian who has trusted in Jesus Christ is justified forever. God is no longer his Judge, but his Father, and he is his beloved child. When such a person sins, his fellowship with the Father is cut off-fellowship, but not relationship. Because of his sin, such a person’s heart condemns him and he has no confidence before God. He is truly miserable, unlike an unbeliever, and longs for restoration. Pastor John says such a person has a Defender in heaven before the Father.

Our Heavenly Defender

The second point we want to consider from this passage is that God has given us a heavenly Defender, a Paraklêtos, the Lord Jesus Christ. John writes, “But if anyone does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense. . . .” In the Greek it is paraklêton echomen, meaning we have a paraclete. We posses him; he belongs to us. Even now, in our time of need, this Paraclete, this heavenly defender, is our present possession. We have this person as a gift from God to defend us.

Notice, John includes himself when he says, “we have.” Why does he do this? Because he himself was not perfect and so he also needs a defender, even though to say so is not all that grammatical. But John needs this heavenly Defender as well as the people to whom he was writing. This Defender is given to us as a gift. God sent him and he is ours, John says. We all need him and we all have him. He is the Father’s gift to his people.

He is our Paraclete. Only the apostle John uses this word paraklêtos here as well as in his gospel. We also use the word in Latin, advocatus, from which we have the English advocate. It comes from the Greek word parakaleô, which means to encourage, to comfort. But this paraklêtos has come to mean this: a friend called alongside to help in our defense. In other words, this heavenly Defender is not a stranger but a friend. In John 14 and 15, Jesus Christ says his apostles are no longer servants but friends. In the same way, he is not a stranger to us, but our friend.

But not only that, Jesus Christ is not a stranger to God the Father. So we are told that we have a paraclete pros ton patera, which actually means “in active fellowship with the Father,” or “face to face with the Father.” This heavenly Defender is not a stranger to God, nor is he a stranger to us. He is in intimate communion with the Father from all eternity. He came down here, lived among us, died, rose again, and went back into the same communion with his heavenly Father.

The Father’s one and only Son, the beloved of the Father, is our friend, the one called alongside us as our defense. And let me tell you, this one is the most powerful defense attorney in the whole universe. His defense is always successful and effectual. Jesus never fails in his defense of his people. He defends us against our accuser, the devil, as well as before our heavenly Father.

Our heavenly Defender is called Jesus Christ, because he is the divine Christ, the eternal Son of God. He is God who became Jesus of history. Conceived in the virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit, he was born in Bethlehem, grew up in Nazareth, and lived a life of perfect obedience. Jesus Christ was without sin, as John writes in 1 John 3:5, yet he was crucified for our sins. He was buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, yet his dead body did not see corruption. This Jesus was raised from the dead on the third day and is is Lord of all. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to this God/man, who is our Savior, our Friend, and our Paraclete, our Defense Attorney.

Our Righteous Defender

Not only is Jesus Christ our heavenly Defender, but also John tells us he is the Righteous One. “If anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense, Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.” We are told the Father is righteous, in 1 John 1:9, and in his high priestly prayer of John 17, Jesus addresses his Father as Dikaie Pater, righteous Father.

So the Father is righteous, but the Son is also righteous. John writes he is, “Jesus Christ the Righteous One.” An unrighteous defense attorney cannot defend us in the court of a righteous heavenly Father. His defense will not be accepted. But we have a righteous attorney. In 2 Corinthians 5:21 we read, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” In John 8:46 Jesus Christ asked the people, “Can any of you prove me guilty of sin?” Of course they could not. Peter tells us, “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God” (1 Peter 3:18).

There is no question that the New Testament, as well as the Old Testament, tells us that Jesus Christ is righteous and there is no sin in him. So, as a righteous Defense Attorney, Jesus Christ defends us according to God’s righteous law, according to God’s nature as light. He does not ask God to set aside his law. The righteous Jesus Christ defends us in righteousness.

The policy of many in our culture today, even in high places, is to always deny, delay, and destroy when confronted with charges against them. But there is no denial in Jesus Christ’s defense of us. This Advocate shall never deny our sin or use any excuse. He will never plead extenuating circumstances; rather, he will say that So-and-so sinned and violated God’s law, and that he is guilty and defiled. This is all true. He will defend us, not on the basis of anything good in us, but on the basis of everything that is good in him. He defends us on the basis of justice. The basis of his defense is this: That he, Jesus Christ, offered himself once for all as a propitiatory sacrifice to turn God’s just wrath away from us sinners, that he may be gracious to us and forgive our sins, and be just and the justifier of those who believe in Jesus Christ.

So the basis of Christ’s successful defense of us is not anything in the sinners, but his own atoning sacrifice. In 1 John 1:7 John writes, “the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” In other words, John is saying that the blood of the historical person of Jesus Christ, God incarnate, God’s divine Son who took upon himself human nature, in whom two natures came together in one person-his blood “purifies us from all sin.”

Our Effectual Defender

Finally, our heavenly Defender always wins his case. Jesus Christ interceded for Peter while he was still on earth, as we read in Luke 22:32, where he told Peter, “I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail.” Christ’s intercession was effectual, and Peter’s faith did not fail. In John 17:9 the Lord Jesus Christ intercedes for his apostles, and in John 17:20 he intercedes to God the Father in reference to us who believe through the apostles message. Jesus Christ is now in heaven, interceding for us. He is our heavenly Defender, and his defense is always effectual. In Hebrews 7:25 we read, “Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.”

In Romans 8:34 Paul asks, “Who is he that condemns?” Will Satan condemn us? What about the unbelievers of the world? What about church people? “Who is he that condemns?” What is the answer? “Christ Jesus, who died-more than that, who was raised to life-is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” He is our heavenly Defender.

Is Christ Your Defender?

Thank God for the freedom he gives us from the dominion of sin. We are different from the people of the world, for we have been redeemed and set free. Now we are God’s people and walk in the way of righteousness and holiness. We do not have to sin. We can live a holy life.

Holiness is the manifestation of the eternal life in our being, the seed of God implanted in us. Our goal is perfection, and we shall be perfect when we see him face to face, when he appears again. But thank God also for this word of encouragement for those who stumble and fall. The apostle John, the great, aged pastor, tells us, “Despair not. There is hope for you. God himself has provided for you a mighty paraclete, the most powerful defense attorney in the entire universe. He is righteous and he has taken your case. Some would not do it, but this One will because he is your Friend. He will plead on the basis of justice, on the basis that he himself met all the demands of God’s law’s on your behalf. The righteous has died for the unrighteous, and the wounds of Jesus will prevail before our heavenly Father, who is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

If you have committed a sin, despair not. Your sins shall be forgiven and you shall be restored to full fellowship with the Father. You shall again be filled with joy unspeakable and full of glory. You shall go out with joy and be led forth with peace. That is the Christian word of encouragement, all because of the incarnation of Christ. We have received a gift which meets our deepest need, Jesus Christ, the Son of God. May God help us to appropriate this gift that our needs may be met, that we be restored to fellowship with the Father and the Son, that we may be filled with the true and permanent joy. Amen.