Book of 1 John Chapter 2 Vs. 1

Christ Our Advocate

1 John 2:1 “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:”

My little children... A term used nine times in this epistle (1Jhn. 2:1, 2:12, 2:13, 2:18, 2:28; 3:7, 3:18; 4:4, 4:21). It is used elsewhere only in John 13:33; Gal. 4:19. Indicates John’s deep concern for his readers. In preceding verses, he had been concerned with erroneous notions that some may have held and advocated; now he turns directly to his addressees.

John calls the Christians; my little children. That is what we really are; sons of God. In this, John is expressing the Christians relationship with the Father. The desire of the heart of the Christian must be to sin not. If we commit a sin and confess it, Jesus will represent us to the Father.

This does not, however, mean that we continually sin, which would be a sinful way of life. If we live continually in sin, we have chosen darkness over Light.

My little children (τεκνία μου)

Τεκνίον, little child, diminutive of τέκνον child, occurs in John 8:33; 1Jhn. 2:12, 2:28; 3:7, 3:18; 4:4; 5:21. This particular phrase is found only here best texts omit my in 1Jn. 3:18). Used as a term of affection, or possibly with reference to the writer's advanced age. Compare Christ's word, παιδία children (John 21:5) which John also uses (1Jhn. 2:13, 2:18). In the familiar story of John and the young convert who became a robber, it is related that the aged apostle repaired to the robber's haunt, and that the young man, on seeing him, took to flight. John, forgetful of his age, ran after him, crying: O my son why dost thou fly from me thy father? Thou, an armed man, - I, an old, defenseless one! Have pity upon me! My son, do not fear! There is still hope of life for thee. I wish myself to take the burden of all before Christ. If it is necessary, I will die for thee, as Christ died for us. Stop! Believe! It is Christ who sends me.

I write

More personal than we write (1Jhn. 1:4), and thus better suiting the form of address, my little children.

ye sin not... This is the purpose and demand of the gospel (Mat. 1:21; Rom. 6:16-23; 8:1-13; Gal. 5:16-26; Col. 3:5-10; Tit. 2:11-12).

if any man... We do not sin if we walk in the light (1Jhn. 1:7, 1:9), but if one does fall into sin he still has hope: he can confess sin and be cleansed again (1Jhn. 1:9; Gal. 4:19.

If any man sin, we have

The change from the indefinite third person, any man, to the first person, we have, is significant. By the we have, John assumes the possibility of sinful acts on the part of Christians, and of himself in common with them, and their common need of the intervention of the divine Advocate. So Augustine: He said, not 'ye have,' nor 'ye have me,' nor 'ye have Christ himself;' but he put Christ, not himself, and said 'we have,' and not 'ye have.' He preferred to place himself in the number of sinners, so that he might have Christ for his advocate, rather than to put himself as the advocate instead of Christ, and to be found among the proud who are destined to condemnation.

advocate with the... Three things Christ is to believers:

1. Greek: parakletos, a Helper; Advocate (see, John 14:26)

2. The Righteous One, having suffered, the just for the unjust (1Jhn. 2:1; 1Pet. 3:18; 1Cor. 1:30; 2Cor. 5:14-21)

3. Greek: hilasmos, the atoning sacrifice for sins (1Jhn. 2:2; 4:10) advocate means intercessor, or comforter. This is the only mention of this word.

An advocate (παράκλητον)

Only in John's Gospel and First Epistle (John 14:16, 14:26; 15:26; 16:7; 1Jhn. 2:13. From παρά, to the side of, and καλέω, to summon. Hence, originally, one who is called to another's side to aid him, as an advocate in a court of justice. The later, Hellenistic use of παρακαλεῖν and παράκλησις, to denote the act of consoling and consolation, gave rise to the rendering Comforter, which is given in every instance in the Gospel, but is changed to advocate in 1Jhn. 2:1, agreeably to its uniform signification in classical Greek. The argument in favor of this rendering throughout is conclusive. It is urged that the rendering Comforter is justified by the fact that, in its original sense, it means more than a mere consoler, being derived from the Latin confortare, to strengthen, and that the Comforter is therefore one who strengthens the cause and the courage of his client at the bar: but, as Bishop Lightfoot observes, the history of this interpretation shows that it is not reached by this process, but grew out of a grammatical error, and that therefore this account can only be accepted as an apology after the fact, and not as an explanation of the fact. The Holy Spirit is, therefore, by the word παράκλητος, of which Paraclete is a transcription, represented as our Advocate or Counsel, who suggests true reasonings to our minds, and true courses of action for our lives, who convicts our adversary, the world, of wrong, and pleads our cause before God our Father. It is to be noted that Jesus as well as the Holy Spirit is represented as Paraclete. The Holy Spirit is to be another Paraclete, and this falls in with the statement in the First Epistle, we have an advocate with God, even Jesus Christ. Compare Rom. 8:26. See on Luke 6:24. Note also that the word another is ἄλλον, and not ἕτερον, which means different. The advocate who is to be sent is not different from Christ, but another similar to Himself. See on John 14:16.

With the Father (πρὸς τὸν πατέρα)

See on with God, John 1:1. An active relation is indicated. On the terms the Father and my Father, see on John 4:21.

The righteous, Just (δίκαιος)

Rev., righteous. From δίκη right. The term is applied both to God and to Christ. See Rev. 16:5; John 17:25; 1Jhn. 2:1; 3:7; 1Pet. 3:18. The two words, faithful and righteous, imply each other. They unite in a true conception of God's character. God, who is absolute rightness, must be faithful to His own nature, and His righteous dealing with men who partake of that nature and walk in fellowship with Him, is simply fidelity to Himself. Righteousness is truth passing into action (Westcott).

Compare righteous, 1Jhn. 1:9. There is no article in the Greek. Jesus Christ righteous.

Although a Christian must continually acknowledge and confess sin (1:9), he is not powerless against it. Fulfilling the duty of confession does not give license to sin. Sin can and should be conquered through the power of the Holy Spirit.

John 16:7 translates advocate as Helper, literally one called alongside. Perhaps a modern concept of the term would be a defense attorney. Although Satan prosecutes believers’ night and day before the Father due to sin (Rev. 12:10), Christ’s High-Priestly ministry guarantees not only sympathy but also acquittal (Heb. 4:14-16).

Then, as if suddenly fired by a great thought, St. John’s view broadens over the whole world beyond the limits of the comparatively little group of believers whom his words at that time could reach. The Incarnation and Atonement have been before his soul. The Catholic Church is the correlative of the first, humanity of the second. The Paraclete whom he beheld is ever in relation with, ever turned towards, the Father. His propitiation is, and He is it. It was not simply a fact in history which works on with unexhaustible force. As the Advocate is ever turned towards the Father, so the propitiation lives on with unexhausted life. His intercession is not verbal, temporary, interrupted. The Church, in her best days, never prayed-Jesus, pray for me! It is interpretative, continuous, unbroken. In time it is eternally valid, eternally present. In space it extends as far as human need, and therefore takes in every place. Not for our sins only, but for men universally, for the whole world. It is implied then in this passage, that Christ was intended as a propitiation for the whole world; and that He is fitted for satisfying all human wants.

(1) Christ was intended for the whole world. Let us see the Divine intention in one incident of the crucifixion. In that are mingling lines of glory and of humiliation. The King of humanity appears with a scarlet camp mantle flung contemptuously over His shoulders; but to the eye of faith it is the purple of empire. He is crowned with the acanthus wreath; but the wreath of mockery is the royalty of our race. He is crucified between two thieves; but His cross is a Judgment Throne, and at His right hand and His left are the two separated worlds of belief and unbelief. All the Evangelists tell us that a superscription, a title of accusation, was written over His cross; two of them add that it was written over Him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew or in Hebrew, Greek, Latin. In Hebrew-the sacred tongue of patriarchs and seers, of the nation all whose members were in idea and destination those of whom God said, My prophets. In Greek-the musical and golden tongue which gave a soul to the objects of sense and a body to the abstractions of philosophy; the language, of a people whose mission it was to give a principle of fermentation to all races of mankind, susceptible of those subtle and largely indefinable influences which are called collectively Progress. In Latin-the dialect of a people originally the strongest of all the sons of men. The three languages represent the three races and their ideas-revelation, art, literature; progress, war, and jurisprudence. Beneath the title is the thorn-crowned head of the ideal King of humanity.

Wherever these three tendencies of the human race exist, wherever annunciation can be made in human language, wherever there is a heart to sin, a tongue to speak, an eye to read, the cross has a message. The superscription, written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin, is the historical symbol translated into its dogmatic form by St. John -He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the whole world.

EXTENT OF THE ATONEMENT

Of the Incarnation of the Word, of the whole previous strain of solemn oracular annunciation, there are two great objects. Rightly understood, it at once stimulates and soothes; it supplies inducements to holiness, and yet quiets the accusing heart.

(1) It urges to a pervading holiness in each recurring circumstance of life. That ye may not sin is the bold universal language of the morality of God. Men only understand moral teaching when it comes with a series of monographs on the virtues, sobriety, chastity, and the rest. Christianity does not overlook these, but it comes first with all-inclusive principles. The morality of man is like the sculptor working line by line and part by part, partially and successively. The morality of God is like nature, and works in every part of the flower and tree with a sort of ubiquitous presence. These things write we unto you. No dead letter-a living spirit infuses the lines; there is a deathless principle behind the words which will vitalize and permeate all isolated relations and developments of conduct. These things write we unto you that ye may not sin.

(2) But further, this announcement also soothes. There may be isolated acts of sin against the whole tenour of the higher and nobler life. There may be, God forbid!- but it may be-some glaring act of inconsistency. In this case the Apostle uses a form of expression which includes himself, we have, and yet points to Christ, not to himself, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ-and that in view of His being One who is perfectly and simply righteous; "and He is the propitiation for our sins.

Some of John’s readers might have thought his insistence on the sinfulness of Christians somehow would discourage holiness. The opposite was John’s intention as he affirmed: My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. He addressed them affectionately as an apostle with a fatherly concern (The Gr. word for children dear is not in the Gr. is teknia lit., little born ones, used seven times by John in this epistle [1Jhn. 2:1, 2:12, 2:28; 3:7, 3:18; 4:4; 5:21] and once in his Gospel [John 13:33]. A similar word tekna born ones occurs in John 1:12; 11:52; 1Jhn. 3:2, 3:10 [twice]; 1Jhn. 5:2; 2Jhn. 1:1, 1:4, 1:13; and 3Jhn. 1:4. On the other hand paidia children occurs only twice in 1Jhn. 2:13, 2:18].)

The statements in 1Jhn. 1:8, 1:10 about believers’ sinful tendencies do not encourage sin; they actually put perceptive Christians on guard against it. If a believer tries to make the claims denounced in 1Jhn. 1:8 and 1Jhn. 1:10, then he is most likely to fail to recognize and reject sin. But sin is nevertheless a reality, however much John wished his readers would not commit it. Accordingly he assured them, But if anybody does sin, we have One who speaks to the Father in our defense - Jesus Christ the Righteous One. John did not want his readers to sin, but he knew that none of them was perfect and that all would need the help available from their Advocate.

The words One who speaks… in our defense” translate a single term paraklēton. Its essential meaning is captured by the KJV’s familiar Advocate. John is the only New Testament writer to use it of the Holy Spirit four times in his Gospel: John 14:16, 14:26; 15:26; 16:7). In these four verses the NIV renders it Counselor each time (cf. KJV’s Comforter). The thought here in 1Jhn. 2:1 is of a defense attorney who takes up the case of his client before a tribunal. The way in which the advocacy of the Lord Jesus works for His sinning people is admirably illustrated in His prayer for Peter (Luke 22:31-32). In anticipation of Peter’s approaching denial, Jesus asked the Father to prevent Peter’s faith from collapsing. He also had in mind Peter’s future helpfulness to his Christian brethren. There is no reason to suppose that Christ must ask God to keep a Christian from going to hell as a result of his sin. Eternal life is fully guaranteed to those who have trusted Jesus for it (John 3:16; 5:24; etc.). But the consequences of a believer’s failure, his restoration, and future usefulness are all urgent matters which Jesus takes up with God when sin occurs. His own personal righteousness He is the Righteous One; cf. 1Jhn. 1:9, God is just what uniquely suits Christ for His role as a Christian’s Advocate after he sins.