1 John 2:1-2

DISCOURSE: 2433
THE ADVOCACY AND ATONEMENT OF CHRIST

1 John 2:1. 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 are two extremes to which men are apt to incline, namely, presumption and despair; and against both of these the Gospel is designed to guard us. The ungodly world at large imagine that God will never execute his threatened judgments: and some will take occasion even from the Gospel itself to expect impunity in the ways of sin. But the rich promises of the Gospel were never given for this end: it was never God’s design that his “grace should be turned into licentiousness;” and therefore the Apostle affectionately warns us against such an abuse of it; “My little children, these things I write unto you, that ye sin not.” On the other hand, there are some persons, who, from a sense of their manifold backslidings, are ready to despond. To these the Apostle proceeds to speak: he sets before them the offices which Christ sustains on the behalf of sinners; and encourages them under every fresh contracted guilt to look unto him as a willing, suitable, and all-sufficient Saviour.
To further this good work in your hearts, we will shew,

I. The offices of Christ—

It will be proper to notice first that which is last mentioned in the text—
He is a “Propitiation for sin”—
[To understand what is meant by this, we should consider the state of man. We were fallen creatures, and, in consequence of our fall, obnoxious to the wrath of God. To restore ourselves to the Divine favour was impossible, because we could not offer any atonement for the sins we had committed. God, though ready to forgive, could not exercise mercy towards us in any way which did not accord with his justice, holiness, and truth. Christ therefore undertook to make satisfaction to the Divine justice, so that “mercy and truth might meet together, and righteousness and peace might kiss each other.” This he did by substituting himself in our place. “He bore our sins in his own body on the tree [Note: 1 Peter 2:24.],” and “suffered, the just for the unjust [Note: 1 Peter 3:18.].” Our apprehension of this matter will be greatly assisted, if we consider how it was represented under the Mosaic economy. Bullocks, goats, and lambs were offered in sacrifice to God. The offender, when he brought his sacrifice, laid his hands upon its head, and transferred to it his guilt; and then it was put to death in his stead. This sacrifice God accepted on behalf of the offerer, and, out of respect to it, forgave his iniquities [Note: Leviticus 1:2; Leviticus 1:4.]. This indeed was only a type: but it shadowed forth what was really done by Christ, who “came to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself [Note: Hebrews 9:26.].” The whole language of Scripture accords with this explanation, and confirms the truth of this stupendous mystery [Note: Ephesians 5:2.Romans 3:25. In this latter passage, as also in the text, the word which we translate “propitiation,” is the same as is elsewhere translated, “mercy-seat.” Compare Hebrews 9:5. But the illustration above given, is that which the scope of the passage evidently requires; and to explain the word in reference to the mercyseat, would, in this place, only embarrass and obscure the sense.]

He is also our “Advocate with the Father”—
[The office of an advocate is to appear for his client in a court of justice, and to plead his cause. Now this office also the Lord Jesus Christ executes in behalf of his people: He is gone up to the court of heaven, where “he appears in the presence of God for us [Note: Job 33:24.].” The Holy Spirit also is our advocate: but there is a very wide difference between the advocacy of Christ, and of the Holy Spirit: the Spirit intercedes in us at the throne of grace; Christ intercedes for us at the throne of glory; the Spirit assists us to pray according to the will of God; Christ presents those prayers unto the Father, and renders them acceptable in his sight.

Now it was this advocacy of Christ which the Apostle had primarily in his view: and what he added respecting him as a propitiation for sin, was a subordinate subject, introduced to shew the ground of his intercession, and the reason of its efficacy. It will be proper therefore to notice more particularly the connexion between these offices, and the dependence of the one upon the other.

If we could conceive that Jesus had undertaken to be our advocate, and yet had made no atonement for sin, his advocacy would have been altogether in vain: for, what plea could he have found? he could not have denied, or extenuated, our guilt: nor could he have promised that we should ever make compensation for what we had done amiss. His mouth therefore must have been shut as well as ours. But, having offered himself a sacrifice for our sins, he has an adequate and effectual plea for all who trust in him. Are they accused by their great adversary? yea, does God himself testify against them? “True, he will say, they are sinners, that deserve thy wrathful indignation: but behold the wounds in my hands, my feet, my side; these I endured for them; by these I expiated their guilt; yea, I gave my own life a ransom for them; and therefore deliver them from going down into the pit: I have satisfied the demands both of law and justice on their behalf, and on this account I look, not to thy mercy only, but to thy justice and thy faithfulness to forgive them [Note: 1 John 1:9.]: out of respect to me, “thou mayest be just, and yet the justifier of all them that believe [Note: Romans 3:26.].”]

This view of his offices will naturally lead us to consider,

II.

The comfort to be derived from them under every fresh-contracted guilt—

That we may speak more perspicuously on this subject, we shall notice

1. The sensations which a view of those offices will produce—

Hope, joy, and peace, arise in succession to crown the exercise of faith. Till we are enabled to behold the crucified and exalted Saviour, we droop, and question the possibility of our acceptance with God; but when we are enabled to believe in him, our fears are dissipated; our sorrows are turned into joy and exultation; and, after a season, the livelier motion of our affections, which was occasioned by the greatness and suddenness of the change, subsides into a solid and abiding peace. This is the order marked out both by Prophets [Note: Isaiah 55:12.] and Apostles [Note: Romans 15:13.], and experienced by all who live by faith on the Son of God.]

2. The suitableness of those offices to produce them—

[The intercessions of sinful men have often availed for the benefit of those for whom they were offered: but Christ is a “righteous” advocate, who, having no sins of his own to obstruct his access to God, may come with boldness into his presence, and with a certainty of acceptance. Besides, he is ever “with the Father,” ready to offer his intercessions the very moment that he sees any danger of a breach between him and us. Moreover he is the “Christ,” whom the Father anointed to this very office. It was the duty of the high-priest, not only to offer sacrifice, but to carry the blood of the sacrifice within the vail, and to burn incense before the mercy-seat: thus the office of intercession belongs to Jesus no less than that of offering an oblation: and consequently we have in his appointment to this office a pledge that he shall not intercede in vain.

The consolations arising from this office are heightened and confirmed by the consideration of his atonement: for in his one offering of himself there is a sufficiency of merit to justify all that shall believe in him. His death was a propitiation, not for the sins of a few only, “but for the sins of the whole world;” so that if all the sins that ever were committed from the foundation of the world, or ever shall be committed as long as the world shall stand, had been committed by any single individual, he would have no reason to despair; since if only he believed in Jesus, they should all be blotted out even as a morning cloud.
What marvellous truths are these! What a foundation for hope, and joy, and peace! O that our meditations on them might be sweet, and that our souls might ever experience their refreshing influence!]

Address—
1.

The self-righteous—

[What ground is here afforded for looking to our own repentances or reformations, as though they could restore us to the Divine favour? We deny not the necessity or importance of these things; but we utterly deny their efficacy to save the soul. There is no Saviour but Christ: if any man sin, however exemplary he may have been on the whole, he must trust in the atonement and intercession of Christ: there is no distinction between one sinner and another: all must equally depend on Christ: all must enter at that door [Note: John 10:9.]: all must build on that foundation [Note: 1 Corinthians 3:11.]: all must be saved by the name of Christ, and by that only [Note: Acts 4:12.]

2. The contrite—

[Let not the greatness of your guilt dismay you. Remember Abraham’s intercession for the cities of the plain [Note: Genesis 18:23.], and that of Moses for the Israelites, when God forbad him, as it were, to pray for them [Note: Exodus 32:9.]. Yet neither Abraham nor Moses had redeemed their souls. But Jesus is our propitiation, as well as our advocate; and shall not He prevail? See how he prevailed for Peter, who, if the Saviour had not interceded for him, would most probably have hanged himself in despair, as Judas did: but Christ said, “I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not:” and in answer to this prayer, he was restored both to his apostleship and to the favour of his God. Thus effectual shall the Saviour’s intercession be for you. Consider in what manner he intercedes for you: when he prayed for himself in his extremity, he said, “Father, not as I will, but as thou wilt:” but in his intercession for you he says, “Father, I will that they whom thou hast given me, may be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory.” Doubt not then, but that he “will pray the Father for you;” and that the Father, who has for so many thousands of years had respect to the bow in the clouds, and has forborne to deluge the earth again, will much more have respect to the Son of his love, and fulfil to your soul the promises of his grace.]