When we become entrapped in the legal system, the person who comes to our aid is a lawyer. This is a person specially trained to advise us on how to dance through all the legal footwork our judicial system demands.
Sometimes, though, just knowing the right steps is not enough. We need someone who will do more than advise us. We need someone to plead our case before the court; to encourage the judicial system to understand and be lenient; and to let us have one more chance.
We need an advocate.
In the United States, there is no practical difference between the terms lawyer and advocate, but there is a vast difference in connotation. A lawyer’s job is cut and dried, giving advice as to how the current laws apply to our situation, and letting us make our decisions accordingly. Any advice he offers is based on the possible outcome of doing one action or another.
An advocate, however, does much more. An advocate assembles the facts of the case and tries to make sense of them, and then she presents our situation to the court to try to win us as much favor as possible. Our advocate may even help us dress to make the best possible impression on those who are hearing our case.
An advocate wants us to win.
Does an advocate have to be a lawyer? Not necessarily. Can a lawyer be an advocate? Absolutely. In court, we would expect our advocate to be well-versed in the law, and so we hire a lawyer to serve that purpose.
So, our advocate must be a lawyer’s lawyer, both versed in the law and committed to presenting our case in the best possible light.
Jesus is our advocate before God the Father. He knows the laws handed down by the Almighty and how they apply to our sinful natures. He dresses us in our best, and he pleads our case before his Father to put us in our best possible light. He wants us to win.
Here are five of Jesus’ advocate positions:
Advocate Position #1:
John 3:16. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
Jesus chose to come to us to learn our desperate situation so that he could plead our case with truthfulness and understanding.
Advocate Position #2:
1 John 2:1. “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”
Jesus recognized that we are not pure before God, and yet, he still stands before the Father, for he sees the good in us.
Advocate Position #3:
1 John 1:9. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Jesus is an advocate of second chances. He does not want the Law to cut us at the knees. Rather, he wishes to help us stand tall in him.
Advocate Position #4:
Revelation 22:17. “The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.”
When Jesus pleads our case, there are no lawyer fees. He offers his counsel freely and without charge. He is the broken man’s lawyer and advocate.
Advocate Position #5:
Acts 1:8. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Jesus even promises to send us out with a dollar in hand and a bus ticket to wherever we need to go. He will never send us empty handed to perform what he requires of us.
A lawyer’s lawyer is a person who is the best of the best. That’s what a good advocate is, well-versed in the law and also out to make sure we get the best deal we can. Jesus is our advocate before the Father, and when he stands up for us, our lives will be made different.
There is no higher authority than God, and Jesus gives himself to us as our intermediary between heaven and earth.
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