AN ADVOCATE | AdventAI

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Mar 8, 1899

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 25, No. 10.

AN ADVOCATE.

WE speak of an "advocate" in the sense of one who defends the cause of another. And any one who unselfishly defends another is the advocate in the truest sense. A lawyer may defend a client, but it is for his fee. Men in political and social life may defend each other, but in too many cases it is because of some self-interest. For when circumstances change a little, we often see a person turn to defaming a man as bitterly as he was once ardent in supporting him.

It is when a person goes wrong and gets into difficulty that he appreciates a true advocate the most. When everything goes well with him the people with whom he comes in contact are usually kind, and he enjoys an unlimited amount of friendship. But let the day of adversity arrive and there are but comparatively few who will advocate the cause of him who has fallen. And it is only when a man is down that he really needs help. When everything is going well with any one the advocate and consoler is not needed.

Mankind as a whole has fallen. "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Rom. 3:23. And mankind in this fallen, sinful condition is without strength. We are powerless to help ourselves. "When we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly." Rom. 5:6.

Note that it is those who were "without strength" and "ungodly" for whom Christ died. And when He died for us, in the very nature of things, He became our Advocate.

"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; and He is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." 1 John 2:1, 2.

"These things write I unto you, that ye sin not." God's Word has power to keep us from sinning. But if we fail to exercise faith in this Word, and hence commit sin, "we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous."

The motive that caused Jesus to become our advocate had none of self in it. He did not take up the cause of humanity for personal gain, nor for any other form of personal or selfish advantage. It was love, the purest, the deepest, and the most completely devoid of self, that inspired both the Father and the Son when the great Sacrifice was given for humanity.

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16. "God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Rom. 5:8. "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God." "In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only-begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." 1 John 3:1; 4:9, 10.

The Lord does not love our sins; He hates every form of evil; but still He loves the sinner, not because he is a sinner, but because his sins will destroy him, and the divine love seeks to save him from ruin. And so the love of Christ follows us continually, seeking to win us from the slavery of sin to the freedom of righteousness, and truth, and life.

"And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. And the Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee; is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the Angel. And He answered and spake unto those that stood before Him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him He said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment. And I said, Let them set a fair miter upon his head. So they set a fair miter upon his head, and clothed him with garments. And the Angel of the Lord stood by. And the Angel of the Lord protested unto Joshua, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts: If thou wilt walk in My ways, and if thou wilt keep My charge, then thou shalt also judge My house, and shalt also keep My courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by." Zech. 3:1-7.

The foregoing scripture presents Joshua, the high priest, "clothed with filthy garments," and "Satan standing at his right hand to resist him." Satan is the accuser; he points to the filthy garments; he has nothing but censure and fault-finding. But the Advocate intervenes. He says, "The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; . . . is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?" Joshua represents one who is sorry for his sins. He is tired of his filthy garments. And the Advocate commands, "Take away the filthy garments from him," and then says to the repentant sinner, "I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment."

How clearly does this scripture bring before our minds the accuser and also the Advocate! The accuser resists us; he seeks to bring further calamity and evil upon us. "And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ; for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night." Rev. 12:10. Satan is "the accuser of our brethren," but the love of the Saviour causes Him to come to the rescue. We have nothing with which to hire an advocate, so His love causes Him to take up our cases without any price.

Now the whole world stands either with the accuser or with the Advocate. The accuser spends his time dwelling upon the faults of humanity. He "accused them before our God day and night." And if we yield to his influence, he sets us to dwelling upon the defects of our fellow-mortals. Their sins seem very glaring to us as the accuser helps us to see them in an exaggerated light. And while we stand with the adversary, we come to think that there is a sort of virtue in being able to see the evil deeds of our brethren so clearly. But the "Advocate," "Jesus Christ the righteous," says, "The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan."

The divine Master will not listen to these accusations without a rebuke. You may say, however, "There are real wrongs that my brethren are doing, and I must speak out." It is quite possible that the brethren are far from perfect, and if you would only leave the camp of the accuser and come over with the Advocate you would hear Him saying to you: "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ." Gal. 6:1, 2. We would also hear Him say, "Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another." 1 John 4:11. "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." Phil. 4:8.

The Word of God makes it very plain what the work of the accuser is, and it also directs us to view from every conceivable standpoint the love and tireless devotion of the great Advocate in His defense of weak and stumbling humanity.

On which side are you standing to-day? If you are with the accuser, don’t stay there. You have no time to lose in leaving the adversary’s camp.