Jesus is our Advocate before the Father. People have many ways to excuse sin. People joke, “Politicians will say anything to get elected.” Christians may say anything in order to save face or avoid admitting sin. But the good news is that Jesus is our Advocate before the Father!

Message from 1 John 1:5-2:6

We hesitate to use the word sin. It is much easier and more appealing to our conscience to refer to “misspeaking” or a “temporary lapse of judgment.” When celebrities or athletes are held to account for the language they use, they often say, “Those words don’t represent who I am.” Maybe so, but the words do represent something- at minimum your state of mind at the time. A candidate in the recent vice presidential debate referred to himself as a “knucklehead,” instead of admitting a specific discrepancy and error.

This talk obscures two bigger issues. It obscures the specific sins for which we need forgiveness. It also obscures the sin tendency deep within our hearts. We have inherited guilt from Adam, and we need forgiveness and cleansing before a righteous and holy God’s, whose wrath burns against sin ten times hotter than the surface of the sun. John identifies several false claims about sin which people use in order to avoid admitting they need forgiveness. They need someone to be the atoning sacrifice for their sins. A person cannot reconcile himself to God. reconciled Jesus is the atoning sacrifice who reconciles us to God the Father!

Click here for last week’s message:

Fragrance of Life, Fragrance of death