We have an ADVOCATE ~ JESUS CHRIST THE RIGHTEOUS!

"If any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." —I John 2:1 [KJV]

In the glass of God's holy and righteous law we see what an unholy and unrighteous thing sin is; it is hateful in the eyes of a pure God; it has separated between God and the sinner, and tends to his eternal destruction. The gospel in no wise renders sin less odious to God, less heinous in His sight; far from it. Yea, rather it paints sin in the blackest colours, and shews its deepest malignancy, by the gracious method of its atonement. View the holy Lamb suffering for sin on the cross; see the streaming blood, and hear the direful agonies of the Son of God on account of sin; and say, O believer, is sin a little matter, a trifling thing? Learn daily sin's evil by its remedy—sin's poison by its antidote—the hell it deserved by the Person Who redeems. And ever, O my soul, hold fast this as a sacred truth, though God loves thy person in Christ Jesus, yet He hates thy sins, though reconciled to thy soul through the Son of His love, yet He never can be reconciled to sin, though at peace with thee through the blood of the cross, yet ever at enmity against thy sins. Hence the beloved disciple declares, "These things write I unto you, little children, that ye sin not." Beware of sin as the worst evil; watch against sin as a deadly foe; strive against it, oppose, resist it in the power of the Spirit, as your worst enemy: as most hateful and displeasing to your best Friend.

But if any man sin, (for none are perfectly free from sin in their nature, nor wholly exempt from it in their practice), what then? must he lie down and despair? No; "We have an Advocate with the Father:" Jesus Christ pleads the cause of sinners, though He is not an advocate for sin; for He is THE RIGHTEOUS. Therefore He doth not deny the charge that we are sinners, guilty in ourselves; He extenuates none of our sins, but owns every accusation brought into court against us by a perfect law and strict justice; with every aggravating circumstance which can be urged. Against all that law and justice can charge upon us, He pleads His own undertaking, His work, His life and death, His blood and righteousness. His people have sinned; His blood hath atoned. They have contracted guilt; He hath suffered the punishment. They have deserved the curse of the law; He has borne it for them. They have deserved hell; He has opened the kingdom of heaven. They are unrighteous in themselves; Jesus hath fulfilled the law for them, and clothes them with His perfect righteousness. Therefore he pleads that sin may not be imputed to them; but that pardon of sin and peace of conscience may be bestowed upon them by the word and Spirit; and that they may be sanctified in Him, and glorified with Him. Thus saith our dear Lord to us, "I will not leave you comfortless." —John 14:18.

-William Mason (1724-1797 A.D.)

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

JESUS - Rock of Ages

Jesus remains the same in all ages. He is the One who is constant when everything and everyone else fails. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever; the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. He is our R ock [I SAMUEL 2:2 ] . In the Old Testament, in Exodus 33, Jesus is pictured as the Cleft Rock. In that chapter, verse 18 and following, Moses desired to see the glory of the Lord, but was told, "You cannot see My face; for there shall no man see My face and live.” And the Lord said, “There is a place by Me, and you shalt stand upon a rock: and it shall come to pass, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by." Notice that as Moses stood upon the rock, the Lord hid him in the cleft. This wonderfully applies to us today! Believers are both standing on and hidden in Christ [COLOSSIANS 3:3 ] . We are both in and on the Rock. As life with its many bitter events presses upon us, ...
Read more

CHRIST OUR ONLY AND PERFECT RIGHTEOUSNESS

" The flesh lusteth against the Spirit." —Galatians 5:17 [KJV] Christian experience fully proves this apostolic truth. Hence the children of God cannot do the things that they would: nor have we any authority from God's word to conclude this lusting ever ceased in any of the saints till they got to glory; none are delivered from it while in the flesh. For, as the renewed soul or spirit loves to enjoy spiritual and heavenly objects, so the flesh, or unrenewed part, lusts after those objects it is naturally conversant with, and from which it derives its happiness.  Here is thy conflict, O Christian. Hence the necessity of thy Lord's command, "Watch always." This is the use of the doctrine. What woeful effects have fulfilling the lusts or desires of the flesh produced in eminent saints! Thou standest by faith, be not high-minded, but fear. The conceptions of lust are the productions of sin.— see James 1:15 . The commission of sin contracts fresh s...
Read more

GLORY ALONE IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST

" Lest Israel vaunt themselves against Me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me." -Judges 7:2 [KJV] Thus the Lord reasoned with Gideon. He knows what is in man. He sees the pride of the human heart: how prone we all are to boast in an arm of flesh. The Lord is jealous of His own glory. Gideon’s army of two and thirty thousand, is brought down to three hundred. By this handful of men, and no more, did Gideon gain the victory of the Midianites. The Lord’s wisdom in this was, “Lest Israel should vaunt themselves, and say, Mine own hand hath saved me.”   But I have not transcribed the text right. There are two little words of great import, which I have omitted. Mind then, O Christian— against Me. Now remember, whenever thou dost boast of thy power, thy free-will, thy human goodness, thy works, ditties, conditions, and performances in order to be saved, thou art then, as it were, two and thirty thousand strong. Thou vauntest thyself against the Lord . Thou art gloryi...
Read more