1 John 2:1-2 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.
What a powerful and reassuring bit of scripture Friends! And if anyone should know the intricacies of our faith, it’s John, the harbinger of Jesus’ coming, who blazed a trail for Him, then faithfully walked beside Him in His earthly ministry, listening to Him pour His heart out, offering salvation to any, who would only believe. John seems quite concerned about his readers, writing to them, explaining stuff, so that they would be aware of the correct doctrine and not fall into sin because of false teaching or ignorance, which he deals with in Chapter 1. However, if anyone sins, and because of our inherently sinful nature, that’s expected, ‘we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.’ Oh Friends, please Bless His Holy name! He’s like a lawyer for us before the court of God. He works on our behalf, sinning believers, to restore us to fellowship with the Father, through the sufficiency of His blood to conquer all sin; past, present and future. Not only is he our advocate with the Father, but also, ‘He is the propitiation for our sins;’ an atoning sacrifice for us. He bore the punishment in His body to pay for our sins, thereby satisfying God’s requirement that sin be punished. ‘Whom God had set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God.’ (Rom.3:25) Yes Friends, Bruh Paul at his highfalutin best. (smile) But it’s only through faith, that Jesus’ death satisfies the Father’s righteous demands. And only through His blood, shed as a living sacrifice, was atonement for our sins gained. ‘…and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.’ What a marvellous humanitarian is our Saviour Jesus! He died to reconcile the whole world to His Father. ‘The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.’ (John 1:29) John knew it, having been forewarned by the Father. ‘Upon whom thou shalt see the spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.’ (John 1:33) And as Jesus came towards him, John says, ‘I saw the spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him… And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.’ (John 1:32,34) So there was absolutely no doubt in John’s mind about Jesus being whom He said He was. That means Friends, when we consider sin, we should not treat it lightly, for Jesus paid the ultimate price with His sinless life, with His Holy blood, that was shed on our behalf, to cleanse the evil in us. We would not have done it. So let’s take sin and evil as seriously as they warrant nuh. Let’s not make Jesus’ sacrifice and advocacy a wasted effort. Much LOVE!…to be worthwhile…advocates and sacrifices…must be used to the fullest…
What a powerful and reassuring bit of scripture Friends! And if anyone should know the intricacies of our faith, it’s John, the harbinger of Jesus’ coming, who blazed a trail for Him, then faithfully walked beside Him in His earthly ministry, listening to Him pour His heart out, offering salvation to any, who would only believe. John seems quite concerned about his readers, writing to them, explaining stuff, so that they would be aware of the correct doctrine and not fall into sin because of false teaching or ignorance, which he deals with in Chapter 1. However, if anyone sins, and because of our inherently sinful nature, that’s expected, ‘we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.’ Oh Friends, please Bless His Holy name! He’s like a lawyer for us before the court of God. He works on our behalf, sinning believers, to restore us to fellowship with the Father, through the sufficiency of His blood to conquer all sin; past, present and future. Not only is he our advocate with the Father, but also, ‘He is the propitiation for our sins;’ an atoning sacrifice for us. He bore the punishment in His body to pay for our sins, thereby satisfying God’s requirement that sin be punished. ‘Whom God had set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God.’ (Rom.3:25) Yes Friends, Bruh Paul at his highfalutin best. (smile) But it’s only through faith, that Jesus’ death satisfies the Father’s righteous demands. And only through His blood, shed as a living sacrifice, was atonement for our sins gained. ‘…and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.’ What a marvellous humanitarian is our Saviour Jesus! He died to reconcile the whole world to His Father. ‘The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.’ (John 1:29) John knew it, having been forewarned by the Father. ‘Upon whom thou shalt see the spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.’ (John 1:33) And as Jesus came towards him, John says, ‘I saw the spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him… And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.’ (John 1:32,34) So there was absolutely no doubt in John’s mind about Jesus being whom He said He was. That means Friends, when we consider sin, we should not treat it lightly, for Jesus paid the ultimate price with His sinless life, with His Holy blood, that was shed on our behalf, to cleanse the evil in us. We would not have done it. So let’s take sin and evil as seriously as they warrant nuh. Let’s not make Jesus’ sacrifice and advocacy a wasted effort. Much LOVE!…to be worthwhile…advocates and sacrifices…must be used to the fullest…
SCRIP-BITS 