Jesus will be our Advocate before God

[Hobie]

To the Jews in the ancient times, defending the accused was such a sacred duty that the judge refused to delegate the work to an attorney. He himself served as the defender of the accused. The Jewish Encyclopedia explains: 'attorneys at law are unknown in Jewish law.' Their legal code required judges to 'lean always to the side of the defendant and give him the advantage of every possible doubt.'

Its this what we have that God Himself defends and judges the accused. And we know who the accuser is.

Revelation 12:10
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.

Here is speaks of the devil who accuses us before God day and night. The devil also keeps a record of sin, and his accusations are painfully correct. So how do we overcome these accusations?

Revelation 12:11
And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

It shows here the saints overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony and it was given us that Jesus Christ died for our sins so that we may inherit eternal life through Him.

1 Corinthians 15:3
For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

So we look and we see the scriptures was Paul referring to when he said that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures. he was referring to the Old Testament, which predicted that Jesus would die for the sins of mankind. Isaiah spells out the affliction and suffering that the Messiah would have to go through to atone for our sins.

Isaiah 53:3
3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.


And what is sin, and why did it cost the life of the Son of God? The Bible has only one definition of sin, and we find this in 1 John 3:

1 John 3:4
Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

Sin is the transgression of the law of God, and sin carries a penalty, and that penalty is death.

Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

But in Christ the penalty is paid and we can have eternal life. Now since all mankind has transgressed the law of God, all mankind is in need of salvation.

Romans 3:23
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;


If salvation is a gift, we cannot earn it and its clear that salvation is by grace and that our works cannot save us.

Ephesians 2:8
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

So basically it shows, sin, which is the transgression of God's law, leads to death and not just physical death but eternal death, and grace leads to life which is eternal life. But grace does not remove the obligation to keep God's law, but rather establishes the law. The law cannot save us, but it can warn me by telling me what sin is.

Romans 3:20
Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

To be saved by grace does therefore not relieve anyone from the duty of obedience to God's law. Grace takes away the condemnation of the law, and scripture shows us this.

Romans 8:1
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

But it does not do away with the law. When we accept the fact that Jesus died in our stead, God finds the evidence He needs to pronounce us innocent. In certain situations, the Hebrew judge appointed an advocate to assist him in defending the accused. The Jewish Encyclopedia states that the husband could represent his wife and help the judge defend her if the verdict involved his personal rights. Here we have a parallel with the heavenly judgment as Christ the Bridegroom purchased His bride with His own blood. Christ serves as our Advocate to help the Father defend us against the accusations of Satan.

1 John 2:1-3
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: 2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. 3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.

When probation closes, Christ will cease His intercessory ministry, put on His kingly robes, and return to earth as King of kings to meet His church. We see this in Daniel 7.

Daniel 7:13-14
13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. 14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

Daniel 7 describes the great judgment scene to take place just prior to Christs Second Coming where He is before the Father.

 

[Josheb]

Let's include Romans 8:28-34, too.

Romans 8:28-34
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.

Paul has described a courtroom.

• The Plaintiff (the one who brings charges) is the same Guy who justifies.
• The Prosecutor (the one against us) is the same Guy who did not spare His own Son for us.
• The Defense Attorney (the one who intercedes for us) is the same Guy who died for us.
• The Defendant (the one sitting in the seat of the accused) is the same Guy who took our place.

The Judge has done all these things.

 

[Papa Smurf]

• The Plaintiff (the one who brings charges) is the same Guy who justifies.
• The Prosecutor (the one against us) is the same Guy who did not spare His own Son for us.
• The Defense Attorney (the one who intercedes for us) is the same Guy who died for us.
• The Defendant (the one sitting in the seat of the accused) is the same Guy who took our place.

We are saved from God, by God, for God

--Papa Smurf

Romans 5​

8 God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. ​

9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. ​

10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. ​

.

 

[Hobie]

Let's include Romans 8:28-34, too.

Romans 8:28-34
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.

Paul has described a courtroom.

• The Plaintiff (the one who brings charges) is the same Guy who justifies.
• The Prosecutor (the one against us) is the same Guy who did not spare His own Son for us.
• The Defense Attorney (the one who intercedes for us) is the same Guy who died for us.
• The Defendant (the one sitting in the seat of the accused) is the same Guy who took our place.

The Judge has done all these things.

Here is a few more that should be included..
Colossians 1:19–20 (KJV)
19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; 20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

Luke 19:10 (KJV)
10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

2 Corinthians 5:21 (KJV)
21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

 

[turbomaniac]

Don't expect that that you will have Jesus as advocate because Jesus will be the Judge, and like I said before, it will be too late to repent. So we must repent till we die constantly confessing our sins to the priest and trying not to do again the same sins/mistakes.

 

[makesends]

Don't expect that that you will have Jesus as advocate because Jesus will be the Judge, and like I said before, it will be too late to repent. So we must repent till we die constantly confessing our sins to the priest and trying not to do again the same sins/mistakes.

Why to the priest? He is not our advocate.

 

[turbomaniac]

Why to the priest? He is not our advocate.

Jesus Christ announced Apostles to do this job and Apostles announced the Priests. After all you are lowering your ego when you confess to another human. And that lowering is very crucial for letting of our sins. We get help when we confess to our phychiatrist, imagine how much more help we get when we do this at the persons that Apostles wanted. And if the priest is bad, he will be punished by Jesus meny times worse for if he wasn't a priest. But of course we must search for the good Priests as we search for the good doctors!

 

[makesends]

Jesus Christ announced Apostles to do this job and Apostles announced the Priests. After all you are lowering your ego when you confess to another human. And that lowering is very crucial for letting of our sins. We get help when we confess to our phychiatrist, imagine how much more help we get when we do this at the persons that Apostles wanted. And if the priest is bad, he will be punished by Jesus meny times worse for if he wasn't a priest. But of course we must search for the good Priests as we search for the good doctors!

Apostolic succession. No thanks. Christ is still my advocate.

 

[Papa Smurf]

Here's an interesting Q & A to consider about confession (for what it's worth @turbomaniac, I don't believe that there is anything wrong with confessing our sins to a priest, just that it is not necessary to do so, nor is it the way that forgiveness is actually obtained from God).

Q: What does the Bible say about confession of sin to a priest?​

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A: The concept of confession of sin to a priest is nowhere taught in Scripture. ​

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First, the New Testament does not teach that there are to be priests in the New Covenant. Instead, the New Testament teaches that all believers are priests. First Peter 2:5-9 describes believers as a “holy priesthood” and a “royal priesthood.” Revelation 1:6 and 5:10 both describe believers as “a kingdom of priests.” ​

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In the Old Covenant, the faithful had to approach God through the priests. The priests were mediators between the people and God. The priests offered sacrifices to God on behalf of the people. That is no longer necessary. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice, we can now approach God’s throne with boldness (Hebrews 4:16). The temple veil tearing in two at Jesus’ death was symbolic of the dividing wall between God and humanity being destroyed. We can approach God directly, ourselves, without the use of a human mediator. Why? Because Jesus Christ is our great High Priest (Hebrews 4:14-15; 10:21) and the only mediator between us and God (1 Timothy 2:5). The New Testament teaches that there are to be elders (1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:6-9), deacons (1 Timothy 3:8-13), and pastors (Ephesians 4:11) – but not priests.​

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When it comes to confession of sin, believers are told in 1 John 1:9 to confess their sins to God. God is faithful and just to forgive our sins as we confess them to Him. ​

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James 5:16 speaks of confessing our trespasses “to one another,” but this is not the same as confessing sins to a priest as the Roman Catholic Church teaches. Priests / church leaders are nowhere mentioned in the context of James 5:16. Further, James 5:16 does not link forgiveness of sins with the confession of sins “to one another.”​

​

The Roman Catholic Church bases their practice of confession to a priest primarily on Catholic tradition. Catholics do point to John 20:23, “If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” From this verse, Catholics claim that God gave the apostles the authority to forgive sins and that authority was passed on to the successors of the apostles, i.e., the bishops and priests of the Roman Catholic Church. There are several problems with this interpretation. (1) John 20:23 nowhere mentions confession of sin. (2) John 20:23 nowhere promises or even hints that apostolic authority of any kind would be passed on to the successors of the apostles. (3) The apostles never once in the New Testament acted as if they had the authority to forgive a person’s sin. Similarly, Catholics point to Matthew 16:19 and 18:18 (binding and loosing) as evidence for the Catholic Church’s authority to forgive sins. The same three above points apply equally to these Scriptures.​

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The ability to forgive sins is God’s and His alone (Isaiah 43:25). The better understanding of John 20:23 is that the apostles were given the responsibility of declaring with utmost certainty the terms on which God would forgive sins. As the church was being founded, the apostles declared that those who believed the gospel were forgiven (Acts 16:31) and those who did not obey the gospel faced judgment (2 Thessalonians 1:8; 1 Peter 4:17). As the apostles proclaimed salvation in Christ (Acts 10:43) and exercised church discipline (1 Corinthians 5:4–5), they were wielding the authority Christ had given them.​

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Again, the concept of confession of sin to a priest is nowhere taught in Scripture. We are to confess our sins to God (1 John 1:9). As New Covenant believers, we do not need mediators between us and God. We can go to God directly because of Jesus’ sacrifice for us. First Timothy 2:5 says, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”​

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~https://www.gotquestions.org/confession-sin-priest.html​

God bless you!!

--Papa Smurf

 

[turbomaniac]

And that is called " I will do my will instead of God's will". " I will reach God the way I feel and not the way the God wanted when He created His Church". I have done that mistake a lot before reading the bible and what Saints wrote for bible interpretation. Because we can't reach God the way we want but the way He wants. We must do as God and the Apostles said and then God himself will show us the way.

 

[ChristB4us]

Don't expect that that you will have Jesus as advocate because Jesus will be the Judge, and like I said before, it will be too late to repent. So we must repent till we die constantly confessing our sins to the priest and trying not to do again the same sins/mistakes.

Forget the priest; they cannot always be there for you, but Jesus Christ can for He is in you & with you always so you can ask Him for the forgiveness of sins and for help not to sin again.

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.

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. 14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. 15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 2:18 For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.

Romans 13:13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. 14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

1 Corinthians 10:12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. 13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. 10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. 11 To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.