Have you ever heard the phrase, “Jesus Christ, our Advocate” and wondered exactly what it meant? What is He advocating for in relationship to us, and what exactly is an advocate, anyway?

This phrase is found in 1 John 2:1: “My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” So what is an advocate? The Greek word used here is Parakletos and it means to be a helper, an intercessor or a counselor.

Knowing then that Satan is constantly bringing accusations against us, the role of Jesus Christ as our advocate begins to become much clearer. With a perfect judge, God, overseeing the case, we know there will be no mistakes in the proceedings.

Let’s begin with the idea of Jesus Christ as our counselor. It’s not just an ordinary sort of counseling that this term implies. Rather, it is counsel in a legal sense, much like a lawyer might give a client accused of a crime. Understanding this puts an interesting twist on this scripture. Why do we need a lawyer with God?

Consider this: Our world is full of messy situations. Relationships between people, countries, political parties and even families—all can be messy at times. Often times, we find ourselves caught in the middle of these with seemingly no good answers. Sometimes we try to step in and help, but only make it worse. Other times, perhaps we know what the right thing is, but we don’t do it, or we wind up doing the wrong thing for selfish reasons.

Now imagine for a moment, we find ourselves in a situation where, for whatever reason, we make a mistake and do the wrong thing. Somehow, in some way, we goof up—we sin. At the moment we realize it—POOF—we are transported to a courtroom where we are on trial for the mistake we just made! We are on the witness stand, God is the judge, Satan is the prosecuting attorney, and Jesus Christ is your lawyer. While this might sound a bit surreal, let’s consider a few things about what the Bible tells us about these three in their respective roles.

First, we see that God is the judge. While this is a given in most people’s minds, it is good to note that the Bible makes this point very clear. In James 4:12 we read, “God alone, who gave the law, is the Judge. He alone has the power to save or to destroy…” (New Living Translation). Romans 2:2 and Isaiah 33:22 confirm this concept as well.

Next, let’s note Satan’s role in this courtroom, specifically, his attitude and how he treats people. In 1 Peter 5:8, we’re told our “adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” In Revelation 12:10 we’re told that Satan is the “accuser of [the] brethren, who accused [us] before our God day and night.” Again, the word here for "accuser" in the original Greek has a very legal sense about it. It means to be a prosecutor—an attorney who is trying to convict us of a crime!  

Knowing then that Satan is constantly bringing accusations against us, the role of Jesus Christ as our advocate begins to become much clearer. With a perfect judge, God, overseeing the case, we know there will be no mistakes in the proceedings. He wrote the laws, and there is no chance that the case will be dismissed because of some technicality or possible bribery of the judge. Our need for a good lawyer is very apparent!

If we were to find ourselves in this courtroom drama, we would probably soon realize that we need something more than a good lawyer.  We are human beings with feelings and emotional needs. That’s where another aspect of Jesus Christ as our advocate begins to come into play.

As mentioned earlier, that word for "advocate," Parakletos, also means friend. In fact, the word is translated in John 14:16 as "comforter." The literal meaning of Parakletos is that of someone who is "called to one’s side," especially during a time of need. More than just a good criminal defense attorney, Jesus Christ is standing right there next to us, during our time of need to lend moral support!

Imagine that courtroom setting once more: We stand before God, the righteous judge who does not make mistakes. Accusing us with mounds of evidence as to our guilt is Satan the devil. There is no doubt we are guilty of our sins, and we know beyond the shadow of a doubt, the punishment is death (Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23). Standing next to us is our advocate, Jesus Christ. While He could do the job as our attorney in a very cold, sterile, unloving way, He does not. Instead, not only is He a very competent attorney, He is a warm, loving friend! There, by our side, with a reassuring arm around us, telling us, “It will be okay. Everything is going to work out just fine, I promise.”

This, of course, is not a license to do whatever we like and incorporate sin into our lives as a habit. Remember how John begins his statement in 1 John 2:1: “My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin.” Throughout his writings, the apostle John reminds us of the need to obey God’s commands (compare 1 John 3:4, 1 John 5:2-3). Our lives should be lived according to God’s laws and the example of His Son, Jesus Christ.  

The role of Jesus Christ as our advocate is an expansive one. When we as human beings make mistakes and find ourselves under fire by an angry accuser, it’s comforting to know that not only do we have a good lawyer by our side, we have the support and comfort provided by a warm, loving friend!