Column: ‘JAG’ – Jesus-Advocate General

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Commentary by Rev. Michael VandenBerg

My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the compensating sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. 1 John 2:1-2

What do you do when you are in trouble? No, I don’t mean “take an extra cookie” kind of trouble, but trouble that you can’t find a way out of. You know the kind I mean, trouble that plagues our every waking hour with guilt, shame and remorse.

Most of the time we can’t find our way out. It is as though trouble has dropped us into the middle of a giant labyrinth with no exit. The more we struggle, the more we panic; the more we panic, the more we fall into despair. What the Bible calls this and every kind of trouble, big or small, is sin. Sin is when we violate God’s intended purposes for the perfection of created life. Sin has become the norm for our living and, more than that, it has become the inescapable reality with which we live.

So what is the answer? Well, we can like so many throw up our hands and say, “Well this is just the way that I am, so accept it.” This is called resignation. Or we might fight vigorously against our fallen nature and work endlessly toward perfection, always finding it out of our reach. This is called torment. Or you might find a solution that would bring perfection back and able to be obtained and yet well within what we can do. Christians call this redemption — having the price of our sin paid on our behalf so we can reap the benefits of an eternity of perfected glory.

So how is that possible? Well, the only way it is possible to get back to God’s original plan of perfection is to accept that one who is perfect (without sin) and has a right standing before God could advocate for us and pay the price. That person is Jesus. He is both perfect human and perfect God. His giving his life so ours could be spared is called redemption. This is the message of Easter. The God/Man who paid the price for our sins, with His life, so we could enjoy life forever, as it was meant to be. Why not learn more about this divine transaction as a local church this Sunday.


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