Seekers and inquirers have often voiced this deep question of concern: "Why does God forgive" and how does God forgive sin"" There is plain teaching throughout the Old and New Testaments concerning God's willingness to forgive and forget. Yet there are segments of the Christian church which appear to be poorly taught concerning God's clear remedy, through the atonement of Christ, for the believer who has yielded to temptation and failed his Lord. God knows that sin is the dark shadow standing between Him and His highest creation, man. God is more willing to remove that shadow than we are to have it removed! He wants to forgive and that desire is a part of God's character. In the sacrificial death of a lamb in the Old Testament, God was telling us that one day a perfect Lamb would come to actually take away sin. That is how and why God forgives sin now. In John's words: "We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins" (1 John 2:1-2a).

A.W. Tozer's materials are a mainstay in Evangelical churches in our day and he is one of the most quoted authors. He was a prophet in his day and his writings are even more influential in our day. One of his books: The Pursuit of God, has had over 1 million copies sold world-wide.

Morning and Evening with A.W. Tozer

GOD HAS A REMEDY

For Reading and Meditation:      Romans 3:21-31Herbert Spencer, whom we quoted earlier, wrote: "The task of religion is at-one-ment: atonement. If it fails to do this it fails at the vital point." Its ritual may be beautiful, its sanctions may be ancient, its precepts may be good, but if it fails to bring men and women into correspondence with God it fails vitally and irretrievably. All else is useless, for if the problem of evil is ignored or passed over, we are like the person who dreams about and plans next year's happiness while an incurable disease is eating at his vitals. The wonderful distinctive of Christianity is this - Jesus Christ has done something about the problem of being out of correspondence with God. He puts the hand of a penitent sinner into the hand of a pardoning God. Because of the nature of the problem - the problem of evil - no other solution is possible. Salvation is a task which only God could engineer. As one theologian puts it: "It is a task worthy of God." The ancient Greek playwrights used to warn their students that when writing a tragedy they should not bring a god onto the stage unless there was an entanglement worthy of a god. The presence of evil in this world, I suggest, presents an entanglement worthy of God. But it is no mere stage affair. It is a tragic fact. To deliver men and women from evil was a problem that challenged God's power and made the deepest claim upon His love. The cross is the answer. If we don't take God's way of salvation, then nothing else will do. Father, I rejoice that You have brought me to Your way -t he only way. Help the millions who strive to earn their salvation see that the penalty for sin has been fully paid. And all they have to do is humbly receive. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.<div class="tl-lightgrey mt20 pt20 flexbox-row-wrap jc-around"><div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">AdditionalVerses</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>1 John 2:1-2</li><li>1 John 4:10</li><li>2 Corinthians 5:11-19</li></ul></div>

<div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">Questions to Consider</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>What is at the heart of atonement?</li><li>What did John assure the believers?</li></ul></div></div>

Let a little light into your soul every day with this wonderful devotional from English pastor Selwyn Hughes.

Every Day Light with Selwyn Hughes

"God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood." (v. 25) 

Yes: Jesus pleads for us in heaven. By His own blood He entered once into the holiest, there to appear in the presence of God FOR US. He pleads for us against Satan, answering all his accusations; and for us with the Father, that we may be kept, supplied, and glorified.O what a comfort when the heart is straitened in prayer, when the mouth is closed by guilt, when the spirit is harassed by temptation, to know that Jesus as our Advocate appears and pleads for us above!Beloved, Jesus is before God for YOU this morning, and every morning; and the benefit of His intercession you daily enjoy. When doubting and fearful, put your cause afresh into His hands, and leave Him to carry it; He can plead well; His arguments are powerful, and His manner is Divine.Keep Jesus before thee this day as thy Advocate; rejoice in His office and name, and remember He is saying, "Father, I will that those whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am, to behold My glory." Him the Father heareth always; and all for whom He pleads are safe and shall be happy.Look up, my soul, with cheerful eye; See where the great Redeemer stands, The glorious Advocate on high, With precious incense in His hands; And on His pleading still depend, Who is thy Advocate and Friend.

Written by James Smith for his own flock around 1840, but such was the demand that by 1846 over thirty thousand copies where in circulation.

The Believer's Daily Remembrancer

We have an Advocate. 1 John 2:1

"If any man sin, we have an advocate." Yes, though we sin, we have him still. John does not say, "If any man sin he has forfeited his advocate," but "we have an advocate," sinners though we are. All the sin that a believer ever did, or can be allowed to commit, cannot destroy his interest in the Lord Jesus Christ, as his advocate. The name here given to our Lord is suggestive. "Jesus." Ah! then he is an advocate such as we need, for Jesus is the name of one whose business and delight it is to save. "They shall call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins." His sweetest name implies his success. Next, it is "Jesus Christ"-Christos, the anointed. This shows his authority to plead. The Christ has a right to plead, for he is the Father's own appointed advocate and elected priest. If he were of our choosing he might fail, but if God hath laid help upon one that is mighty, we may safely lay our trouble where God has laid his help. He is Christ, and therefore authorized; he is Christ, and therefore qualified, for the anointing has fully fitted him for his work. He can plead so as to move the heart of God and prevail. What words of tenderness, what sentences of persuasion will the anointed use when he stands up to plead for me! One more letter of his name remains, "Jesus Christ the righteous." This is not only his character BUT his plea. It is his character, and if the Righteous One be my advocate, then my cause is good, or he would not have espoused it. It is his plea, for he meets the charge of unrighteousness against me by the plea that he is righteous. He declares himself my substitute and puts his obedience to my account. My soul, thou hast a friend well fitted to be thine advocate, he cannot but succeed; leave thyself entirely in his hands.

This timeless classic from Charles Spurgeon will help to both start and end your day with wonderful insight into God's Word.

Charles Spurgeon's Morning & Evening

"If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." - 1 John 2:1

Evening Devotional

" I write unto you," says John, " that ye sin not." Such was his aim in writing this epistle, and such was his aim in writing the words of our text. The statement that we have an advocate with the Father, is intended to keep us from sinning. Any man that uses it merely as an opiate to his conscience, and to procure him peace in sinning, diverts it from its legitimate use. But when a Christian has been overtaken in a fault, what shall he do? Let him remember that for him, the unrighteous one, there is an advocate, Jesus Christ the righteous. Fear not the javelin of divine wrath. It must come through Christ before it can reach you. Nay, it has already reached him. The marks of the wounds appear in his glorified body. Your sin, mounting up to the throne of God, does not get there before Christ, your advocate. It is a great thing when an advocate can get up in court and say, The trespass of my client has been already atoned for ', the full penalty has been inflicted; and nothing now can be imputed to him. Christ's advocacy not only obtains for us justification, but also the Spirit of God, who, with the blood of Christ, cleanses us from all sin. We are richer in heaven than we are on earth. We have Christ the righteous, our advocate, - mine, - yours, - in heaven; on the earth we have nothing that we can justly call our own. We are here in a wayfaring place; what we see is but the furniture of an inn; it does not belong to us, save for a momentary use. But we have unsearchable riches in the country to which we go. When any one says, " What have you?" May you be able to answer, " I have an advocate with the Father - the richest of friends in the most important of all places."

A daily devotional written by a Baptist Missionary to India, Reverend George Bowen (1816-1888) over 150 years ago.

Bowen's Daily Meditations

" If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous." - 1 John 2:1. 

Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; try my mind and my heart. § Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom. § I thought about my ways, and turned my feet to Your testimonies. I made haste, and did not delay to keep Your commandments. § Let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. § We have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins. § Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

Daily Light on the Daily Path or Daily Light is a Christian daily devotional scripture reading published by Bagster & Sons about 1875. It has been reprinted continually since then. It consists of brief groupings of scripture passages which speak to prominent Biblical themes—two themes (morning and evening) for each day of the year. It appends no commentary, but simply allows scripture to speak for itself.

Morning Daily Light

 Let us search out and examine our ways, and turn back to the Lord. 

Inasmuch … as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same. Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. We have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. § In Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace. § With His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption… And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. § He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

 There is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus. 

Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died … who also makes intercession for us. § Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us. If anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. § There is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus. Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. § Through Him we . . . have access by one Spirit to the Father.

 He always lives to make intercession. 

The true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. § Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and He will say, “Here I am.” § Whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him. Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.  § Let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord. If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear. § 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. And He himself is the propitiation for our sins.

 Pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting. 

If anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. § God set forth [Jesus] as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. He is gracious to him, and says, “Deliver him from going down to the Pit; I have found a ransom.” What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? … It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.

Evening Daily Light

 If a man sins against the Lord, who will intercede for him? 

It is I; do not be afraid. § When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the Lord your God … your Savior. Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. § Immanuel, … “God with us.” You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. § If anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. § Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

 “Who are You, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus.” 

When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.” § I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins. “Woe is me, for I am undone! . . . My eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.” Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth with it, and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged.” § I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions, and like a cloud, your sins. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you. If anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

 It is I; do not be afraid. 

Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.” § “Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, saying, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.” § I come to do Your will. § Not My will, but Yours, be done. As He is, so are we in this world. § This is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. Whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. He always lives to make intercession for them. § If anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

 You always hear Me. 

The faces of the cherubim shall be toward the mercy seat. You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the Testimony that I will give you … I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat. Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him … Mercy and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed. If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared … O Israel, hope in the Lord; for with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him is abundant redemption. And He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities. § All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness.

 Jesus Christ the righteous. . . . The propitiation for our sins. 

If I say, “My foot slips,” Your mercy, O Lord, will hold me up. The Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail.” A righteous man may fall seven times and rise again. § Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him with His hand. Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; when I fall, I will arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me. § He shall deliver you in six troubles, yes, in seven no evil shall touch you. If anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. § Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

 My feet had almost stumbled; my steps had nearly slipped. 

2 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.

My dear children,<cr>1</cr> I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate<cr>2</cr> with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.

1 John 2:1

 1 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.

From Wikipedia: 

The New International Version (NIV) is an English translation of the Bible first published in 1978 by Biblica (formerly the International Bible Society). The NIV was published to meet the need for a modern translation done by Bible scholars using the earliest, highest quality manuscripts available. Of equal importance was that the Bible be expressed in broadly understood modern English.

The NIV is published by Zondervan in the United States and Hodder & Stoughton in the UK. The NIV was updated in 1984 and 2011 and has become one of the most popular and best-selling modern translations.

OT: Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia; additional sources;
NT: UBS Greek New Testament; Novum Testamentum Graece; additional sources;

New International Version

 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.

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.

 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.

Bible Verse of the Day

February 22, 2024

1 John 2:1 NIV

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