John, the apostle, wrote five of the twenty-seven books of the New Testament.  Only Paul wrote more books than he did.  In his first epistle, he tells us one of his reasons for writing.

1 John 2:1 (ESV)
¹  My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin…

It should be our goal in life not to sin.  One thing that can help us avoid sin, or at least the practice of sinning, is to remember the things we study from the Word of God.  John gave us another reason for writing to brethren in the first chapter.

1 John 1:4 (NKJV)
⁴  And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.

John had just written about the reality of Jesus and having fellowship with Him and the Father.  There should be no greater joy in our lives than to know that we have a relationship with God, especially when we are aware of the extent of that relationship—He has adopted us into His family, making us his sons and daughters in Christ.

John went on to write about the importance of maintaining our relationship with God by walking in the light.  Since God is morally perfect, He can have no fellowship with sin nor those living in it (1 John 1:5-6).  If we are to sustain fellowship with God, we must walk in the light (1 John 1:7).  This knowledge should lead us to avoid the practice of sinning.

The sad reality, however, is that we all sin (1 John 1:8-10).  But all is not lost.  Listen to what John says in the rest of 1 John 2:1.

1 John 2:1 (ESV)
¹  My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

The Greek word for advocate is paraklētos.  It refers to “a legal advisor, pleader, proxy, or advocate, one who comes forward on behalf of another” (Complete Word Study Dictionary).   It is the last part of this definition that describes Jesus the best and should give us comfort.  When we sin, Jesus comes forward on our behalf to plead with the Father for our forgiveness.  Who would you want to plead your case more than Jesus?  As advocates go, He is the best that is available because He is both divine and, having taken on flesh and blood, sympathetic to our plight.

Hebrews 4:15-16 (ESV)
¹⁵  For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. ¹⁶  Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Jesus can sympathize with us, not because He was Himself weak, but because He knows what it is like to be under satanic attack.  The devil tempted Jesus the same way he tempts us (Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13), but without any success.  Jesus’ advocacy is a part of His role as High Priest, and because He works on our behalf, we can draw near to God with confidence, knowing that it is the Son of God who is interceding for us.

Hebrews 7:25 (ESV)
²⁵  Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.