BY THE AUTHOR
Dr. Clarence E. Mason, Jr.
Philadelphia College of Bible
1970

ADVOCACY
The word "advocate" occurs only once in the King James Version, 1 John 2:1, but the Greek word translated "advocate" (parakletos) appears five times.
 

1. THE WORDS

   1. Parakletos - meaning "one who is called alongside to help, " Jn. 14:16; 14:26; 15:26; 16:7; 1 Jn. 2:1.

   2. Paraklesis - noun indicating "the help itself, " Lk. 2:25; 2 Cor. 1:3.

   3. Parakaleo - verb translated 107 times in the NT as "comfort, " "beseech, " "desire," "pray," "entreat, " "exhort, " "call. "
       

2. THE USAGE OF THE WORD ADVOCATE

   1. It is used of the Lord Jesus Christ, 1 Jn. 2:1.
      The advocacy of the Lord Jesus Christ is a special ministry He performs for the child of God about the sin question. His present ministry, as we have seen before, is threefold:

      1. Mediation - our access to God, 1 Tim. 2:5.
         The matter of His mediation is evident from 1 Timothy 2:5. He is the Go-between, the Daysman, Job 9:33. He is the One through whom man gets to God and God gets to man. Every sinner must come through the Son, and every believer must approach God on the ground of the Son.

      2. Intercession of Christ - this deals with our infirmity and need, Heb. 7:25.

      3. Advocacy - the advocacy of the Lord Jesus Christ is not contingent upon our confession, His forgiveness, etc., but upon sin. The sin of the Christian necessitates the advocacy of Christ. Our sin may be a secret one on earth, but in Heaven it is open scandal. So, in grace and without solicitation from men, Jesus Christ the righteous pleads the cause of the Christian. Such an act ought to make it hard for the Christian to sin.

   2. It is used of the Holy Spirit.
      John 14:16 - the word "another" means another of the same kind. This is very significant. John 14:16-17 teaches the eternal indwelling of the Spirit.

      1. In John 14:26, the work of the Comforter is the ministry of teaching. While this Scripture applies to the apostles, there are other references that show that this blessing is for all believers, 1 Cor. 2:9-12; 1 Jn. 2:20-27.

      2. In John 15:26, the ministry of the Comforter is witnessing. This is also true in John 16:14. Christ is the object of the Paraclete's testimony. A ministry or work which is of the Spirit will always glorify Christ.

      3. In John 16:7-1.1, the ministry is that of conviction.

         1. The Holy Spirit convicts of sin, Jn. 16:9.
            The sin mentioned here is the sin of unbelief. How is the work of John 16:8 accomplished:

            1. Through our testimony.

            2. Through the evidence of blessing in our lives because of accepting Christ.

         2. The Holy Spirit convicts of righteousness, Jn. 16:10.
            While Christ was on earth, He was the manifestation of the righteousness of God and He was therefore hated, not because of what He did, but because His life was a rebuke to the sinfulness of others.
            
            There are only 3 ways in which the world can see the righteousness of God:

            1. Natural revelation, Rom. 1

            2. Supernatural revelation, the Bible

            3. Through Christians, 1 Pet. 3:1, saved without the Word, but actually the Word was in the wife.
                

         3. The Holy Spirit convicts of judgment through the believer, Col. 2:15.
             

3. THE DEFINITION OF ADVOCACY
   "Advocacy is the work of Jesus Christ for sinning saints which He carries on with the Father, whereby in virtue of His own sacrifice He preserves them in grace."
   
   The advocacy on the part of the Holy Spirit includes four truths:

   1. Indwelling, Jn. 14:16

   2. Teaching, Jn. 14:26

   3. Witnessing, Jn. 15:26

   4. Convicting, Jn. 16:7

"Mason's Notes"

(formerly Philadelphia Biblical University, Philadelphia College of Bible.) Copyright © 2012 to present, All rights reserved. Cairn University 200 Manor Avenue Langhorne, PA 19047 United States of America

"Mason's Notes" Study materials on this website are made available here free, through the generosity of Cairn University, and may be copied for use in Bible study groups, in limited numbers, providing that no charge is made for them.  No further distribution or use of these materials is allowable under U.S. or International Copyright Law without the express permission of Cairn University.

20160407