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. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

1 John 2: 1-2

On almost any day in traffic around Cincinnati, I will come across a car with no less than six bumper stickers proclaiming the driver’s support for a particular cause and usually, it is a series of issues where I might have little in common with the driver. And on Pfeifer Road in Cincinnati, there is usually a truck parked in front of a home with large signs warning of hell and the dangers of rejecting Christ as Savior.

What do these people have in common? While there views are pretty much opposed, each one of them is an advocate for an idea or a cause they feel needs to be protected or saved. 

An advocate can be defined as someone who pleads on someone else’s behalf. As I thought about this passage today I wondered if we really understand just how passionate Christ is for us. He cares for us more than the driver of the car or the person warning others of the dangers of hell. When we were helpless, when we were without hope, “when we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners” (Romans 5:6).

Yes, He is our advocate, but there is more. In verse two above, John reminds us once again that our faith is not for us alone. Jesus was the propitiation or atonement for our sins and “also for the sins of the whole world.”

The whole world? This doesn’t mean that salvation is necessarily universal, but it does indicate Jesus’ sacrifice was enough for everyone living and dead, but the power of salvation is only realized by those who repent of sin and are reconciled to the LORD. (1 John 1:9)

Jesus is our advocate. We should advocate for others in the world around us.