The Advocate

Dictionary of Biblical Words:

This word, translated “Comforter,” occurs John 14:16, 20; 15:26; 16:716And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; (John 14:16)
20At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. (John 14:20)
26But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: (John 15:26)
7Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. (John 16:7), and refers to the Holy Ghost. Also in 1 John 2:11My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: (1 John 2:1), referring to Christ. It signifies “one who carries on the cause of another.” When we sin, Jesus, on the ground of established righteousness by His finished work, intercedes with the Father for those who are truly God’s children, for whom the question of sin in its condemning power has been forever settled, for He who is our Advocate has by Himself purged our sins, and His one offering has perfected us forever. If we sin now it does not upset our relationship as children of God, nor our righteous standing before Mm, and acceptance with Him, for that depends upon Christ’s perfect and unfailing work. Sin is now, not a judicial but a family question. We have to do with God as a Father, not as a judge. It is the children’s sins which the Advocate answers for, the sins which hinder our communion, and rob us of our joy and peace. Satan may point to these sins and question our right to go into the presence of a just and holy God, but the Advocate points to the mercy seat and the sprinkled blood. “He is the propitiation for our sins.” This office of Christ is clearly understood when we remember that Satan, on the other hand, is the “accuser of the brethren” (Rev. 12:1010And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. (Revelation 12:10)). Advocacy is not the same as priesthood, which is exercised more towards us, whereas advocacy is entirely with God. Observe also, we have a priest with God, an advocate with the Father.

Boyd’s Bible Dictionary:

Concise Bible Dictionary:

This word signifies one who takes up the cause of another, 1 John 2:11My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: (1 John 2:1). The same Greek word is translated “Comforter” in John 14:16,2616And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; (John 14:16)
26But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. (John 14:26); John 15:2626But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: (John 15:26); John 16:77Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. (John 16:7). From this we learn that the word applies both to the Lord Jesus and to the Holy Spirit. “If any man sin we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” This applies to Christ in the glory. He is not an advocate for the unconverted, but for the Christian if he should sin; and it is with the Father, for the one who sins is a son. Sin breaks the communion, and the advocacy of Christ is to restore it. He is the Paraclete in heaven, who takes up the cause of the saint, and the Holy Spirit is the same on earth to secure the spiritual welfare of God’s people. See HOLY SPIRIT.

Related Books and Articles:

Priesthood and Advocacy: April 2007
Christ Our Advocate
An Advocate With the Father: Provision for Our Present Need