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Paraclete


My 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 KJV)

Paraclete "ADVOCATE"
          Most of the names of God we've explored have been associated with God, the Father. Paraclete is associated with Jesus and with the Holy Spirit. It means "one who comes along side," and is also translated "counselor, advisor, and helper." In a way, a spouse is a paraclete.[1]
          In today's passage, we are brought into the heavenly court, guilty of the crimes with which we've been charged. To make matters worse, our coconspirator and mentor in those crimes is also in that heavenly court, not as our  fellow defendant, but as the prosecuting attorney! Even if he can't serve as a witness to our specific crimes, he has a whole gallery of loyal henchmen, at least one of whom was probably nearby.
           Our Paraclete doesn't claim that we are innocent. He claims that the punishment for that crime has already been completed. And like the accuser, He has two witnesses, One of whom is the Judge, and the other of whom is also called "Paraclete."[2]
           You know those cartoons and skits with the devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other, each guiding you to do, or not do something? The picture is wrong. More often than not, "you" are at one shoulder and it's not a winged angel that is at the other, it is the Paraclete. He has promised that He will never leave us or forsake us.

[1] As an aside, while the word used in Genesis 2:18 is not "paraclete," I believe it carries the same idea. It so happens that God created Adam first and gave Adam a helper, but that doesn't mean that Adam was not also meant  to be the helper of Eve. They were paracletes to each other (by any other name....) One of the reasons I feel the need to explain this is because in our relationship with Jesus, while He is our paraclete, He is the Groom, not the Bride.
[2] Ever wonder why the Law requires two or three witnesses to confirm someone's guilt in court?

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