Skip to main content

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?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The List

              Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,   through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;   perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. (Romans 5:1-5)           Think about it. We have been justified. At least, we could be justified if we stopped insisting that our justification be based on our merits. We have peace with God, or could have peace if we stopped throwing temper tantrums. We have gained access into grace i...
Post a Comment
Read more

Listen!

  While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” (Matthew 17:5)            Do you like roller coasters? I don't. You spend forever climbing a hill. You get to the top and have half a second, then you race down to a low point. Sometimes the racing down involves tying your insides into knots. At the bottom, you either have to be dragged up another hill or you get off the ride. Peter's life was a roller coaster from the time he met Jesus. There would be miracles, and then Jesus would teach things that didn't always make sense, and then they'd go out and perform miracles, and return to be taught. Peter was praised for giving the right answer to "Who do you say that I am?" Jesus said that said answer came from God. Peter was at the top of the hill.            ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Prayer Lists

                 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. (I Peter 2:2-3)   In connection with what I wrote yesterday about the possibility that I’m wrong, I’m feeling the need to go back to basics - craving spiritual milk because somehow, I missed something. It’s a little embarrassing, craving milk like a newborn, but the truth probably is that we are newborns many times in many ways in our lives. From God’s perspective, we may never be anything more than newborns, forever needing that milk. On the other hand, being a newborn can also be exciting because so much is new. My mind is playing pinball - ricocheting from one idea to the next and through six more before it happens to hit the third again. The main topic is prayer. I have at least seven organizing structures all somewhat influenced by the movie War Room , which I’v...
Post a Comment
Read more