An advocate is professionally trained to plead the cause of another in a court of law. He pleads another person’s cause, by defending or guiding him. The name advocate is a name given by Christ to the Holy Ghost (John 14:16; 15:26; 16:7).
Proverbs 31:8-9 gives us a picture of what a human advocate does: “speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.”
What did Jesus say about the advocate? In John 14:16, Jesus says, “… I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you.” The Holy Spirit arrived on earth to help humanity after Jesus ascended to heaven.”
According to Matthew 1:21, Jesus came to save us from our sins. The one way Jesus works for our salvation is through intercession.
One ministry of Jesus in heaven now is intercession. “He is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them,” (Hebrews 7:25). Jesus is interceding, so that, we may be saved from our sins, and overcome in the trials of life. He always lives to pray for us.
It is reassuring to know that we are saved by his prayers (Romans 8:34) and by his advocacy in heaven as our High Priest. He prays for us and His prayers are answered because He prays perfectly on the basis of His perfect sacrifice and victory over Satan at the Cross of Calvary (Rev.5:4-5)
“No sinful human being has any access to the Father except through Jesus’s blood (Hebrews 10:19–20). He is our Advocate with the Father now (1 John 2:1). He is our High Priest before the throne of God now (Hebrews 4:15–16). He said: “No one comes to the Father except through Me,” (John 14:6).
In the words of John Piper: “The new covenant is purchased by the Blood of Christ, effected by the Spirit of Christ, and appropriated by faith in Christ. The best place to see Christ working as the Mediator of the new covenant is in Hebrews 13:20–21: “Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the Great Shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever.”
The words, “working in us that which is pleasing in his sight” describe what happens when God writes the law on our hearts in accordance with the new covenant. And the words “through Jesus Christ” describe Jesus as the Mediator of this glorious work of sovereign grace.”
Jesus advocates for us in different ways. He pleads our case with the Righteous Judge. He stands as the Advocate between our repentant hearts and the law.
Another aspect that makes Jesus our Advocate is the fact that He has experienced life in this world, too. He has faced temptations, rejections, and false accusations and yet without sin. This means that He does not represent us theoretically; He represents us experientially.
An earthly advocate can only plead our case from external evidence or witness testimony. Our heavenly Advocate knows our hearts and pleads our case on the basis of what is there (Luke 5:22).
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