Sabbath School lesson Advocate and Intercessor Read Romans 8:31–34. What great hope and promise is offered us here? The background of verses 31–34 is a courtroom scene in which we should visualize ourselves on trial. Questions are asked: Who is against us? Who will bring a charge against us? Who condemns us? Such a situation could easily send shivers down our spines. After all, are we not well aware of our human imperfection and sinfulness? However, we do not need to fear. The promise that nothing and no one can separate us from God’s love centers on several impor-tant points: God is for us (vs. 31), God delivered His Son for us (vs. 32), God freely gives us all things (vs. 32), and God justifies us (vs. 33). Jesus Christ is on our side. Jesus is the answer to any fear of condemnation, for He died, was raised, and is now continuously interceding for us in the heavenly sanctuary at the right hand of God (vs. 34). If someone goes so far as to die willingly for us, we should feel confident of His love. The assurance revealed in Romans 8:31–39 is really telling us about the kind of God we believe in. If we understand that our God loves us so much that nothing can thwart His purposes for us (vss. 35–39), the divine courtroom becomes a place of joy and jubilation. This truth becomes even clearer in 1 John 2:1, 2. The Greek parakletos designates a legal assistant or advocate, someone who appears in another’s behalf as “intercessor.” Jesus is our Advocate, and He defends us because otherwise we would have no hope. Our Advocate is “righteous,” which gives us the assurance that the Father will hear Christ’s intercession, for Christ could do nothing that His righteous Father would reject. Christ intercedes for those who have sinned, presenting Himself—the One who has not sinned—as the Righteous One who stands in their stead.
Posted on: Mon, 18 Nov 2013 05:49:06 +0000
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