I Won't Stand Alone

By Gobel Brockman


     During my senior year in high school (many, MANY years ago) I worked as an attendant at a full-service gas station. One night a man pumped gas into his car and drove off without paying. I was able to get his license plate number and I called the police, who arrested him a short time later. A few weeks later I had to go to court for this man's preliminary hearing. What I remember the most from that day, however, was the case the judge was hearing right before ours. The defendant was on trial for driving under the influence of drugs. He asked the judge to allow him a continuance of his trial due to the recent passing of his mother. Before responding to his request, the judge asked him an interesting question: "Have you spoken to an attorney about your case?" The man responded that he had not. The judge agreed to the continuance and set his trial for the following month. Before dismissing the man, he told him, "I strongly suggest that you speak with an attorney about your case."  

     What the judge was telling this man was simple: "The next time you stand before me, it would be in your best interest not to stand before me alone. You need an attorney by your side."

     Every time I remember that day, I'm reminded of what the Bible says in 1 John 2:1:

     "My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world." (Emphasis mine)

     The word "advocate" in the original Greek is the word parakletos which in part means, "One who pleads another's cause before a judge, a counsel for defense, an advocate." That is a powerful thought: Jesus Christ - "the righteous" - is pleading my cause! What's even more incredible is that He is pleading my cause to a sympathetic judge who actually SENT Jesus (our advocate) to pay the price for my sins! Think of it this way: the Father sent Jesus to pay the price for our sins. That sacrifice has made the way for Jesus to advocate (plead our cause) before a judge who WANTS to freely justify us (find us not guilty)! Thanks to the love of God, He has created an "open and shut case" for us to receive by faith!

     The Bible also tells us in Romans 14:10 that "we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ." As I have said before, it doesn't matter whether you believe that or not - you'll be there anyway. So will I. We are called to live lives of holiness and obedience to God. We cannot, however, earn the right to be free from the guilt of our sins. We will never be good enough to cleanse our own sins. But thanks to the love of the Father and Christ's willingness to pay the price for my sins, I know that when it's my turn to stand before God, I won't stand alone: my advocate (Jesus) will be standing with me. I receive that by faith, and I will ever thank God for it!

     How about you?