KING’S BUSINESS
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with the Father, and the same word is used of the Holy Spirit in St. John —He is the Advocate within. There is Christ’s perfect provision for us, and there is the Holy Spirit’s perfect provision in us. There are three views about the relation of sin to the believer, and the believer to sin, which have a very special bearing on this Epistle. Two of them are wrong; one of them is right. I will use the ordinary terms, in order that we may see what these three views mean. The first is often called E r a d ic a t io n , and it means the eradication of the sinful principle within. Now, that goes too far; it goes beyond Scrip ture, and it is contrary to experience. “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves,” but we do not de ceive anybody else. You can ask any one who teaches eradication this ques tion—a question that .goes to the very root of the whole matter—“Do you believe in the perpetual need of the Atonement to cover any defect from the moment of supposed eradication ?’’ Is the Atonement necessary for the rest of your life?” “Certainly,” says the man. “Then you are a sinner!” As long as you need the Atonement there is sin, whether in defect or otherwise. Let us never forget that sinlessness is not merely the absence of sinning; it is thq presence of the complete will of God fulfilled in our life, and to mention this is to see at once the need of the Atoning Sacri fice, to the very end of our days. The second view is called by the term SUPPRESSION. Now, if eradication goes too far, this does not go far enough, because sup pression emphasizes that fighting and .
3 :8, “Is sinning” ; 3 :9, “Cannot sin.”. Look at all these passages, and only when you have studied them all are you in a position, by induction, to ar rive at the truth concerning our rela tion to sin. -You will find that there is a distinction ever to be kept in mind between “sin” and “sins,” between the root and the fruit, between the princi ple and the practice. Now, will you look for a moment at three verses: “If we say that we have no sin” (1:8). To have sin is to possess the principle. “If we say that we have not sinned” ( 1 :10). To sin is to express that principle in prac tice. Now notice, “If any man sin.” There is an alteration from the “we” of 1 :8 and 10 to the “Any man” of 2:1. I suppose the Apostle rather shrank from saying, “ If we sin,” be cause the ideal of the Christian life is sinlessness. What that sinlessness means we shall see presently, but you notice there are parallel words. There are three lines. “If we say we have no sin” ; “If we say we have not sinned” ; “If any man sin.” Perhaps he did not like to use the word “we” in this last connection, though the ref erence to the Christian is perfectly clear; and “If any man sin” shows that even a saint may sin. But if the saint should sin—mark that—“we have an advocate with the Father.” , There is a perfect propitiation pro vided, “If any man sin, we have an advocate” ; no allowance for sin, but a perfect provision in case we do sin; no need to sin, no right to sin, no com promise with sin, no license, but a provision in case we do. On board ship the provision of lifebelts is not associated with any intention to have a shipwreck, but they are there in case of need. When it is said here, “If any man sin, we have an advocate,” it is the provision in case of need. As you know, there are two Advocates. The Lord Jesus Christ is the Advocate
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