Sin is Our Choice; Forgiveness is His

"1My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin." 1 John 1:1 

Sin is breaking God's law. It is first and foremost an offense against God. I don't have to sin; I  have a choice to obey or disobey God. "Grace does not eliminate the requirement to obey. It enables one to do so." (Jay Adams) What will I choose today? I will have many opportunities to "walk as Jesus walked" or to walk in my own way. What will be the pattern of my day? How will I practically flesh out love for God and my neighbor? What about you, what will you choose? We must begin our day with the reminder that our lives are not our own, we have been bought with the blood of Christ. We must desire to decrease so that He may increase. What will keep us from sinning? We must see the beauty and excellence of His commands; believing that all of His ways are true and right.

But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for[a] the sins of the whole world." 1 John 2:2

I don't have to sin, but I will. Oh, how sweet is this verse to my soul! There is One who is face to face with the Father pleading on my behalf, Jesus Christ. He is the sinless attorney representing you and me in the High Court of God. He has never lost a case! "He pleads that the penalty has already been paid and He has the scars in His hands and feet as evidence. On the cross when Jesus said, 'It is finished' it can be translated 'the debt is paid'." (John Piper) What amazes me is that Jesus goes to my defense everytime I sin. I am overwhelmed when I consider all the times my Savior must plead my case before the Father in one day! I wonder how many times I would  be willing to plead a person's case before a judge, especially when that person breaks the same  laws over and over again. Why would The Righteous One continually go to bat for a sinner like me? Unlike me, he does not say "Good grief, here we go again!"  What unconditional love and mercy is demonstrated in this picture of my Savior defending me. I have nothing to offer in my own defense, I am a sinner prone to wander. He alone is my Righteousness; I run to Him.

Questions to Ponder and Post:
1. How can Christians keep from sinning?
2. How does1 John 2:2 affect your view of sin and the Savior?