Our Paraclete, Our Advocate

Toni M. Babcock

A saving encounter with the living God reveals His Son Jesus is more than just a one-time ‘parachute’ we put on to escape eternal damnation. 

Yes, God does provide salvation once and for all through faith in His Son Jesus— but Christ is also a ‘paraclete’ (Greek word for Advocate), because God knew we needed more than a one-time encounter with Jesus in order to trust and obey Him. 

He knew for all time we’d need Christ’s daily presence as Advocate, Friend, and Counselor to the end. 

These spiritual blessings are the assurances Christ left with his disciples and to all who would believe afterwards. 

We have these blessings and more through His Spirit who dwells within us.

It would be impossible for us to come close to living in Christ’s likeness if the Holy Spirit of Jesus was not living within us in all His rich character — making us ‘live His life’ while we live out His law of love in the obedience of faith. 

Keeping the law of God becomes no longer a duty but a joy. 

As believers, we live under the law of liberty in Christ, which enables us to fulfill the spirit of the Old Testament law. 

Indeed, we are more perfectly able to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul and mind – and our neighbor as ourselves because we have a new heart (cf. Hebrews 10:16-18 CSB). 

How foolish to ever believe we could have kept His laws without His Spirit!

In the Spirit of Jesus we have a continuous Helper, one who is keen to know our weakness and to be an Advocate on our behalf. 

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin. Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:15-16 CSB).

Toni is author of Reflections from the Heart in Light of the Gospel of Jesus. Contact