After covering these matters in chapter one, John goes on in chapter two to show us that the divine provision not only includes the blood of Jesus and the faithfulness of God, but also includes the living Person of Christ as our Advocate. As the One who shed His blood for us, this Person is now our heavenly attorney taking care of our case. He is qualified for this because He is the righteous One, the One who is right with the Father.
In 2:2 John says that the One who is our Advocate with the Father is also a propitiation concerning our sins. Whenever God’s children offend the Father, the fellowship between them is broken. Furthermore, there is no peace; instead there is turmoil. Realizing the situation, the children should make confession to the Father, who is ready to forgive them and cleanse them. The cleansing blood has been provided, and the Father Himself is faithful to forgive and righteous to cleanse. But how can the peace between the Father and His children be restored? We may think that as long as there is forgiveness and cleansing, peace will come automatically. However, there is still the need for our Advocate to be our propitiation between the Father and us so that the Father may be appeased and that peace may be restored.
Let us once again use our human family life as an illustration. Often the mother in a family will be the one who appeases the father in behalf of the children. Suppose the children in a particular family offend the father, peace is lost, and now there is turmoil in that family. The children repent and confess their wrongdoings to the father, and he forgives them. However, the situation between the children and the father is still not altogether pleasant. At such a time, a wise mother will speak both to the children and to the father. On the one hand, she may say to the children, “Children, it is all right now. Your father has forgiven you.” On the other hand, she may turn to her husband and say, “Isn’t it wonderful that the children have repented and have confessed to you.” As a result, the peace between the father and the children is restored through the mother’s being the propitiation, the peacemaker.
In chapter one of 1 John we see that we have the blood to wash us and the Father’s faithfulness and righteousness for our forgiveness and cleansing. Although our problem is solved through our confessing, through the cleansing of the blood, and through the Father’s forgiveness and cleansing, we still need Christ as our Advocate with the Father and as our propitiation. He is the One who makes peace, the One who appeases the Father for us. As the appeasing One, He causes everyone involved, the Father and the children, to be happy and peaceful. Immediately, we have the enjoyment of the fellowship. This is the picture portrayed in these verses of John’s first Epistle.
We need to be deeply impressed with all the divine provisions: the cleansing blood, the faithfulness of God, the righteousness of God, the Advocate, and the propitiation. With God we have the provisions of His faithfulness and righteousness, and with Christ we have the provisions of His blood and of Himself as our Advocate and propitiation. Day by day, we who have the divine life and the enjoyment of this life in fellowship need to be on the alert concerning sin. But if we sin, we should immediately make confession. Then we shall experience the effectiveness of all these provisions. We shall have the washing of the Lord’s blood, the faithfulness and righteousness of the Father for our forgiveness and cleansing, and Christ as our Advocate and propitiation for the appeasing of the Father and the restoring of the peace between us and the Father. Through Christ as our Advocate and propitiation, we again have peace with the Father and we enjoy fellowship with Him.