Saturday, June 14, 2014

DIVINE LAWYERS by Matthew Tozer


Does the Bible declare that Jesus and the Holy Spirit are our divine attorneys?


Paraclete

The New Testament of the Bible was originally written in the Greek language.  Thereafter, the Greek biblical text was translated into other languages, including English.

Jesus and the Holy Ghost (Holy Spirit) are identified as our “Paraclete.”  (Holy Spirit: John 14:16, 14:26, 15:26, 16:7, and Jesus: 1 John 2:1).   Paracletos is a Greek word that means “one called alongside to help” or “one who pleads (advocates) the cause of another.”

Secular Lawyer / Attorney

In secular law, at common law, an attorney at law was divided into two sub-professions.  One type of attorney was a solicitor; the other kind was a barrister.  A "solicitor" advised and counseled people regarding  legal matters.  The "barrister" advocated and fought the case in court.  In the USA today, we have no such formal two-fold division of attorneys at law.

In the United States, attorneys at law have, in general, two roles:  

First, a lawyer candidly counsels his or her client in private, advising them regarding the truth about their case, the pros and cons, the strengths and weaknesses, and the risks and probabilities.  This way, a client can make an informed and intelligent decision about his or her case.

Second, an attorney at law advocates on behalf of his or her client to an insurance company, opposing attorney, judge and/or jury.  Such advocate presents the client's evidence in the best possible light, generally emphasizing favorable evidence, and deemphasizing or minimizing negative evidence.

Jesus (Lawyer-Advocate) / Holy Spirit (Attorney-Counselor)

The Bible refers to both Jesus and the Holy Spirit as our Paraclete, as our attorney.  Jesus, as a Paraclete (1 John 2:1), as our defense attorney, "advocates" before the God the Father and relates that, by His blood, our sin debt is paid in full.  God, the Father, as judge, rules, "Guilty as charged.  But the debt has been paid by a 'kinsman redeemer' (Jesus).  Case closed.  Your client is free to go."
The Holy Ghost (Holy Spirit), our Paraclete (translated "Comforter", "Helper", or "Counselor"), is our guide and adviser (John 14:16, 14:26, 16:7). The Spirit of truth guides us into all truth (John 16:13), the truth about God, Biblical truth,  and the truth about our sinful selves.  He counsels us. The Spirit leads and guides us (Romans 8:14, Galatians 5:18).  He teaches us (John 14:26). The Holy Ghost (Spirit) reveals Jesus to us (John 15:26).  He pours God's divine love into our hearts (Romans 5:5). He enables us with His power (Acts 1:8, Ephesians 3:16).1, 2

Conclusion

In conclusion, we see that, for the Christian, the scripture reveals both Jesus and the Holy Spirit as our "paraclete," with distinct, yet complimentary roles.  Jesus is our advocating attorney in the heavenly courts while the Holy Spirit is our advising attorney relating to our spiritual, missionary, and practical lives here on planet Earth.

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1  Further, the Spirit, as Paraclete, takes on the additional role, by analogy, of prosecuting attorney "convicting" or "convincing" the world (John 16:7-8).

2  Another perspective is that the Holy Spirit is "another" Paraclete (John 14:16).  In other words, the Holy Spirit comes as an "advocate" (i.e., the primary meaning of "paraclete" in the ancient Greek language is that of a "legal advocate" at the courtroom), that is, as a successor who continues the paraclete (advocate) role of Jesus after the glorification of Jesus and "will abide with [all believers] forever" (John 14:16), in a manner which Jesus, in the limitations of his physical body on Earth, did not do.  See The Holy Spirit in John’s Gospel: Another Advocate  (located on another website).

CHRISTIAN ATTORNEY - CALIFORNIA LAWYER

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