From Anstey’s Doctrinal Definitions:
This is one of two functions which comprise the Lord’s present work on high for His people—His priesthood and His advocacy. Both have to do with His “intercession” for us, but in different ways (Rom. 8:34).
• His intercession as a Priest concerns the maintenance of His people in the path of faith so that they might not fail.
• His intercession as an Advocate is for His people when they fail.
Advocacy refers to “one who takes up the cause of another.” In Scripture, it is applied to the Lord (1 John 2:1) and also to the Holy Spirit (translated “Comforter” in John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7). The Lord’s advocacy has to do with His work of restoring believers to communion with God.
Sin interrupts the believer’s communion with God; repentance and confession restore him to communion with God (1 John 1:9). The problem is that if we fail and we get on a course away from the Lord, we have no power to restore ourselves—such is the effect of sin in the life of a believer. Left to ourselves we would never turn to God in repentance and confession. Hence comes the need of the work of Christ as our Advocate. There are four things involved in the Lord’s advocacy:
1) HE INTERCEDES FOR US (Luke 22:31). He goes to the Father and prays for our restoration. At the same time, He maintains our cause before God against the accusations of the devil regarding the sins involved with our failure (Rev. 12:10). He does this on the ground of Him having made “propitiation for our sins” (1 John 2:2). He, so to speak, points to the blood and says, “I’ve paid for those sins.” Hence, our restoration is founded on what Christ accomplished on the cross.
2) HE DIRECTS THE SPIRIT OF GOD TO BRING THE WORD OF GOD TO BEAR UPON OUR CONSCIENCE (Luke 22:61). The Spirit of God will address our state and our sinful course and will occupy us with our failure until we face it and repent. He will use the Word of God to break down our sin-hardened hearts (Jer. 23:29). He may bring a verse to mind—either by hearing, reading, or remembering it—that will speak to our conscience. Thus, God’s Word has a part in the restoration of our souls (Psa. 19:7; Psa. 119:9).
3) HE PROVIDENTIALLY EXERCISES HOLY DISCIPLINE IN OUR LIVES (1 Peter 3:12). The Father will work to this end too (1 Peter 1:16-17). All His actions toward us in this way are founded on His love for us (Heb. 12:5-11). His love is such that He will even use trouble of some kind (suffering, sickness, sorrow, etc.) to come into our lives to get our attention and correct us (Job 33:14-22).
4) HE WILL MOTIVATE OUR BRETHREN, AND THEY WILL COME AFTER US TO RESTORE US (Gal. 6:1; James 5:19-20). A brother or a sister may speak to us about our course, and it may be used of the Lord to turn us around.
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Far be the thought that a believer should ever be found sinning, for it is abnormal to Christianity. But if he does, 1 John 2:1-2 tells us that Christ’s advocacy goes into action immediately. It says, “If any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous.” Note: it does not say, “If any man turns to God and confesses his sins, the Lord works for him as his Advocate.” This would mean that His advocacy begins functioning when the failing believer turns to God in repentance. However, the Lord does not wait for us to turn to God in repentance, because He knows that left to ourselves, this would never happen. The truth is, the failing believer turns back to God and confesses his sins because the work of Christ as our Advocate has been in operation.
J. N. Darby said, "Some say that we have got to use the advocacy of Christ, but it is not so. Christ uses it for us. Why do I turn to God when I have failed? It is because He uses His advocacy, and fresh grace is applied—fresh grace wrought in my mind. There is nothing in us that brings us back to God but fresh grace working in our conscience. Therefore, it is said, 'If any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father.' It is not 'if any man repent''' (Nine Lectures on First John, p. 16). On another occasion Mr. Darby was asked, "Ques. When does the Lord act as an Advocate, is it when a saint sins? Ans. It does not say, if any man repent, and confess; but, if any man sin, we have an Advocate. Ques. Then does nothing begin with us? Ans. Nothing but sin that I know of. And confession is the effect of advocacy" (Notes and Jottings, p. 6).
Hence, Christ's advocacy does not function like the modern attorney, to which it has been erroneously compared. The modern lawyer goes to work for his client when his client solicits his help, but the advocacy of Christ goes into action before the failing believer solicits the Lord’s restoring help. All this points to the faithfulness of our God in restoring His erring people. He is jealous of our affections and will not let us continue in the paths of unrighteousness forever. He may allow us to taste the fruit of our ways for a while (Prov. 14:14) because the will of the flesh needs to be broken down in the wayward believer—but cost what it may, He will bring the backslider back (Psa. 23:3). Many times it is not until the person’s deathbed.
Christ’s intercession as our Advocate should not be confused with His intercession as our High Priest. Both refer to His present service on high, but they are different. Christ’s priesthood is to sustain the saint that he might not sin (Heb. 4:14-16; 7:25-26); His advocacy is to restore a saint—if need be—because he has sinned. Priesthood is with God (Heb. 2:17; 5:1; 7:25; 1 Peter 2:5); advocacy is with the Father (1 John 2:1). Christ’s priesthood has to do with continuous intercession; whereas His intercession as our Advocate is only in exercise when needed. (See The Priesthood of Christ.)