Advocate - Is This One of God's Names? (w)

"Advocate" is somtimes promoted as being one of God's names. The scripture given relative to this is 1 John 2:1, which reads: "My little children, I write these things to you so that you may not sin. If anyone sins, we have a Counselor with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous."  (World English) The assumption appears to be that Jesus is the Supreme Being, and thus, since it is assumed that Jesus is the Supreme Being, then one of the alleged "names" of the Supreme Being is Advocate. Of course, in reality, Jesus spoke of his God and Father as being the only true God, the only true Supreme Being, and by stating that the only true God had sent him, Jesus denied being the Supreme Being. (John 17:1,3) Likewise, Paul identifies only one person as being the 'one God' from whom are the all (1 Corinthians 8:6), the Supreme Being. Thus, "Advocate" is not a "name" of the only true God.

See:
Jesus is Not Jehovah


The word "advocate" is not actually a name, at least not in the sense that we speak of "Jesus" as being a name. The only personal "name" attributed to God in the Bible is the name often represented in the earlier Hebrew as "יהוה", often rendered into English as "Jehovah" or "Yahweh". The word "advocate" is a "name" in a more general sense as we might say that the word "apple" designates the name of a certain fruit. The word "advocate" is often confused with the word "mediator"; they do not actually mean exactly the same thing. The word mediator signifies one who seeks to reconcile two parties who are not in harmony with each other. Before one becomes a child of God, one is estranged from God, and thus, in need of a mediator by which to be reconciled to God. Thus, to become a child of God, one who receives Christ and has faith in the Jesus' sacrifice for our sins, become reconciled to God, and becomes a new creation, separated from the old creation that remains under God's wrath. (John 3:36; Romans 5:10,12-19; 8:1,17-22; 2 Corinthians 5:17; 1 Timothy 2:5,6) The new creature in Christ, being a child of God, is without sin, and thus no longer needs a mediator. However, since the new creature still has to contend with the sinful flesh, the new creature needs an advocate, someone who is like a lawyer, to appear on his behalf before the only true God, and yet this representation before God is still based on application of the blood of Jesus, which has been offered in sacrifice for us all. (Hebrews 9:24-26) In other words, for any sin attributed to the sinful flesh, Jesus does not offer a new sacrifice for that sin, but as the advocate of the new creature, he appears before God so that such a sin does not put the New Creature at enmity with God.

However, the Greek word rendered as "advocate" in 1 John 2:1 is a form of the Greek word often transliterated as "paraklétos" (Strong's #3875). This word is often generalized as meaning advocate or comforter. Thayer, however, gives it three meanings. In summary, Thayer presents it as meaning (1) advocate, (2) intercessor, (3) helper, succorer, aider, assistant. Forms of the word paraklétos are also found in John 14:15,26; John 15:26; and John 15:7, where it is applied to the "spirit of truth". In these verses, however, it is evidently not speaking of the spirit of truth as being an advocate or intercessor, but as a helper, succorer, aider, or assistant. (more to be added later)