My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father-Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.

The apostle John brings to us a unique tension: the words of God can effectively keep us from sin, but if we do sin, we have Jesus Christ, who speaks to the Father on our behalf. We have everything that we need to live a life of godliness on this earth, because holiness is not based upon us, but upon the power of the Scripture and the cross. It is the cross that opens the mercy of God to us, and we have the Scripture to guide us in life on a daily basis.