My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
Ver. 1. That ye sin not] Presuming upon an easy and speedy pardon. The worst sort of Papists will say, When we have sinned, we must confess; and when we have confessed, we must sin again, that we may confess again; so making account of confessing, as drunkards do of vomiting. But we have not so learned Christ. If his word dwell richly in us, it will teach us to deny ungodliness, &c.; to forsake as well as confess sin, and not after confession, to turn again to folly, or (as those that are dog sick) to their former vomit. With confession of sin must be joined confusion of sin,Proverbs 28:13. We may not do as those Philistines, that confessed their error and yet sent away the ark of God, 1 Samuel 6:3. Nor as Saul, "I have sinned, yet honour me before the people," 1 Samuel 15:30. Nor yet as those perverse Israelites, "We have sinned, we will go up;" though God had flatly forbidden them at that time to go up against the Amorites; and for their presumptuous attempt brought them back by weeping cross,Deuteronomy 1:41,43, &c. Sin confessed must be, 1. Disallowed in our judgments. 2. Disavowed and declined in our wills and affections. 3. Cast out of our practice; Ephraim shall say, "What have I to do any more with idols?"Hosea 14:8. He shall pollute the images that he had once perfumed: he shall angrily say unto them, Get you hence, Isaiah 30:22 .
And if any man sin] Being taken before he is aware, Galatians 6:1. See Trapp on " Gal 6:1 "
We have an advocate] Who appears for us in heaven, and pleads our cause effectually. SeeHebrews 9:24 .
Jesus Christ the righteous] Or else he could not go to the Father for us. See Trapp on " Joh 16:10 "