1 John 2:1 English Standard Version (ESV) My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
The Greek word of advocate here is paraklētos and these are the biblical uses of that word.
I. summoned, called to one’s side, esp. called to one’s aid
A. one who pleads another’s cause before a judge, a pleader, counsel for defense, legal assistant, an advocate
B. one who pleads another’s cause with one, an intercessor
i. of Christ in his exaltation at God’s right hand, pleading with God the Father for the pardon of our sins
C. in the widest sense, a helper, succourer, aider, assistant
. of the Holy Spirit destined to take the place of Christ with the apostles (after his ascension to the Father), to lead them to a deeper knowledge of the gospel truth, and give them divine strength needed to enable them to undergo trials and persecutions on behalf of the divine kingdom
Biblical usages are important because they underline the connection to us and the scriptures in which they relate to our understanding. The first and primary usage listed is summoned. Think of this in the same manner as having a lawyer on retainer. He is the one you call when you are accused or guilty. He should always be your first call when in trouble. The subset A clarifies the intent. Subset B adds a level of detail that goes a little beyond the bounds of legal defense, that is as an intercessor.
The secondary inset defines our lead lawyer, the courtroom and the judge. The only case to be pleased is over the issues of sins committed.
C is where it gets interesting because the wider sense identifies actions that might best be seen as the legal team who take direction from the lead attorney, Christ. It calls out the Holy Spirit in His role on that team.
Think on this, John is doing the same thing in his epistle, exhorting us not to sin.