Full of Grace and Truth
One of the many remarkable attributes of our Lord and Savior is this: He is “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). Truly amazing, but have you noticed how these attributes tend to be out of sync in our lives? I know it happens to me.
Like me, we have all been called to “walk as He walked” (1 John 2:6), to “follow in His steps” (1 Peter 2:21) because we are “predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son” (Romans 8:29). The Lord desires that we be “full of grace and truth,” not bent toward truth OR grace.
Both are essential. You can’t fully understand the gift of grace without understanding God’s truth about it, and you can’t fully understand God’s truth without having God’s grace illuminating the truth in your life.
So what happens? We all have a leaning, an inclination, a bent toward grace OR truth, not grace AND truth. Some are winsome and likable, but cave. Others are just “thus says the Lord” and harsh. We can lean into whichever direction fits the circumstance or our personal conviction. Yes, we need to proclaim and defend the truth (2 Cor. 13:8) and yes, we need to be gracious toward others we don’t agree with while displaying a kind-heartedness (Luke 6:31, 35b).
Grace can never be at the expense of truth nor truth at the expense of grace. It is NOT easy to be “full” of both, but the first step must be a willingness to admit we tend to lean one way or the other and justify that leaning. I know I’ve done it and do it and have likely not always aware of it.
In our vast and instant access to everything anyone says publicly, take a moment to remember the love of your life, Jesus Christ, who is “full of grace and truth” and see how you can, by the power of the Spirit, seek to pursue this fulness. Even when it is something clear cut to you and what you firmly believe the Bible says.
Better yet, start this way. Memorize John 1:14 and recite it to a family member or brother or sister in Christ and ask them to pray that you grow in your desire to be “full of grace of truth.”
Pastor Jeff
“Have you ever considered the possibility that your limitations and handicaps may prove to be the key to your usefulness in the service of Christ?”