"GRACE AND TRUTH"

Scriptures: John 1:14 ,  John 1:17   

John 1:14 reads: "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." The 17th verse reads: "For the law as given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." John is the only writer that has used these two words, grace and truth, together as he describes the nature of Christ. These two words are like the positive and negative clamps on a set of battery cables. They work together to produce in us what God desires us to be.

We have limited Christ to only function with grace. Grace is His good will, loving-kindness and favour. While He does indeed show us these attributes, He simultaneously functions in truth. Truth in this verse actually means "the candour of mind which is free from affection, pretence, simulation, falsehood, and deceit."

I can remember times when my mother would chastise me. As the rod of correction would be swinging, she would put affection, pretence, simulation, falsehood and deceit aside as she verbalized her reasons for the chastisement. Even while chastising, there was a demonstration of loving-kindness and favour.

Do you find yourself getting angry when people confront you with truth? What is your reaction when they extend grace? Both are essential for our full development. Grace lets us get by. Truth calls us in question and holds us accountable.