October 19th, 2022

Grace and Truth

     “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the
glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John
1:14)

One of the hardest things to do is show grace and truth in equal measure. Too often we
live on one side or the other. We are quick to show grace to someone who stumbles, or,
hammer them with truth when they fail. Somehow Jesus knew how to bring each in
equal measure to the forefront in any given situation. He know how to administer grace
to the fallen yet do so without ignoring the truth that needed to be spoken. A woman at a
well just there to draw water. Jesus confronts her with the truth of her lifestyle, yet does
so with so much grace the woman is convicted yet seems somehow relieved to be
called out for it. A guy climbs a tree to gain a glimpse of this Jesus guy. Jesus, catching
a glimpse of him, invites himself to the man’s house for dinner. Zacchaeus, a known
cheat of a tax collector, welcomes him gladly and with joy then repays what he had
improperly taken.

How does this happen!?!?! How do we live in the tension between grace and
truth to speak into people’s lives on both levels? As I pondered this the only way I see
the possibility is if grace and truth are centered by love. It was the love of Christ for the
well women and tree men He encountered that made Him capable of gracefully
speaking truth into their lives. And made them willing to receive it.

We must operate in the same place. Grace and truth bracketed by love is the only way
life change is facilitated by the Holy Spirit through us to others. To lean one way or the
other is to fall short of being the complete image and presence of Christ to the person in
front of us who needs that complete image to deal with what they are going through.
Too much grace will leave them comfortable with where they’re at and no desire for
change. Too much truth we come across as the condemning sin police looking at them
through plank filled eyes.

Pastor Rob