Full of Grace and Truth

We often try to separate what God has joined together. Some people want grace without truth. They want comfort, acceptance, and mercy, but no repentance, no holiness, no correction, no authority of Scripture. Others want truth without grace. They speak hard things accurately perhaps, but without tenderness, patience, humility, or the aroma of Christ. John will not let us divide them. JOHN 1:17 (ESV) says, "grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." In Him, mercy is not false, and truth is not cold. Jesus reveals God with perfect fullness. He is not half grace and half truth. He is full, holy, merciful, faithful, and true. This matters because sinners need both.

Without truth, we do not know our condition. We minimize sin, excuse ourselves, and call darkness light. Without grace, we have no hope when truth exposes us. We would be crushed by guilt with no Savior. Christ brings truth that tells us what is real and grace that saves those who come to Him. TITUS 3:4-5 (ESV) speaks of the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appearing, and says He saved us "not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy." That mercy does not deny truth. It answers our need through Christ. If you are tempted to soften Scripture because truth feels costly, look to Jesus. He never lied to make people comfortable. If you are tempted to use truth harshly to feel superior, look to Jesus. He is gentle and lowly in heart. The Christian life must be shaped by both grace and truth because it is shaped by Christ. Receive His mercy. Submit to His truth. And let His character reform the way you speak, repent, forgive, correct, and love. This is where the devotion becomes practical. Grace and truth should reach the way we handle a difficult conversation, the way we respond when corrected, the way we treat someone who has failed, and the way we confess our own sin. COLOSSIANS 4:5 (ESV) says to walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Wisdom shaped by Christ will not be careless with truth or stingy with mercy. It will carry both because He does.