LIVING WATERS
For the proclamation of the Gospel and the edification of the Body of Christ
Grace and Truth (1)
In the Gospel of John, chapter one, the phrase “grace and truth” appears twice, both referring to the Lord Jesus Christ. He came “full of grace and truth” and “grace and truth” came through him. In between these two phrases, an equally or more wonderful phrase appears: “and grace for grace”.
Grace is God’s unmerited gift to man; it is God’s hand stretched out to man, so that he can take it through faith. Truth, on the other hand, means reality, honesty. Christ is God’s grace and God’s truth. God’s grace, in Christ, lifts us up, and truth enlightens us, showing us the reality of things – not as they appear to be.
When men met Jesus, they would know the grace and truth of God. Grace forgave them and lifted them from their prostration while truth allowed them to reach the true knowledge of God and of themselves.
In the gospel of John, every chapter is prepared to show Christ as the grace and truth of God. God not only wants to receive and forgive us, but he also wants to show us things as they are so that we may not be deceived.
When we first met the Lord, we mainly saw grace. Almost everything was grace, but after a while, God began to show us the truth regarding ourselves-our reality. He began to strip us of appearances, and we began to feel ashamed of ourselves. The truth of God began to do its work of discovery.
But then, so that we would not "consume ourselves with too much sadness," he would renew his grace and tell us: "Just as you are –and despite that– I loved you, and I love you. Do not surprise me with your miseries, rather, because of them, I chose you, to show in you my love and my power”.
Thus, over the years, grace and truth have always gone together, doing their precious work in our hearts. A little bit of grace and a bit of truth, in the precise doses so as not to make us prideful nor to discourage us. God wants us to move forward parallel in the knowledge of God and in the knowledge of ourselves, so that we may not be deceived, like others.
God is not only pleased in forgiving us, but also in transforming us so that we may be like his beloved son, Jesus Christ. The phrases that is in the middle, as we previously mentioned, “and grace for grace” makes us think that grace surpasses truth. Without grace, truth will knock us down; therefore, while we live in a body of flesh, like the one we carry, we need, “Grace for grace” over and over again.