TO CHEW ON: “The law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” John 1:17
Suppose you read only the Old Testament part of the Bible. What picture of God would you have? Someone who is stern, sometimes angry, and jealous? You would be right. Because under the Law, God’s justice, righteousness and holiness were especially evident. And He was and is still those things today.
However, when He enfleshed Himself in Jesus, He showed us that He has a soft side too. His unbending truth is combined with grace.
[Grace - charis: from joy and rejoice. “It is the word for God’s grace as extended to sinful man. It signifies unmerited favor, undeserved blessing, a free gift.” (Word Wealth – NKJV – New Spirit Filled Life Bible).
Truth - aletheia: the opposite of fictitious, feigned or false. “It means veracity, reality, sincerity, accuracy, integrity, truthfulness, dependability, propriety.” ((Word Wealth – New Spirit Filled Life Bible).]
These are God-qualities that Jesus lived out before us. When we see Him healing twisted limbs and blind eyes, raising sons and brothers from the dead, straightening backs, staunching blood flows, and taking the punishment for our sins, we see the grace side of God.
When we see Jesus exposing the past of a Samaritan woman and a man stuck by a pool, confronting temple merchants and hypocritical Pharisees, putting Satan and the disciples in their place, and taking the punishment for our sins, we see the truth side of God.
Aren’t you glad that God didn’t end His revelation of Himself with the Old Testament? Our picture of Him would be so different. So when God seems stern, distant, even unapproachable, look at Jesus. Though He never glosses over or bends the truth about you, He still wraps you in His grace.
PRAYER: Dear Lord, help me to live today in the light of Your truth and the warmth of Your grace. Amen
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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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