"Grace and Truth"

"Grace and Truth"

   

     

    "Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ" (John 1:17).

    God's grace and truth in the Lord Jesus Christ offer the only hope whereby human hearts can relate to God.  He must do for us that which we cannot do for ourselves, and He must do it for the purpose of changing who and what we are.  This involves the grace of the freest gift ever given, namely, salvation in the Lord Jesus.  Such kindness also leads us into the truth of who our Heavenly Father made us to be, that is, those who bear spiritual and moral likeness to Christ.

   "We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10).

   "Created in Christ Jesus" involves the new birth wherein God freely originates our relationship with Him as a gift of grace received by faith (Ephesians 2:8-9).  "Unto good works" refers to His promised working in us whereby we are "conformed to the image of His Son" (Romans 8:29).  As the saying goes, "God loves us as we are, and He also loves us enough to not leave us as we are".  The New Testament never suggests that we can earn salvation, whether by good works, religiosity, or our own sacrifice.  However, no salvation exists in New Testament terms that suggests our Lord redeems us to merely rescue us from eternal judgment.  Grace and truth always accompany each other in God's purposes, the grace of the freest gift, and the truth of God changing us into what He created human beings to be.  He freely gives righteousness to believers, and He also works in us to bear "the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ" (Philippians 3:9; 1:11).

   We might refer to grace and truth as provision and prospect.  God provides His supply in Christ freely.  He does so with the intention of making us like His Son in spiritual and moral terms.  This is grace, and this is truth.  All is of grace.  All is for truth.  We bring receptive hearts and willing hands to the table.  He graciously feeds us with the spiritual sustenance that strengthens us for walking in truth.  Yes, grace and truth came by the Lord Jesus.  It continues to come as we rejoice in the freest gift, and as we realize the holy purpose of Christlikeness for which God gave to us "so great salvation" by giving to us so gracious and true a Savior (Hebrews 2:3).

"They which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ."

(Romans 5:17)

Weekly Memory Verse

    The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made free from the law of sin and death.

(Romans 8:2)