John 1:14 “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, (Jesus) full of grace and truth.“
Jesus was full of grace and truth. Each day we must strive to be full of grace and truth if we are to really follow after Christ. Think about it, when one of the two are missing you get religion. One religion is a license to sin and the other is legalism.
I see religious people often in church, on the Internet, and as I talk with individuals. They are usually upset because they feel judged by someone. These people believe in a god of all grace. The judgment they feel is sometimes legit, but most often it is because of the condemnation they feel inside because of a desire to live outside the boundaries of God’s word, His truth. In the name of grace, they have willfully given their heart over to sin. Sin that is paid for in eternity, yet still has consequences in the here and now. This religion of God being only graceful is dangerous because it destroys the abundance Jesus promised in the here and now.
Other people (commonly know as the religious or those who judge; the legalistic) have so immersed themselves in truth that they have begun making up rules in fear of loosing their faith. Because they only see truth and have no grace, eventually they become legalistic. They have convictions and believe everyone else should follow such convictions or they are not right with God. They get very upset when people do not live up to their expectations or do something they deem wrong. Unfortunately, they do not always have the truth of scripture; instead they depend on the truth of their conviction from scripture. This is very dangerous because you begin to live above others and in the name of fear (truth – to the legalist) you basically push others away from Christ and yourself.
This is why Jesus was full of grace and truth. An authentic relationship with Christ happens by grace through faith but is lived when the truth sets you free. My deep love for Jesus comes from the grace He has shown to me and from the truth that He has revealed in me. The combination of the two ultimately gives me the freedom to live. Without his grace I am doomed for hell, yet without His truth I am a slave to sin. I am so thankful for a Savior who is full of both grace and truth.
