Today's Journey
Grace and Truth
Dec. 14,2012
http://getmorestrength.org
“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, full of
grace and truth.” John 1:14
It’s
a grandfather’s prerogative to tease his grandkids a little bit, right?
So when one of my young grandkids is first learning math, I quiz him
about his newfound knowledge. “Do you know about math yet?” I ask.
“Sure, Papa, I know math.”
“Well then, what’s two plus two?”
Beaming up at me, he quickly and proudly replies, “It’s four!”
“Oh,
that’s where you’re wrong. Two plus two is 22. You take one two, put it
next to the other two, and you have 22. And,” I continued, “one plus
one equals eleven. Three plus three is 33. Don’t you know that? Who’s
teaching you math?”
Invariably, eyes roll, and I hear, “Oh, Papa, you’re wrong—2+2 is four!”
“Are you sure?” I say.
“Yes, I’m sure!” is the confident reply.
Thankfully,
my grandkids are getting a good handle on the fact that truth can’t be
played with. Even though I’m older, an authority figure, and a loved
one, they are ready to challenge me if I don’t have the facts straight.
The truth stands, and they can quickly spot (and point out) the error of
my “logic.”
As Christ’s followers, we need to get a better handle
on that reality. You don’t play around with truth. In fact, as John is
telling us about Jesus, he assures us that we know that Jesus is full of
grace and truth (John 1:14).
People
don’t have much trouble with the grace part. Of course God’s grace is
amazing, unlimited, lavish, and actively demonstrated in the death of
Jesus on the cross. He forgives sins, restores lives, and pours out
countless blessings that are neither deserved nor expected. No arguments
about His grace.
But when we hit the “truth” part, the world
walks out in protest. Truth, in so many minds, is a pliable commodity,
so flexible that you can have “your truth” and I can have “my truth,”
even if they are completely contradictory. Illogically, in the world’s
eyes, every claim can be equally valid and, in fact, we are quickly
written off as intolerant if we point out the wrongheadedness and false
thinking of a worldview that does not line up with God’s Word.
John
reminds us that Jesus came not only to demonstrate God’s unlimited
grace but also His absolute truth. Jesus claimed to be the Way, the
Truth, and the Life—the only way, in fact, to the Father. He told the
crowd gathered at the temple that He and the Father were one. His truth
claims can be rejected or received, with eternal consequences, but they
cannot be altered or spun to a more politically correct alternative.
They do not sync with false worldviews and are not simply one option
among many.
So, the question for you and for me is: “Are we
playing around with truth?” We wouldn’t be among the first to bend the
words of Jesus to fit our own dreams and misplaced desires. And, I
should ask, are we able to spot false truth claims and erroneous
thinking as quickly as my grandkids spotted my flawed mathematical
theorems? And, just as importantly, are we willing to speak out for the
truth, graciously yet firmly exposing error for what it is? We can and
should be agents of the grace of Christ. But let’s remember the rest of
the verse and be agents of His truth as well.
It would be really
great if 2+2 could be 22 when I am balancing my checkbook, but it is
still and always will be four. The truth is the truth and that never
changes. Thank God that He has given us truth to keep the balance of the
checkbook of our lives in good order.
YOUR JOURNEY…
- How have you responded to the claims of Christ? Have you embraced Him as the Way, the Truth, and the Life? Read Acts 4:12 to see Peter’s affirmation of Christ’s exclusive claims.
- In what ways is the world trying to play around with the truth? How do many people view God’s Word and the truths found in it?
- In your time at home, at school, at work, or in your neighborhood, how can you be an agent of God’s grace and His truth this week?
