Grace and Truth

John 1:14

The Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We observed his glory, and the glory as the One and Only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

God entered our world as a baby. He took on human flesh and lived as we did in this world. He knew the joys and sorrows of human life, as well as the temptations and struggles. Yet, He was the very Son of God living among a fallen people in a fallen world.

Jesus was full of grace and truth, yet the world despised Him. The fact that He was crucified proves the world does not love or accept grace or truth. The world is full of selfish ambition, and when grace and truth get in the way, the world will seek to destroy it. Apart from Christ, we cannot know grace or truth, nor can we fully appreciate it.

The truth is that we are all sinners and in need of forgiveness by a holy God. Grace is His forgiveness given to an undeserving people. Jesus brought us both. We receive forgiveness through the work He did on the cross, and God gladly accepts us as His children when we submit to His Son. To reject Jesus is to embrace the world and all of its selfish ambition and corruption. To embrace Jesus and reject the world, however, is to receive hope for a better kingdom and a better life.

Thank God today that Jesus brought both – grace and truth. If Jesus had brought only grace, we would all have a license to sin, and we would be no different from the world. If He had brought only truth, we would still not have forgiveness or hope for eternal life. Because He brought us both, we can live differently from the world and know for certain that our hope is secure in Him. He lived among us and knows our sorrows. He understands exactly how difficult it is to live in this fallen world, and He gives us hope for a world where there will never be sin or pain again. That is the best Christmas present we could ever hope to receive, and it is the reason we celebrate it today.

Have a blessed day!