In today’s blog post I want to continue in the general theme of the last couple of posts. It’s been nearly a week since I last wrote, which is an indication of the pace of my life right now. Can you say, “Crazy”? In exploring the implications of “grace and truth” (John 1:14,17), I’ve been emphasizing the importance of living GRACE FIRST. I am aware “grace” makes some people nervous. There’s the crowd who argues we need to “speak the truth in love.” (Eph 4:15) No argument there, except I’ve found some who make such an argument too often fail to speak “in love.” There’s a harshness, judgmentalism, and even spiritual arrogance, in the way they speak and what they say. If you find yourself lacking gracefulness in your attitude and approach to others, you would do well, as the saying goes, to “err on the side of grace.” One way to look at living GRACE FIRST is slowing down your reactions and responses and giving the Holy Spirit the opportunity to do what he does: convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgment. (John 16:8) Personally, I’ve found the Holy Spirit does his job better than I can do it for him.
“Grace and truth” is not an either/or scenario, but a both/and. Even when we’re choosing to live GRACE FIRST, the TRUTH is going to play a major role in how we navigate the opportunities to represent Christ in our world. Jesus was constantly extending grace to people, through kindness, compassion, and mercy. “Grace is what God gives us when we don’t deserve; and mercy is when God doesn’t give us what we do deserve.” (Unknown) Yet no one would ever argue that Jesus was soft on sin. I see “grace and truth” as the two sides of the COIN of good news, the gospel of Jesus Christ. Both are needed, in fact, each depends on the other. If we’re all grace all the time, in the way we represent Christ in the world, our witness will lack the words of the gospel. Romans 10:13-15 (New Living Translation):
13 For "Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." 14 But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? 15 And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"
We live GRACE FIRST, but the TRUTH of the good news [gospel] determines our words. A very important aspect of living “grace and truth” is in our understanding of the purpose of the ‘truth’ side of the coin. If you view the truth as the words to win an argument or debate, to prove how you’re right and someone else is wrong in the way they live, there’s a good chance that whatever you say will come across as judgmental and highly offensive. If we can view sharing and speaking the “truth” to others as shining the light on the right path, I think it makes a huge difference. It’s the difference between being a searchlight and a spotlight. We become a “spotlight” when we shine the truth in someone’s face by seeking to show them how wrong they are. This approach sometimes does nothing more than put a person on the defensive. I’d rather view the “truth” as a searchlight, which seeks out the lost, and then guides them towards safety.
We live GRACE FIRST, but the TRUTH of the good news [gospel] determines our words. A very important aspect of living “grace and truth” is in our understanding of the purpose of the ‘truth’ side of the coin. If you view the truth as the words to win an argument or debate, to prove how you’re right and someone else is wrong in the way they live, there’s a good chance that whatever you say will come across as judgmental and highly offensive. If we can view sharing and speaking the “truth” to others as shining the light on the right path, I think it makes a huge difference. It’s the difference between being a searchlight and a spotlight. We become a “spotlight” when we shine the truth in someone’s face by seeking to show them how wrong they are. This approach sometimes does nothing more than put a person on the defensive. I’d rather view the “truth” as a searchlight, which seeks out the lost, and then guides them towards safety.
I don’t want to come off as making it sound like I’ve got it all figured out in how to live out “grace and truth.” I think it’s one of those things where we need to feel the tension between grace and truth, and constantly seek to be guided by the Holy Spirit in our interactions with others. The fact that many people don’t view the church as a place of grace, and they see Christians as the most judgmental people on the planet, should tell us that the approach we’ve been using isn’t working out so well.
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