In John 1:14 (and elsewhere) we learn that Jesus is God come to us in human form.

In that same verse we also read: “We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Notice how Jesus is full of grace and truth. Grace is generosity we don’t deserve. Truth is a firm, objective fact which comes from the God who never changes.

Since as Christians we want to be like Jesus, this verse gives us a succinct summary of what we should be aiming for. If Jesus is full of grace and truth, we should also want to be growing in grace and truth.

In my experience people tend to favour one over the other. Some people focus a lot on truth, but are very ungracious in how they interact with others. That’s an imbalance. Other people are very gracious, but neglect or downplay God’s truth. That’s also an imbalance. 

In fact, truth-less “grace” isn’t really grace, and grace-less “truth” isn’t really truth. They come together to form a whole, and to form us as whole-hearted disciples.

If we want to be like Jesus, we need to deliberate about growing in both.

Which do you favour? Which do you neglect? Where do you need to grow? How might you be an ongoing blessing to others as you grow in the likeness of Christ, our master of grace and truth?

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Notes:

–Bible quotes are from the NIV.

–The Up Devotional is published 5 days a week (Monday-Friday) and returns on January 24, 2022.