And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. John 1:14, 17 NKJV
Grace, which can be defined as unearned, undeserved favor and spiritual blessing, is a gift from God to us. It is by grace we are saved through faith, and are adopted into God’s family.
My husband and I studied the Bible passage above recently and we learned something new about Ilori walk with God that I thought to share with you, especially as a believer.
The grace we have received and experience comes from Jesus, and it is important to note that our truth should also come from Jesus. We shouldn’t receive the grace of Jesus and then start searching for truth in another.
Many believers believe in the perfect work of grace but struggle to believe completely in God’s truth.
Do not search for truth in other places when it is Christ who gave you the grace. Share on XThe Bible let’s us know that Jesus is the Way, the TRUTH, and the life; so as we come into the faith by grace, we must live our life of faith based on the Truth, which is Jesus, who is the Word of God.
We need to refrain from seeking truth elsewhere to perfect what was started in Christ. Instead, let’s seek God’s Truth by digging into the Word, eating it daily, and growing thereby.
Another thing to note is this – when God grants us grace for certain things or expressions of us, we must seek in God the truth to grow and thrive in that expression.
It would be foolishness to seek wisdom to grow in our different expressions from sources that do not glorify God.
If you started in grace through God, then you must live by and continue in His Truth.
A good example that shows a balance of grace and truth is seen in the story of the woman caught in adultery and brought to Jesus to be stoned.
When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” John 8:10-11 NKJV
In this story, Grace (through Jesus) says – I do not condemn you; and Truth (in Jesus) follows up to say – Go and sin no more. This exemplifies the balance, we see forgiveness (representing grace) combined with a ‘moving on’ from the old lifestyle (representing truth).
We would be receiving the grace of God in vain if it is not backed by and grounded in the truth.
If you started in grace through God, then you must live by and continue in His Truth. Share on XAn example of someone who received grace but wasn’t founded in truth is Saul- Israel’s first king.
Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head, and kissed him and said: “Is it not because the Lord has anointed you commander over His inheritance? 1 Samuel 10:1 NKJV
Saul, though anointed as the commander over God’s inheritance and the first appointed king of Israel, found grace to be king but was not founded in God’s truth and so was easily swayed when battle and life challenges came up. He ended up losing his life and that of his children, and the kingship was taken from him and given to another.
This is what happens when we take the grace of God with levity. Thankfully, another Saul, of the New Testament, also called Paul models a better example to us.
He received the grace of God bestowed on him and chose to dig in to the wells of God (the Scripture). He would later go on to become a major instrument of truth delivery to the Gentile churches.
May this be our testimony in Jesus name. Amen.
And as we grow daily in our walk with God, may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with (us) all. Amen. 2 Corinthians 13:14 NKJV
