For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. (John 1:17, NASB)
I don’t know about you, but when I play golf recreationally, I am not a stickler for the rules. I don’t usually measure two club lengths for a drop or try to identify exactly where my ball last crossed the hazard line (which I am now supposed to call a “penalty area”). If my first drop rolls forward, I might go ahead and place it rather than go through the routine a second time. Even though I know the rules, I apply them liberally in a social round of golf.
I do this for others as well: “Move your ball away from that root so you don’t break your wrist or damage your club,” or “You don’t have to hit out of that divot.” After all, we are out there to have a good time. However, when playing competitive golf, it is understood that I must obey the USGA Rules whether I like all of them or not. If a rule is breached or a penalty situation occurs, then I accept it. Part of what makes competitive golf fun is knowing that everyone is playing by the rules.
In the kingdom of God, where love is the overarching command, grace and truth co-exist harmoniously.With golf, there is a time for grace and a time for truth; however, they rarely can be applied at the same time. When it comes to God this is not the case. He is always both: “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). It is through Jesus Christ that we know what grace and truth really look like. He manifested these qualities simultaneously, revealing his glory.
These seemingly opposite words do not have to present themselves as dichotomies in our lives. They collide and have application in love. In the kingdom of God, where love is the overarching command, they co-exist harmoniously. We would not want it any other way. This is how I can be a sinner and a righteous saint, be predestined and have free will, and know the kingdom is now and not yet.
In a worldly mindset, grace and truth cannot coexist. It is one or the other. With a kingdom mindset, we cannot have one without the other. Saul of Tarsus could not understand this; nonetheless, as the apostle Paul, who had encountered Jesus, he saw it clearly. That is why he could write “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23) and “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).
Because of Jesus, grace and truth do not have to be an either/or. At the foot of the cross, they collide into a happy marriage. And as we pursue the kingdom of God, we find righteousness, joy, and peace in knowing they reign supreme together over our lives.
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Josh Nelson
March 18, 2019
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The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.