Why We Balance Truth and Grace

“The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, Who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”  John 1:14

Spiritual grace is the unmerited favor of God. Spiritual truth is the reality of right and wrong and living that out in Christ daily. Seeing what the Bible says about grace and truth, we often talk about the balance in our lives between these two elements of our New Testament relationship with Jesus.

If we’re all grace, then we are tempted to continue sinning, assuming we are covered by the grace of God and His forgiveness. This doesn’t make for a great living example of a person whose life is dedicated to Jesus. On the other hand, if all we talk about is truth, then we become bitter, judgmental, and unloving.

The reality is that we cannot be both 100% truth and 100% grace. Only Jesus can be because only He endured the cross for us, paying the price for being fully truth, and redeeming us to Himself by being fully grace. In daily life, we should strive to be both, but we should not err too far from one or the other.

As we balance grace and truth, we are most reflective of Jesus in our daily lives as people see both aspects of His character. One day, in heaven, we shall be as Jesus, full of grace and truth, completely reflective of His character.

God, thank You for being full of grace and truth. Help me to live in a way that shows both grace and truth to those around me. Help me to avoid being dishonest, not confronting sin as one who is all grace. And help me not to be bitter, judgmental, or unloving, as one who is all truth. May both truth and grace be balanced in my life in a way that truly reflects the character of Jesus. In His name I pray, Amen.