Full of Grace and Truth
Amazing Grace, How Sweet the Sound
SCRIPTURE:
John 1:14 CSB - The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
OBSERVATION:
In his opening prologue, John clears up a common misunderstanding about who God is.
God is not a wrathful and vengeful deity, sitting on His throne, waiting for us to mess up so He can punish us. And Jesus is not standing between the Father and us, desperately begging Him not to destroy us.
Quite the contrary is true—Jesus is God in the flesh. His nature and character are perfectly revealed to humanity.
John tells us what that nature is: “Full of grace and truth.”
This is one of the most crucial—and most misunderstood—doctrinal truths in all of Scripture. Missing this means missing the true nature of God.
If Jesus is God in the flesh, then God Himself is full of grace and truth.
God is perfectly fair and balanced. Yes, sin had to be dealt with. Yes, judgment was deserved. But grace took the full punishment in the person of Jesus, who was full of grace and truth.
John 1:14 CSB - The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
OBSERVATION:
In his opening prologue, John clears up a common misunderstanding about who God is.
God is not a wrathful and vengeful deity, sitting on His throne, waiting for us to mess up so He can punish us. And Jesus is not standing between the Father and us, desperately begging Him not to destroy us.
Quite the contrary is true—Jesus is God in the flesh. His nature and character are perfectly revealed to humanity.
John tells us what that nature is: “Full of grace and truth.”
This is one of the most crucial—and most misunderstood—doctrinal truths in all of Scripture. Missing this means missing the true nature of God.
If Jesus is God in the flesh, then God Himself is full of grace and truth.
God is perfectly fair and balanced. Yes, sin had to be dealt with. Yes, judgment was deserved. But grace took the full punishment in the person of Jesus, who was full of grace and truth.
These two ideas should hold our minds and direct our lives. God is grace, and truth. Not one without the other. Not the other apart from the one. In His government there can be no lowering of the simple and severe standard of Truth; and there is no departure from the purpose and passion of Grace. – G. Campbell Morgan.
So what makes us see God as only one thing or the other? It’s when we take our eyes off Jesus.
In John 1, John the Baptist twice declares: “Look! The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29, 36)
Why say it twice? Because we need to be reminded again and again: Only God—not good works, not morality, not self-righteousness—removes sin. That is both truth and grace.
So why do we sometimes forget about grace as we grow in our faith?
We tend to focus only on truth—criticizing others for not being as righteous as we believe we are—forgetting that we also were once lost sinners, saved by grace.
And why do some become so captivated by grace that they forget about truth?
We ignore the truth that God is holy, and He calls His people to holiness as well. We begin to accept sin under the guise of grace, forgetting that true grace transforms us. Genuine grace always guides us toward truth—toward holiness, toward Christlikeness.
Grace and truth keep us balanced as believers. We need both.
APPLICATION:
The answer lies in what John the Baptist said twice.
John 1:29 CSB - The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
John 1:36 CSB - When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, "Look, the Lamb of God! "
Keep your eyes on Jesus. He is full of grace and truth. Don’t fixate on one or the other—focus on Him.
In John 1, John the Baptist twice declares: “Look! The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29, 36)
Why say it twice? Because we need to be reminded again and again: Only God—not good works, not morality, not self-righteousness—removes sin. That is both truth and grace.
So why do we sometimes forget about grace as we grow in our faith?
We tend to focus only on truth—criticizing others for not being as righteous as we believe we are—forgetting that we also were once lost sinners, saved by grace.
And why do some become so captivated by grace that they forget about truth?
We ignore the truth that God is holy, and He calls His people to holiness as well. We begin to accept sin under the guise of grace, forgetting that true grace transforms us. Genuine grace always guides us toward truth—toward holiness, toward Christlikeness.
Grace and truth keep us balanced as believers. We need both.
APPLICATION:
The answer lies in what John the Baptist said twice.
John 1:29 CSB - The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
John 1:36 CSB - When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, "Look, the Lamb of God! "
Keep your eyes on Jesus. He is full of grace and truth. Don’t fixate on one or the other—focus on Him.
John didn’t present Jesus as a great moral example or a great teacher of holiness and love. He proclaimed Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. It wasn’t “Behold the great example” or “Behold the great teacher” — it was Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world… John said this every time he saw Jesus. To him, it was the most important thing about Jesus. – David Guzik.
Let that be the most important thing about Jesus in our lives as well. If we keep our eyes fixed on Him, grace and truth will flow from our lives—because they flow from His.
Walk in the freedom of His amazing grace and truth today.
PRAYER:
Jesus, thank You for grace and truth—The truth that my sin was too great for me to atone for, and the grace that You paid for it in full. Thank You for the grace by which I am saved. As I walk in this amazing grace, may my life reflect both grace and truth—so that those around me see not just one or the other, but You. Thank You for Your amazing grace.
Walk in the freedom of His amazing grace and truth today.
PRAYER:
Jesus, thank You for grace and truth—The truth that my sin was too great for me to atone for, and the grace that You paid for it in full. Thank You for the grace by which I am saved. As I walk in this amazing grace, may my life reflect both grace and truth—so that those around me see not just one or the other, but You. Thank You for Your amazing grace.
The truth is: without the cross, there would be no grace. And because of the cross, grace reigns.
Posted in 04 - John
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