We have to learn what it means to live at the intersection of grace and truth. Grace is beautiful. It’s powerful. It inclines the world to listen to our story. But compassion alone is not enough. We must also have the courage to speak hard truths without harshness
(Ephesians 4:15).
We must use the relational bridges we build through grace to share the message and hope of the Gospel.So what does that look like?
GRACE → TRUTH It is no accident that John mentions grace before truth both times in this passage. In order for our family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors to have any desire to hear the Gospel from our mouths, they often need to see and experience grace through our lives.
This plays out in Jesus’ own ministry with the woman at the well in John 4, his interaction with Zaccheus in Luke 19, the woman caught in adultery in John 8, and more. He cared. He reached out to meet a physical need, to create some relational connection before He spoke words of life into their souls. Our pattern has to be the same. In order for our community to be intrigued by our message of faith, developing real relationships, earning trust, understanding needs, and responding in great compassion is vital.
GRACE+TRUTH
The challenge is to be full of both grace and truth. We don’t get to pick either/or. It is a distinctly both/and proposition. If we speak truth disconnected from grace, we have everything to say but likely no one to say it to. The converse is also true: if we exhaust ourselves showing grace but never speak the message of truth, we may cultivate an audience but in the end, have nothing of eternal value to say.
The only way to be effective and faithful to the example of Jesus is to be both an image of grace and a voice of truth.
GRACE ←→ TRUTH
Once we lived out radical grace and shared the message of truth in Christ, it is imperative to demonstrate compassion regardless of the response. The first conversation we have about the Gospel may not bear much fruit. But God often uses the repeated exposure to grace+truth to draw hearts to Christ.
Our success is not found in our outcomes – only in our obedience. We are not responsible for their faith, only for their opportunity to see (grace) and hear (truth). God still has to open hearts to respond. (Acts 16.14) He still has to draw hearts to Christ. (John 6.44) He still has to grant faith to those that hear. (Acts 18.27) But, He gives us the opportunity to speak those words to far more receptive ears when our message is continually saturated in acts of great love. That’s what it means for us as individuals, families, and churches to live at the intersection of grace+truth.
Written By LANDON REESOR
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