In the Gospel of John, it says that Jesus came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
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)
That’s a powerful verse, so let’s drill down a bit. The Grace of God, through the person of Jesus Christ, has covered all our sins if we’ve put our hope and trust in Him, fully surrendering our lives to Him in repentance and faith. His Truth is the very Word of God that gives us direction on how to live once we’re saved. Jesus paid the penalty for our sins so we don’t have to. All men (and women) were born into sin because of Adam and Eve’s sin in The Garden of Eden, which is recorded in Genesis–the first book of the Bible.
The sin that Adam and Eve committed–eating the forbidden fruit in The Garden, a place God initially created to be like heaven on earth–not only separated man from God, but it also brought sin into the world. And with that came trials and tribulations that Adam, Eve, their offspring and all of us have to face.
Like Adam and Eve’s sin ultimately led to them being kicked out of The Garden, our sin will keep us out of heaven. It’s only through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross that our sins are forgiven and we can spend eternity in His presence.
Through Him, we have both Grace and Truth. He, Jesus, is both our salvation and our guide on this earth. But this Grace and Truth only exist for those who call on His name. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we become permanently sealed by the Holy Spirit, who is our guide and our comforter. The Holy Spirit is the very Spirit of God living inside us. Why is this important? We need to be forgiven of our past, but, as men, we also need the Holy Spirit to help us walk in obedience and make the choices God would have us to make.
Without Grace, we have no forgiveness. And without Truth, we have no guidance on how to live right and please the Lord. Grace and Truth operate together. In John chapter 15, Jesus said, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.” To abide in Christ is to read and live by the Word of God.
Jesus never did anything unless the Father told Him to do it (John 14:31). As men of God, we are created to do the same thing. When we are saved, we have the Spirit of God in us. As we study and read the Word of God, the Spirit of God guides us in ALL things. This is why in the Book of John, we are told that without abiding in the Word, we can do nothing. Nothing means Nothing!
I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
(John 15:5)
When we have the Holy Spirit in us, the Word of God becomes alive. This means the Bible becomes more understandable and applicable to our daily lives. The Spirit of God is the seal of our salvation, and the written Word works with the Spirit to act as our guide. For those who’ve never accepted Christ, the words in the Bible feel like rules and religion. But once we are saved, they become Life.
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
(1 Corinthians 1:18)
Even many so-called believers still feel defeated and like they can never measure up to God’s standard because they are operating in rules, not Truth. They live in failure because they try to please God on their own strength, not in the victory they have in God’s Truth, which says, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will provide a way of escape” (1 Corinthians 10:13).
Once we are truly saved, the Holy Spirit comes to live inside us forever. He testifies of God’s Word and Jesus, the Son–the Word who became flesh and dwelled among us. We don’t look at the Word of God as a set of rules to follow. We approach the Word with passion and a desire to sit with the Father and let Him tell us how to live. Without salvation, the Word of God is empty. But once we’re saved and declared the “righteousness of God in Christ Jesus” (2 Corinthians 5:21), the words in His Book become a loving guide for righteous living.
So, how can we know if we are saved? Romans 10:9 says that “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” The key is to continue to abide in Him every day so that His Grace and Truth will empower us, as men of God, to bear spiritual fruit and tell others about His faithfulness in our lives.
Have a great weekend!
Stephen L. Thomas, RTM