“For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” John 1:17
We need to examine Jesus. We need to grow in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ (John 1:1-5,14-17). The fundamentals of the early church included grace which came through Jesus Christ. We are the foundation which Jesus Christ has laid and He is the fullness (1 Corinthians 3:9-11, Ephesians 4:13). Jesus is the chief cornerstone that is full of grace and truth (Ephesians 2:20-22).
What is truth? Truth is a man whose name is Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ lacks nothing, He is perfect. Perfect truth and grace is found in Jesus Christ. There is a struggle within to get both grace and truth. Truth says God hates sin and it exposes the sin. Grace says God loves the sinner.
Jesus shows how unbendable He is, He is as straight as an arrow (Hebrews 4:12-13,16). Jesus knows how we think and even our actions before we do them. God can see our sins and our faults. We need to get rid of the pride and confess. The grace of God being the unearned favour, did not overlook sin, because a righteous God cannot overlook sin. Sin is detestable to Him and His wrath already came to judge it. Grace is free for all those who accept it but it is not free. Due to our sinful nature, God sent His Son, Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. Jesus will forgive but He hates the sin. Sinning does not make us a sinner, it is because we are sinners that we sin. Performing a righteous act does not make us righteous.
When Jesus went through Samaria, He was walking in the prophetic. We need to get rid of the spirit of fear and speak the truth to people. Jesus didn’t think about what the people would say or think, He had a job to do and that was winning souls. We need to go among sinners, because they are souls that need to be saved out in the fields. When we follow Jesus, He said that He will make us fishers of men. What is it about Jesus that sinners gather around to hear Him (Luke 15:1-2). What about you? Are sinners gathering around to hear you?
In the story of the prodigal son, the father was interested in relationship and not works (Luke 15:11-31). There are no works that we could ever do to make us sons of God. Works are freely given to God. The story of the adulterous woman shows that we are all sinners and we need to break off self righteousness and condemnation (John 8:7-11). “He that is without sin, cast the first stone.” We have no say in who God restores. There is nothing good within us. Everything that is good we have received from God. Freely we received it, freely we should give it. Jesus does not call us to do anything that we are not capable of doing. What we need to do is to walk the earth with grace and truth.
When Adam sinned, that was a powerful thing he had done and as a result of his sin, death came into place for everyone (Romans 5:12-14). “We are all born in sin and shaped in iniquity.” Jesus had to change the sin nature to a righteous one, this is why He went on the cross. We have been given a new nature which is righteousness (Romans 5:18-20, 6:1). When we were in sin, all we wanted to do was sin. But now we have been given a righteous nature and all we want to do is to be righteous. Jesus destroyed all those things that caused us to sin. He was risen from the dead so that we could rise with Him forever.
How do we walk above sin? We have to first recognize that we need God and then humbly confess our sins. The power of grace sets us free. It gives us a new name and a new identity and it helps us to overcome every struggle. If we sin, we can defeat sin. God’s grace gives us power over sin. We need to walk in the perfection of grace and truth and live out the Word of God.
