WE are told that "Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." (John 1:1717For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. (John 1:17).) Both were perfectly blended in Him. It was not simply truth, though He was "the truth," but "grace and truth;" not merely grace, though the people "wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth," but "grace and truth." He was the perfect expression of both. John says, "We beheld His glory, the glory as of the only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." To hold and manifest both grace and truth in their perfect harmony should be the Christian's aim. Men in the flesh may sometimes plead for grace, or acting charitably, as they call it; or, at other times, most tenaciously stand for the sternest righteousness, and the authority of the letter of scripture; but standing for both grace and truth, as perfectly manifested by Christ Himself, marks His true follower.
The constant tendency of us all is to get off the divine balance, and to be stern when we ought to be gracious, and gracious when, perhaps, gentle reproof Would be the Lord's mind. An unwatchful soul, who is not drawing constantly from Christ, will fail in one or other of these ways. What can be more contrary to the Lord's mind than to find one earnestly contending for truth, when his own ways are not commonly honest to his fellowmen; on the other hand, to hear another contending for, love at the most manifest compromise of the revealed will of God, how shocking! And yet both these types abound in the Christianity around about us. Hence the need of constant intercourse and communion with the Lord, occupation with His thoughts, being in the full current of His mind; for "severed from Him we can do nothing." We may be assured that neither the severity of some, nor the modern charity of others have any alliance to the grace and truth that came by Jesus Christ. He was most decided and firm as to the truth, but prayed for His haters and murderers when on the cross. His patient and unabated love to His own when in the world was most touching, yet it was never maintained at the expense of truth. So it should be with us, for brotherly love might be little more than the mere workings of nature, if it were sustained by the compromise of divine truth. There is great need in the present day of laying this matter solemnly to heart. The root of the apostacy is traced by Jude to men creeping in unawares—ungodly men, who turned the grace of God into lasciviousness; that is, they contended for holding the doctrines of grace, and being loose, doing their own will-holding grace at the sacrifice of truth. Again we are told that the "strong delusion" is coming upon men, as sent judicially by God, not because they had no Bible knowledge, but because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved. Observe, that the people who contended for the grace of God with liberty to self-willedness, are called "ungodly men;" and at the end, those upon whom God will judicially send strong delusion, that they all might be damned, are designated as not loving the truth. The two elements of Christianity are, knowing Christ as Savior, and owning Him as Lord. Mere profession accepts nominally the former, and practically refuses the latter. When Saul of Tarsus knew it was Jesus of Nazareth who appeared to him, he at once exclaimed, "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?”
To insist on persons working in Christ's service before they know Him as Savior, is legalism, which genders bondage and despondency, or puffs up with pride. To contend for the doctrines of grace apart from practical obedience to the Lord's will is, as we have seen, ungodliness. One of the greatest dangers in the present day is the attempt to connect the most blessed doctrines of grace—the heavenly calling, union with Christ, &c., with a low walk. The Lord alone is able to keep us from falling.
May all who know the Lord Jesus be occupied more and more with Him, so that He may be glorified by us and in us!