Grace and Truth
In this our concluding article on the ways of God, we will consider grace and truth and some of the applications that flow from these two things. In the Old Testament, neither grace nor truth was fully known. As we have stated previously, God was only partially revealed in the Old Testament, and thus man was under law. It was the only way to govern fallen man, and he failed miserably under it. But “the law has been our tutor up to Christ” (Gal. 3:2424Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. (Galatians 3:24) JND). Now that God has sent His Son into the world, grace and truth have come by Him.
Surely here we find two things that only God can bring together. Grace is the unmerited favor of God, and our blessed Saviour showed fully the heart of God in His pathway through this world. But grace could not be shown at the expense of God’s holiness. Man was a sinner, and the claims of God’s holy nature had to be met. Every believer realizes with joy how that all of this was fully met at the cross of Christ. All the claims of God’s holy nature were satisfied by the work of Christ, allowing God to come out in perfect grace to sinful man. Surely only God could have devised such a plan in His eternal counsels, whereby mercy and truth could meet together and righteousness and peace could kiss each other. Well might we exclaim with the Apostle, “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!” (Rom. 11:3333O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! (Romans 11:33)).
Yet how difficult it seems for us to grasp the full import of this! God is now dealing with man in grace, yet perfectly in keeping with truth, and we cannot understand one properly without the other. True grace will never be at the expense of truth, and truth can be known fully only in the presence of grace. Yet only God could reconcile these at the cross, and only in God’s presence can we as creatures reconcile these things in our lives.
Left to himself, man will always emphasize one at the expense of the other. If grace is not properly understood, man will turn the grace of God into lasciviousness (Jude 44For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. (Jude 4)) and use his Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh (Gal. 5:1313For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. (Galatians 5:13)). All kinds of fleshly excesses will be allowed in the name of grace, even to the point of excusing a sinful walk on the ground that all has been covered by the blood of Christ. May our souls rightfully shrink in horror from such a thought!
If truth is emphasized without grace, man will tend to go back under law, and even the highest truth of Christianity will tend to become something that is ministering to the flesh. Pride will come in, and instead of carrying out the exhortations of Scripture in the new life by the power of the Spirit of God, we will attempt to walk as Christians in the energy of the flesh. It is impossible to learn Christ legally, and doctrines separated from Christ only wither the vitality of the soul. The higher the truth contended for, the more sorrowful will be the results when it is pressed legally.
What is the answer then? Once again, we find that Scripture drives us back to the Source of it, when we attempt to understand it and walk practically in the truth. Only in looking to Christ can grace and truth be properly appreciated and brought together. Scripture says, “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)). Another translation of the Bible (J. N. Darby’s) uses the word “subsists” instead of “came,” for grace and truth not only commenced to be in this world, but also continue by Jesus Christ. Although it is difficult to render in our English translation, the verb “came” is in the singular in the original Greek, showing how grace and truth go together as one in the Person of Christ. Only by our walking in communion with Him can they come together in our own lives.
Related to this is the whole question of sectarianism and looseness, or separation and the recognition of the whole body of Christ. Separation from the world is always necessary for the believer, and many scriptures teach us the importance of the Christian’s being separate from this world. Through the cross of Christ the world has been crucified unto us and we unto the world (Gal. 6:1414But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. (Galatians 6:14)). But separation is not isolation, and again man has gone to extremes in walking in this truth. Scripture says that we are in the world but not of the world (John 17:11,1411And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. (John 17:11)
14I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. (John 17:14)). In their zealous efforts not to be of the world, some would virtually go out of the world, as, for example, those who live as hermits or in a monastery. Others, while not going to this extreme, are so careful to avoid any contact with people in the world that they are practically inaccessible. On the other hand, some who seek to reach those in the world with the gospel virtually become of the world, mingling with its sin and thus losing their godly testimony to it. Only by being in communion with the Lord can I be in the world but not of it. Our blessed Saviour could eat with publicans and sinners, yet never in any way was He identified with sin.
The question becomes even more difficult when separation from iniquity in other believers is necessary. Even before the apostles passed off the scene the church began to give up those blessed truths given to them from a risen Christ in glory. The church ceased to be the “house of God” and the “pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:1515But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. (1 Timothy 3:15)). In 2 Timothy 2:2020But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honor, and some to dishonor. (2 Timothy 2:20) the house is referred to as a “great house,” no doubt because of the empty profession that had come into it, as well as the moral and ecclesiastical evil. Separation became necessary, not only from the world, but also from vessels to dishonor (2 Tim. 2:20-2120But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honor, and some to dishonor. 21If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work. (2 Timothy 2:20‑21)). But although neither the church nor the body of Christ is mentioned in 2 Timothy (the one has failed, and the other is known only to the Lord), both still exist in this world. Thus we must balance the truth of separation with the necessity of continuing to recognize the whole body of Christ. As J. N. Darby said, “Satan is busy, seeking to lead us one side or the other: to destroy the largeness of the unity of the body or to make it mean looseness in practice and doctrine. We must not fall into one in avoiding the other.”
According to 2 Timothy 2:2121If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work. (2 Timothy 2:21), it is necessary for a man to “purge himself from these” (vessels to dishonor) if he is to be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, meet for the Master’s use and prepared unto every good work. But if the truth of separation is carried to an extreme without the recognition of the whole body of Christ, it will make me legal, harsh, sectarian and narrow-minded. On the other hand, 2 Timothy 2:2222Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. (2 Timothy 2:22) tells us to “follow righteousness, faith, charity [love], peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” This is the recognition of the whole body of Christ and the recognition that God will preserve a collective testimony on that ground in spite of the failure. If this aspect of things is carried to an extreme, I will tend to have fellowship with a member of the body of Christ wherever I find him, without regard to his walk or his associations. The result will be that I will dishonor the Lord by condoning much that is contrary to His Word.
It is easy to see that I can emphasize separation by itself or the recognition of the whole body of Christ by itself, in the energy of the flesh. Not much exercise before the Lord or communion with Him will be required, and thus it will be a comparatively easy path. But to keep the two in proper balance I must be in communion with and in constant dependence on the Lord. It is this that makes the path much more difficult, although a most blessed one, for it is a path in the Lord’s company and with the conscious sense of His approval. I can walk it only in the Lord’s strength, and it is this that makes many throw up their hands and say, “It is no use. The pathway is too difficult today. I cannot go on any longer.” While we surely would not minimize the difficulties in the path of faith, God gives the grace if we look to Him. He will never give us instruction in His Word without giving us the strength to carry it out.
It is noticeable that between these two exhortations are the words, “Flee also youthful lusts.” This is not necessarily addressed to young people. The phrase “youthful lusts” can apply to all of us. Another has made the remark that he feared worldliness more than he feared bad doctrine among the people of God. While bad doctrine is surely serious, it is not so subtle as worldliness, and thus worldliness is to be feared the more. Generally when we are unable to carry out these exhortations before the Lord, or when we complain that we have no strength to do so, it is because we have allowed something of self and our lusts to go unjudged before the Lord, and thus our hearts are not free to go to the Lord for His strength. May the Lord preserve us from this in a world that is becoming more wicked and more materialistic as time goes on!
Time and space fail us to consider all of the various things in Scripture that must be kept in balance in communion with the Lord. We have mentioned self-esteem in the first article, in that the dignity of man as being created in the image and likeness of God must be balanced against his utter ruin in the fall. Many others come to mind, such as the responsibility to submit to our elders or guides versus individual responsibility before the Lord.
In reading the Word of God, we will find continually that we must go back to the Lord Himself in order to lay hold of these precious truths and walk in them before Him. Through His Word, may the Lord become ever more precious to us, and may our hearts bow in adoration and praise as we learn more of Him and His ways!
W. J. Prost
Editor’s note: There are three other articles available in this series. They may be found in the March, April and May 1997 issues of the Christian Shepherd.