"Full of Grace and Truth?"

​Steven’s Scribbles
“Full of Grace and Truth?”
John 1:17


    What does it mean that Jesus was “full of grace and truth”? Grace is relatively straightforward: Jesus embodies God’s unmerited favor toward humanity. As Titus 2:11-12 states, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously, and godly in the present age.” Additionally, John explains that “He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world” (1 John 2:2).


    But what does it mean for Jesus to be full of truth? Jesus is the “Word” who existed before time, was God, and came to Earth as a man (John 1:1-3; 14). God’s word is truth, as Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth” (John 17:17). Jesus lived out this truth by consistently speaking it, even when it was unpopular. 


    In today’s world, people often say, “What does it matter what someone else believes? It doesn’t affect me.” However, when beliefs conflict with the truth and force participation in falsehoods—such as being required to use preferred pronouns—it does affect us.


    How did Jesus handle situations involving blatant lies? Did He ignore them or allow others to believe falsehoods? Consider the woman at the well, who claimed, “Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship” (John 4:20). Although her statement did not directly affect Jesus, He corrected her error: “You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews” (John 4:22). This is just one example of how Jesus was “full of grace and truth.”


I love you all!


In His Service,
Steven Hugley