The Elements: Grace, Truth, Time

¹⁴ The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. ¹⁵ John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, "This was he of whom I said, `He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.' " ¹⁶ From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. ¹⁷ For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. John 1:14-17

Grace is the relational aspect of God. It is the unmerited favor of God toward us.

Theologian Fredrick Buechner said, “Grace is something you can never get but only be given. There’s no way to earn it or deserve it or bring it about any more than you can deserve the taste of raspberries & cream or earn good looks or bring about your own birth”

Grace turns the other cheek when someone has hurt us. Grace forgives when the other person hasn't asked for it and when they don't deserve it. Grace endures through relational pain. However, grace leaves us wanting structure, guardrails and guidelines for our lives. This is where truth comes in.

Truth is the structural aspect of God. It is black and white. It describes how things really are. Truth does not concern itself with compassion, mercy, favor or forgiveness. It is what it is whether we like it or not. Truth separates the sheep from the goats. It brings order, structure and boundaries to our life.

However, truth alone leaves us wanting one of life's necessities: Love. Truth without grace can be mean.

Grace and Truth together (Grace + Truth) reverse the effects of Adam & Eve's fall into sin. Our verse above says, "Jesus came from the Father full of grace and truth". Jesus IS grace and truth. Jesus is the only force that can reverse the effects of sin in our life! Grace and truth together invite us out of isolation and separation and back into loving relationship with God and with other people. In short...Grace + Truth over Time = RECONCILIATION!

The final element is "Time". Adam and Even were in paradise, able to eat from the tree of life and live eternally in communion with God and each other until they allowed sin to enter their lives through disobedience. God could not let them be "in sin" and still eat from the tree of life and live forever in that condition. So God put them out of the garden and into what we call "Time" or "Life", a place with a beginning and an end. God essentially said, "I love you too much to leave you in sin so you have this amount of time...your life...to come back to Me!" At the end of that appointed "time" you will have chosen to either be reconciled to God or to remain separated from Him forever. God gave us the gift of free will to make that choice.

Truth was letting us experience the natural consequences of our disobedience.
Grace was not destroying us for it and giving us an open door to return to Him!
Truth was having to endure the difficulties and pain of real life.
Grace was putting us in a place where we could, over time, experience reconciliation with Him!

The Elements: Grace, Truth, Time. Together they offer all of us the chance to be reconciled to each other...but more importantly...to be reconciled to our God, our Creator, our Savior, our Lord!