01-02B

Some people tend, by disposition, to be argumentative about what they perceive to be the truth. For such people, there is generally very little grace associated with their position. On the other hand, there are those that are kindly and compassionate, one might say graceful, but they tend to be fairly casual about the truth.

For most of us, it seems, grace and truth tend to be in opposition to one another. At least, that seems to be the natural tendency of things.

But there is a place for both. We need be valiant for the truth, and speak in grace. We need grace and truth.

1Co 13:2 And though I have prophecies, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so as to move mountains, and do not have
charity, I am nothing.

1Co 8:1 But concerning the sacrifices to idols,we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies.

1Co 8:2 And if any man thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know.

Love is more important than knowledge of truth. Being loving is a choice. Having truth can be a matter of exposure, learning, intellect, and ability. You can't be a good Christian and be unloving. You can be a good Christian and not have perfect doctrine.

Eph 4:15 But that you, speaking the truth in love, may in all things grow up to Him who is the Head, even Christ;

Here we see truth a and love working together harmoniously.

Pro 23:23 Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.

Notice that we are to buy the truth no matter the personal cost. Some people are only willing to accept the truth when it's on sale, when it doesn't cost them very much. Moreover, we're to never "sell out". We're to cling to the truth, no matter what.

2Pe 3:5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:

Some, it seems, just can't handle the truth. They're unwilling to accept it. They simply don't want to know what the truth is.

Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,

2Th 2:10 and with all deceit of unrighteousness in those who perish,
because they did not receive the love of the truth, so that they might be saved.

You can be a good Christian without knowing all the truth, but you can't be a good christian by willfully compromising or suppressing the truth. We are called to be lovers of truth. A Christian must be as committed to the truth as he is to love.

We think of Christ as compassionate and graceful. But he came down pretty hard on the Pharisees, because they suppressed the truth. Those harsh words were not less loving. It's our twisted sense of love that makes it seem so. Judgment and Truth, Mercy and Grace.

Jesus was full of grace and truth v. 14

v16 and of His fullness we have received, grace for grace. This same grace and truth can be in us, because we have received it from Christ.

Col 1:19 For it pleased the Father that in Him all fullness should dwell.

Col 2:9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.

Col 3:16 Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

Col 3:17 And everything, whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him.

We're to be filled, because the Word of Christ dwells richly in us.

Eph 3:17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that you, being rooted
and grounded in love,

Eph 3:18 may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height,

Eph 3:19 and to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge, that you might be filled with all the fullness of God.

We may be filled with all the fullness of God. He told the Colossians that Christ was, now he's saying that we can be.

2Pe 1:3 according as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to
life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who has called us to glory and
virtue,

2Pe 1:4 through which He has given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, so that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

God has come to make us be full of the nature of God.

Jesus was the full divinity of God. We are a mixture, of the worldly nature and God's nature. But since we're partakers of God's divine nature, that very nature allows us to escape our worldly nature.

Steve Gregg: "The success of the christian life depends on this one thing: That Christ and his life is reproduced in us. That the fullness of God will dwell in us. Not that that we mechanically seek to imitate Christ (although there is wisdom in that, but it's not the key to success). The key to success is to have Christ live inside of you and reproduce His nature inside of you."

2Co 3:18 But we all, with our face having been unveiled, having beheld the glory
of the Lord as in a mirror, are being changed into the same image from glory to
glory, even as by the Lord Spirit.

Jn 3:2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be. But we know that when He shall be revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.

We're not quite like him yet, but when he appears, we will be.

So the bible teaches that:

1. God was perfectly manifest in the life of Christ,

2. That life is imperfectly, but with increasing fullness being manifested in us.

This is why we should continually turn our eyes to Jesus.

John 1:17 For the Law came through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

Here, Moses is contrasted with Christ, or rather, the old covenant is contrasted with the new covenant. We see this elaborated on in Hebrews.

Heb 3:3 For He was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, because he who has
built the house has more honor than the house.

Heb 3:4 For every house is built by someone, but He who built all things is God.

Heb 3:5 And Moses truly was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken afterward.

Heb 3:6 But Christ was faithful as a Son over his own house; whose house we are, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.

Moses brings law, Jesus brings grace and truth. The law brings bondage, the truth sets you free because it is coupled with grace. The law has no grace, but only justice. Jesus extended grace to those who, under the law, would have been condemned.

The law as GIVEN through Moses, but grace and truth CAME with Christ. When Christ comes into your life, grace and truth comes with Him. We receive of His fullness when we receive Him, grace for grace, glory for glory.

John 1:18 No one has seen God at any time; the Only-begotten Son, who is in the
bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.

John has just told us that the Word was God, that He became flesh, and that we saw Him. Now here he seems to contradict that. Jesus has seen God's face, and has dwelt with God. People have seen God in other forms. People have seen manifestations or theophanies of God. As a comparison, if you watch the president on TV you say you've seen the president, although you, weren't physically in the same room with him. You've seen an image of him. You saw him, but you were never even close to him. It's not a lie to say that you saw him, even though all you really saw was an image of him, a manifestation. You didn't really see him in person. Jacob, after the wrestling match, said "I have seen God face to face."

There are many ways in which people have seen God. The best way anyone has ever seen God is in the life of Christ, for Jesus said, if you have seen Me, you have seen the Father.

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes
to the Father but by Me.

John 14:7 If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also. And from now on you know Him and have seen Him.

John 14:8 Philip said to Him, Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.

John 14:9 Jesus said to him, Have I been with you such a long time and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father. And how do you say, Show us the Father?

John 14:10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father in Me? The Words that I speak to you I do not speak of Myself, but the Father who dwells in Me, He does the works.

v18 The Greek reads not "only begotten son" but literally, "only begotten God". This is not a reference to Him as Deity, at least in the way some of the source manuscripts read.

"In the "bosom of the Father", is an indication of how intimately related are Christ and the Father.

Php 2:5 For let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,

Php 2:6 who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God,

Php 2:7 but made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Himself the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.

Php 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Php 2:9 Therefore God has highly exalted Him, and has given Him a name which is above every name,

Php 2:10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of heavenly ones, and of
earthly ones, and of ones under the earth;

Php 2:11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Becoming incarnate was the humblest thing that God could ever do.

v18 Here ends of the Prologue of John's gospel.