The idea here is, do we show grace to people or speak truth. We usually lean to one or the other but maybe its not one or the other but both/and. John 1:14 says that He, Jesus became “fully grace and truth” so Jesus, the only perfect person was completely grace and the very essence of truth all at the same time.
John 8: 2-5,7, 10-11 , 2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?”
7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”
“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
Don’t know if you realize this but that is hard to live out! Speak truth and be gracious just doesn’t always come naturally. Most of us would have been there picking up rocks to stone this adulterous lady. We want to make sure people get the truth part down because we think this will change lives. In reality when truth comes with out grace, love, and kindness our audience doesn’t hear the truth, they just hear BLAH BLAH BLAH!!!
Like I said this theme keeps popping up all around me. As I write this I received a call where I have to go help someone that was arrested and they should have known better, right. I am praying that God will give me the words of truth and the spirit of grace as I go meet with them. Yes you should feel guilty because of what you did but not condemned by me.
Andy Stanley, “When it is someone else we want to speak truth, but when it is about me I want grace administered fully.” I think that if we constantly remember that Jesus was all truth and all grace then we will not fail in these tough situations and conversations of life.
The Rousehouse 