Balancing Grace and Truth
“Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”
Houston—or should I say, Heaven—we have a problem.
We’ve fallen into a danger of lop-sided living. People are either leaning into grace a bit too much and forsaking truth in the process. Or, people are blasting truth but not sharing it in grace and love.
Where do you fall?
Too Much on the Side Grace
Grace is a popular sentiment in the Church today. People want to feel good and they want others to as well, so they’re showering grace wherever they go. Little emphasis is placed on truth and in the process, God’s revealed will and desire are being forgotten. Dare I say, forsaken.
When we lean a little too much on grace and neglect truth, we grow dangerously close to a world where morality and holiness are lost. Where people live however they’d like because, from their perspective, “grace wins and all will be forgiven and forgotten.” But grace isn’t an excuse to live however you’d like; it’s a gift for those who truly love Jesus and obey His Word.
Let’s not forsake the fullness of God’s Word in an attempt to make people feel better. You don’t have to water down the Gospel to love people well.
Too Much on the Side of Truth
On the flip side, when one leans too heavy on truth, love and grace are often lost in translation. All people hear is judgment and they don’t get the opportunity to experience life-changing grace.
In my early days as a believer, I leaned too much on truth. I wasn’t afraid to call out sin, but it usually didn’t sit well with others (oftentimes my family). But I see why I did—I knew nothing about the Bible and diving into it was everything to me in those days as a baby Christian.
Then I had a moral failure in ministry at the age of 25 and God took me on a beautiful journey of grace and restoration. So when it came time to name the ministry everything I do operates under, this verse became my anthem, and Truth x Grace Ministries was born.
Listen, truth is wonderful and foundational, but be careful not to forsake grace when sharing it with others. Or even in showing grace to yourself in the aftermath of failure. Grace is a gift from God, and it’s beautiful.
Living in Harmony
Listen, right now there’s a whole lot of grace going around and we need it. Grace is a beautiful gift! But let’s not forget to balance it with truth—God’s Word. Even if it’s not popular, remain true to Scripture. But do so in grace.
Will you commit to both with me? In a broken world that is unraveling, let’s be an army God is raising up to stand in grace and truth!