Truth has nothing to do with obeying commandments or delivering rebukes. The word “truth” actually means “the reality lying at the basis of an appearance; the manifested, the veritable essence of a matter.”1
It’s what IS behind that which is seen.
In Jesus, we have grace (the unmerited favor of God) and we have truth (the reality lying at the basis of an appearance; the manifested). In Jesus, we have the reality of who God really is.
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. (Colossians 1:15)2
And He [Jesus] is the radiance of His glory [the Father] and the exact representation of His nature. (Hebrews 1:3, brackets added)
The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of GRACE AND TRUTH… And of His fullness, we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but GRACE AND TRUTH came through Jesus Christ. (John 1:14, 16-17, emphasis added)
Grace and truth are one. They are inseparable. You can’t have one without the other. Grace and truth are on the one side, and the law is on the other. However, as we will discover as we study several passages of scripture that rightly divide the word of truth, no balance is needed. Jesus has fulfilled the law, and the Father has removed the record of all our law-breaking.3
Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ who came to establish a New Covenant with better promises. The cross changed EVERYTHING. Absolutely everything!! The old has gone, the new has come. It’s time to take off our Old Covenant lenses and see life through the reality of the finished work of the cross … or perhaps some of us need to simply wipe the Old Covenant scratches off of our New Covenant lenses.
(from pages 44-45 of Unveiling Jesus)
Want more from Tricia Gunn? Check out excerpts from the Unveiling Jesus 20-part series!
Unveiling Jesus, by Tricia Gunn, is a verse by verse study of the pure gospel of grace. It’s an amazing journey of love, identity, and freedom in Christ.
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1 Vine, W.E. “truth” (alētheia), Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, Minneapolis, MN, 1984. Print.
2 All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New King James Version. Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.
3 Colossians 2:14
