“Then Jesus stood up again and said to her, ‘Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?’ ‘No, Lord,’ she said. And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I. Go and sin no more.’”
- John 8:10-11
How often do we forget to express grace to others in the same way we have received grace? On a weekly basis, I can become angry at such and such viewpoints, become ignorant of others' concerns because they’re trivial, or be completely insensitive to how my actions make another feel.
Some will say the truth is more important than empathy; they just need to buck it up and face reality. Still, others will lean too strong on the side of grace-giving, lives do not change, and thus complacency becomes the norm.
But Jesus Christ, He is the Word, the most truthful truth to ever be considered as truth. His being and doing could have never been conceived by any man or woman. Yet, in His being, He took on flesh, an act of grace that is incomprehensible to any human truth. I think we all like to think we would make the same sacrifices as Christ did if we were in His position, but because we are not God, we could never do as He did. Truth and Grace are entirely harmonious in Him. Yet, we today will try to divide it, and our language does no service to who Christ actually is.
We see Truth and Grace as black and white. To be in the Truth must be whatever is objective and right, adherence to the rules and constitutions of the civil and natural order. Truth is without much compassion nor cares for those who don’t abide within our given Truth. Yet the pure practice of Grace breeds complacency; it says everyone is okay to be and remain where they are as long as we get the right system in place, a Grace giving system.
To separate these two, though, is perhaps one of the biggest mistakes Christianity could ever make. Why? Because then you will only agree with half of Christ and reject the other aspect of Christ. For in Him, Truth and Grace are entirely harmonious, and you will never have one without the other. To separate them means rejecting Christ.
The woman we are:
Place yourselves in the sandals of the woman caught in adultery in John 8. Somehow in some way, your private sins have become public, on display for all to see, and you are left alone in it. That’s right; though you sinned with another, you were the one grabbed and brought before a mob of stones.
The truth is, all have sinned and fall short.
But Christ interceded on behalf of the woman. He stood between her and the men who were ready to stone her. This woman, no doubt traumatized, and knowing very well, she should die as a result of this, sits there.
The truth is, Christ graciously interceded.
Christ was not there to condemn the woman, but to redeem her. Not only does he get the accusers, the bringers of death, to leave, but he tells her, “Go and sin no more.” Though yes, His literal words are not that her sins have been forgiven, I believe it is implied in what He does say. Christ had forgiven her and set her on track to living transformed.
The truth is, we are that woman.
We stood accused of sin, and the reward for such sin was death. Yet, Christ, who so harmonizes Truth and Grace, interceded for us, taking the punishment of death upon Himself. He tells us, “Go and sin no more.” He beckons us to a New Life. A life not bent on our satisfaction but on the satisfaction found in God.
The Truth is, we have been given grace to live holy.
When we parse out the Truth and Grace, we wind up more like the accusers. They are all Truth. She committed adultery = She gets stoned. But God is not a God of retribution, sure, there are times He punishes people, but He does not punish people the same way we seek retribution. But God is also not complacent; if we take His graciousness too far, we have made God inactive and everything under the sun permissible.
Instead, God harmoniously unifies what we have tried to separate, Truth and Grace. He is a Gracious Judge. He has a standard for our lives that appear unattainable, but He has made it attainable by faith.
In the same way, He expects us to be gracious and bearers of His Word. There is no clear and easy way to harmonize Grace and Truth, but we must pursue it, the tension is a better place to live than to comply with the ways of the world.
Final Blessing:
Jesus did what no human ever would; perfectly obey God and intercede for humanity. He so loves us that He died for us, taking on the punishment we so rightly deserved, which meant grace to us. He now asks us, “Go and sin no more.” So we must go and share His grace with others, we must go and share all His truth, we must go and live the life we were always meant to live, in relationship with God. Be bearers of Truth and Grace.
May the Lord of life and redemption be with you in every step, every breath, and every heartbeat. Be messengers of the Good News and Peace friends!
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