7/14/2007

Grace & Truth

Truth without grace breeds a self-righteousness legalism that poisons the church and pushes the world away from Christ. Grace without truth breeds moral indifference and keeps people from seeing their need for Christ. [Randy Alcorn, "The Grace and Truth Paradox"]

I recently had a conversation with someone I know but don't often see from TCF. Certain issues came up, and eventually I quoted a sort of proverb that I obviously must of heard someone say before because it was too good to be mine! What I said was "Truth without grace is judgment; grace without truth is license." I believe Randy got it better than me, but the point got me thinking.

It seems to me that most Christians are either "Truth Christians" or "Grace Christians," and that we collectively lack the humility to be both. In North America we particularly have a lack of grace that leads many people being excluded from the church and us being labeled as hypocrites. Some seek to remedy this by ignoring sin, and but this as well doesn't work No one will come to Christ unless they are convicted that they are a terrible sinner.

Jesus would be the best example of grace and truth working together. For example, one popular biblical passage (John 8) discusses Jesus' response toth e religious leaders presenting him with an adulteress, who, according to Jewish law, should be stoned.

Jesus' response is intriguing. First, he draws some pictures on the ground. I have no idea why! But then he says "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." According to the biblical law, only those who were innocent of the sin being punished could participate in the stoning. In this case the sin was sexual, and you'd be hard pressed to find a man, any man, who has never lusted after a woman! So all the men disappear. Notably Jesus didn't deny the Jewish law, he just expected them to follow it all.

The only one there who could justifiably stone the woman was Jesus, but instead he shows her grace: he doesn't. But he also shows her truth: he tells her "Leave your life of sin." This simple statement is not necessarily as easy as it looks. Considering the laws of the middle east in Jesus' era, if this woman was sleeping around she probably wasn't married. Most likely she was a prostitute and made her living off of her body. She also (obviously) didn't have the best reputation. In order for her to "leave her life of sin" she would have to trust that she could make an income in another way (most women didn't work), but also she would have to fight to build a reputation as a good woman because everyone knew her as a whore.

So, her life was saved, but it would not be easy to live from now on. It is like being a Christian in every way. Jesus shows us the holes in his hands proving that our sin is forgiven and that we will go to heaven! But then he looks at us sternly and says "Leave your life of sin... take up your cross and follow me."

Have you?

That requires humility, that we be full of grace and truth, that we show the world God's unquenchable love for us, but also his wrath that is only quenchable by the blood from his son's veins. It is always a dichotomy. Fear and love, friends.

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6 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

That story is one of my favourites, partially because after they ask Jesus what they should do he just sits down and starts drawing in the sand, tis brillant!, and also the way he answers them...yeah that's all, I enjoyed your thoughts on it.

3:28 PM  
Blogger Erin said...

yes, your thoughts on this were quite intriguing but I've got a question: how do you know that this woman was a prostitute? Is it not possible that this encounter was just your run-of-the-mill adultry, and that Jesus was making a point, namely that secret sins are not secret before God? (I find it interesting that the man who was inevitably part of the equasion is strangely absent, but that's another issue) So that's it. Thanks for sharing.

3:37 PM  
Blogger Jerry said...

More posts like this plz. <3

Well done.

11:11 PM  
Blogger shine.is.dead said...

Erin:

I don't know that she was a prostitute, that is a guess based on my understanding of ancient Hebrew culture, but even if it was just "run of the mill adultery" Jesus' words would still be a challange after this!

The man's absence is a big deal but one that didn't fit the context of the post... after all, she was caught "in the very act" of adultery, meaning that the guy was initially there too... shouldn't he have also been brought before Jesus? Hypocrisy and sexism at its finest! No wonder all the men left in shame with no stones cast.

12:03 AM  
Blogger Stevie B said...

Just my educated guess, but

Under Hebrew law, both the man and woman caught in the act of adultery were to be stoned, yet only the woman was brought before Jesus to see what He'd do about her sin. Also, nothing under the law deserving of death was to be carried unless it was on the testimony of two or three witnesses. So, where are the two witnesses?

If she was caught, that means either several people caught them having sex, or if just one person caught her, then the man who was having sex with her was also "bringing her" before Jesus, because knowing the law, one would imagine they would be trying to obey it (even in their hypocrisy) since they already nailed Jesus all the time for the ways they figured He was breaking their rules.

In all likelihood, the man committing the adultery with this woman was one of the men there, maybe even one of the individuals bringing her before Jesus. So not only was Jesus making a brilliant point about hypocrisy, but was directly calling out the man who was in this sin with her. I think one of--if not the first person to leave was the man that was in the act with her...

That's what I think from reading it and my understanding anyway.




Otherwise, if you want to see extreme legalism and extreme grace--especially extreme grace and license to sin, come on over to Holland. That last podcast Dan and

I recorded was on the subject of sexual stuff since it's rampant in the Church over here,without even being as "concealed" as over in Canada and the USA. There's a 17 year-old girl who is "on fire for Jesus" (in her mind) but won't set foot in the cafe anymore after one of us told her sex outside of marriage is wrong, and we're just legalistic and judgmental. Imagine what these Christians will find Jesus to be like when they stand before Him--the ULTIMATE Judge.
Then, I kid you not, I have met people who think I need to get saved because of various rules they think you need to obey to be a Christian.

It's wild....

3:27 AM  
Blogger Jerry said...

Freedom in Christ is balanced by Slavery to Christ.

10:22 AM  

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