Grace and Truth
by Bill Boyd
After his presidency, Jimmy Carter returned to his home in Plains, Georgia, and taught a Sunday School class at the Maranatha Baptist Church. His book, “Sources of Strength,” is a compilation of his Sunday School lessons. He did not condescend to the Bible’s contents as one might expect from a high worldly leader; rather, he aspired to its teachings as one would expect from a man of the soil. One of his Sunday School lessons is titled, “Full of Grace and Truth,” taken from John 1:17: “The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” Carter wrote, “John places in juxtaposition to grace: truth. Grace is gentle, grace is nice, but truth can be difficult to face.”
Some have concluded from John’s words that there was no grace under the law. Read John again with care and note, John did not just say, “…grace came by Jesus Christ,” he said “…grace and truth.” Since “truth” also came by Jesus Christ, should we conclude that there was no “truth” under the law? Let it not be so! The law Moses gave was truth, but it was not “all truth.” The LORD told Moses in the law that he would raise up a Prophet like Moses, put his words in the Prophet’s mouth, the Prophet would speak all that he was commanded, and to the Prophet ye should hearken (Deuteronomy 18:15-19). Jesus told his apostles that the Spirit would teach them “all truth” (John 14:25), and guide them into “all truth” (John 16:13). The law from Moses revealed truth in part, but the fulness of truth came with Jesus Christ. So also, the law from Moses taught us about grace in part, but the fullness of grace came with Jesus Christ.
It is written in the law, “Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD” (Genesis 6:8). Noah was saved by grace (Genesis 6:8), by faith (Hebrews 11:7), by obedience (Genesis 6:22), by water (I Peter 3:20), and with the ark (Hebrews 11:7). Noah’s salvation serves as a type of our salvation, for we too are saved by grace (Acts 15:11), by faith (Romans 5:1), by obedience (Hebrews 5:9), by baptism (I Peter 3:21), and with the church (Ephesians 5:23), in that as Noah had to enter and remain in the ark, so we are to enter and remain in the church.
Noah (Genesis 6:8), Abraham (Genesis 18:3), Lot (Genesis 19:19), Moses (Exodus 33:17), Gideon (Judges 6:17), and David (II Samuel 15:25) found grace or favor in the eyes of the LORD. Jacob told Esau that God had graciously given him children (Genesis 33:5), and that God had delt graciously with him (Genesis 33:11). Joseph said to Benjamin, “God be gracious unto thee” (Genesis 43:29). The LORD said to Moses, “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious…” (Exodus 33:19). Moses wrote in Numbers 6:25, “The LORD make his face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee.” In II Kings 13:23, the prophet wrote, “The LORD was gracious unto them… because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” David sang in Psalm 84:11, “The LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.” Jeremiah preached “Thus saith the LORD, The people which were left of the sword found grace in the wilderness; even Israel” (Jeremiah 31:2). Amos proclaimed, “The LORD of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph” (Amos 5:15). This and more shows that God’s grace is a running theme through the law, the psalms, and the prophets.
Every good thing that God has given man and every good thing that God has done for man is a gift of God’s grace. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights…” (James 1:17). “He left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness” (Acts 14:17). From the beginning God has been gracious, but the fullness of his grace was not known until the coming of Christ. Christ came “full of grace and truth… and of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace” (John 1:14, 16).
