You ever just want to grab someone by the shirt and scream at them for being stupid? How can they not understand some of the most basic things in the world? The Bible tells us to confront our brothers and sisters in Christ and call them out on their wrong doings. But the Bible also says to extend the grace God has given us to others. But do they need grace or do they need truth? That is the age old question that we need to discuss today, is it grace or is it truth?
The simplest answer to this question is just, yes It is 100% a "both, and" rather than an "either, or." As Christians, we need to be able to give 100% grace at all times and 100% truth at all times. A great example of this being lived out is Christ with the woman at the well.
In John chapter 4, Jesus is at a well and begins to talk to a Samaritan woman, which already is wild because Jews and Samaritans don't talk to each other let alone her being a woman. Jesus asks for some water from the woman and she asks how He is allowed to ask her for water since she is a Samaritan woman. Jesus then tells her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."
As they continue talking, Jesus asks her to grab her husband and the lady tells Him that she doesn't have a husband. Jesus then says, "You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true." Jesus exposes the dirty and messy parts of her life and brings truth into the conversation.
She is blown back by this and questions who He is because He speaks like one of the prophets, but Jesus tells her that He is the Messiah, the first time revealing this to anyone!!
Jesus knew this woman's faults before the conversation even began. He decided to notice her and even speak with her which goes against the culture at the time, tells her about the living water that He can provide for her, tells her what her biggest secrets in life are, then reveals that He is the Messiah to her. What are we to make of this?? Jesus begins by giving grace and beginning a conversation with this woman, then gives more grace by essentially inviting the woman to have eternal life, then speaks hard hard truth into her life about the messy things that she tries to hide, then despite that, has even more grace and reveals that He is the Messiah!
Jesus shows 100% grace and 100% truth. It is not an "either, or" for us as Christians. We are to care and love people all the time, extend the grace God has given to us to others, and speak truth into each other's lives. If there is only grace, there is no repentance and new life for them. If there is only truth, the church becomes a place to go to hate on yourself and go home feeling empty and hopeless. We need both at all times. Christ did it perfectly, we must try and repeat after Him. How are we supposed to Know Him and make Him known without grace and without truth?
