“For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” – John 1:16-17
The Law was a glorious gift, given through Moses to reveal God’s holiness and our sinfulness. It was an offer of blessing to those who would follow it. Yet the Law pales in comparison to God’s gifts given through Jesus Christ: grace and truth.
God’s grace is the undeserved, unearned favor of God that comes through faith in Christ alone. By God’s grace, we are forgiven our sins, though we don’t deserve forgiveness. Through grace, we are restored to relationship with God, though we are unworthy. By grace, we become walking temples holding God’s Spirit though we are flawed and fragile jars of clay. Through grace we’re given an eternal inheritance in heaven simply because we’ve been adopted as children of God. By grace, we experience God’s infinite love despite having rebelled against Him, rejected Him, and opposed Him throughout our lives.
God’s grace is freely, generously, abundantly given to all who put their faith in Jesus Christ. This is the truth, the one and only path to God. Jesus is the ultimate truth, God’s perfect revelation. In Jesus, all who believe experience truth and are set free. We’re set free from the compulsion to sin, from the categories and labels of the world, and from the dark parts of our past. We’re set free to live the truth of who we truly are by God’s grace: His beloved children, adopted and made new in Jesus Christ!