I had a different blog planned--written, actually--and then I saw a post on a friend's Facebook page, and I was concerned they'd think my blog was directed at them. So I changed my topic on the fly. (I'll use the other one at a later date.)
In various parts of my life, I hear the phrase "grace and truth." Work, Facebook, Twitter. And that's not a bad thing.
But the other day I saw this: Truth without grace is mean.
That was it. I scratched my head a little and considered that. It didn't seem ... complete.
So I went to my friend Google, and typed into a search bar TRUTH WITHOUT GRACE, and sure enough, before I even finished, any number of suggestions popped up. The quote (attributed to a lot of people, so I'm not certain who actually said it first) goes like this:
Truth without grace is mean. Grace without truth is meaningless. Speak the truth in love.
Ahhh, that makes so much more sense. Jesus was full of grace AND truth.
We live in a world that seems inclined to offer a lot of grace without a lot of truth. I know, I know, that sounds contradictory to my last blog about being more positive. But being positive without honesty is disingenuous.
Jesus loved sinners. He did. He talked with them, He ate meals with them, He even made them His apostles in some cases. But He never allowed them to continue in sin.
Grace AND truth.
We have to extend both to others. Because Christ gave us both.
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