For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. — John 1:17
When I read the first five books of the Bible, I am struck by a couple of things. First, there is great distance between God and His people. Only a very privileged few could come near to worship, and only one spoke to the Lord face to face. Second, the law was designed to cover every contingency. There are laws for every facet of life — from dining to commerce, from warfare to marriage.
We needed all of that, of course. We needed to understand the distance between our holy Creator and us fallen human beings. And with no internal compass to steer us, we needed guidance for every situation.
But Jesus came along to close the distance and to give us that internal compass. With the grace and truth that Jesus supplies, the need for hundreds of regulations is dispensed. In fact, Jesus Himself dumps some of these regulations overboard.
What is grace? It is more than the undeserved kindness of forgiveness. It is the transforming power of God that turns rebels into saints. What is truth? It is more than a collection of creeds. It is the living Word of God inside us that gives us the power to choose right even when the whole world has chosen wrong.
Be encouraged!
Dwight
Dwight’s 50th Birthday Book Sale
Inspirational stories to share with friends and family
http://www.dwightclough.com/books.html
Dwight Clough is the author of four Christian books and is an active member of Lake City Church in Madison. This devotional is also available via email and you may review the archives back to 2002. To contact Dwight or Kim, use their contact form. You may also support their ministry.