Most of us are one or the other, but not both. It can switch back & forth; depending upon the circumstances we find ourselves in, or the current condition of our own fragile egos. Grace-oriented people tend to live from their hearts, focused on finding the good in others and building bridges between people. Truth-seekers are more about discerning wisdom and meaning in everything, understanding the world within them and around them in terms of what is right & wrong.
Which are you? Which is right? Which is more reflective of Jesus, and His will for us?
Jesus is both. He has the uncanny ability to hold one without losing grip on the other. We’re most often not like that. (This is probably going to sound funny, but I think that women are better at this than men. It’s related to multi-tasking, and everyone knows that men, for the most part, are lame compared to women in this. Do I mean that women are stereotypically more like Jesus than men? Yeah probably. But that has nothing to do with this blog, so I digress….)
Why is this important? Because I think we’re all lopsided toward Grace OR Truth, and if we’re really going to live the life of Jesus, and reflect Him to the world around us, we need to learn to embrace the TENSION He invites us to live inside of between the extremes. This is about balance. This is about the big picture. This is about Jesus’ ability to teach unashamed against sin, and simultaneously to extend friendship to the sinner.
A group of very religious men once brought to Jesus a lady who had been caught in the act of adultery. (which brings a bunch of questions into my mind, but once again, I digress…) They wanted to see which side Jesus would land on. It was a trap, because the law of the land at the time demanded that the woman be stoned to death. I can almost hear their rage-filled, raspy voices yelling condemnation. Jesus, after ignoring them for a bit of time, simply says “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” One by one, they all let go of their stones and leave. Jesus speaks to her:
“Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” (John 8:10-11)
I think this is absolutely amazing, and something that all of us who want to follow Jesus need to learn more about. Jesus extends grace/friendship, “neither do I condemn you”; but maintains truth/right & wrong, “leave your life of sin.”
This hits me between the eyes….between the extremes of legalism/judmentalism on one side, and looseness/complacency on the other. Am I condemning someone that Jesus is calling me to love? Am I ignoring the sin of someone Jesus is calling me to confront?
What is Jesus saying to you today?
