I’m sure you feel it too: the polarization. There are some pretty strong opinions on masks, police officers, public schools, health care, guns, etc. The list could go on and on. On both sides, I see people fighting to justify their actions, pitting themselves against other human beings, and causing distress. Hear me when I say it is important to have informed stances on each of these topics. The cliché that “those who stand for nothing will fall for anything” is absolutely applicable.
The issue is that so many people have this view that you must pick one side or the other and that everyone who doesn’t agree with you is the enemy. When we approach social and political issues with this mentality, we aren’t really living out the Gospel. As Christians, we are supposed to imitate Christ.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:14 – English Standard Version
In my 23 years of life, I’ve learned that imitating Christ’s grace AND truth is one of the hardest tasks to accomplish. Based on posts that I see on social media and conversations that I have with those in my life, I think it’s safe to say that plenty of others struggle with this also.
It seems that many people see grace and truth as opposite sides of a coin. Many people are willing to forgive and show grace, but won’t challenge others to live a more holy life. Others are boldly sharing what they believe to be the truth, but don’t think about the manner in which their delivery may affect other individuals.
I think that we need to start viewing grace and truth as a spectrum. I’ll admit, I tend to lean more towards the truth side of the spectrum. I don’t always consider other people’s feelings and don’t always say things in the most tactful way (other people can attest to this). There have also been times in my life that I have leaned too much towards the grace side of the spectrum. I’ve had cowardly moments where I should have spoken up to call people out on their actions, but haven’t.
God is teaching me that I need to work to have my interactions with others imitate his interactions. I need to work on balancing grace and truth. Jesus is proof that grace and truth are meant to exist together. To love others well, we must strive to get closer and closer to the middle of the spectrum. There are countless examples where Jesus spoke perfect truth in a perfectly gracious way. Read these stories. Hide them in your heart. Use them as examples for how we can spread the love of Christ. John 8:1-11 is a perfect example. The story of the adulterous woman shows Jesus acting in both truth and grace. He does not justify the woman’s sin. He does not ignore what she has done. He tells her to sin no more. However, he also does not belittle her. He does not condemn her. He forgives her. This is what I must hold onto in order to love my neighbor better. This must be how I act.
God is also teaching me that I won’t ever know what is completely true, because I’m not Him. Trust me, it’s frustrating. I wish I could just ask God a question and have an audible response. Knowing that I will never be completely right helps me to approach Scripture with an open heart each day. It helps me to be more gracious towards others who may interpret Scripture differently than me, or even vote differently than me.
You see, I don’t want to be seen as just gracious or truthful. I don’t want to be defined by labels given to one side of a spectrum. I want others to know that I forgive them AND still call them out on their sin. I want others to know that I will disagree with them AND still stand by their side in support. Most importantly, I hope others see that each and every day I’m trying to become more balanced in sharing Christ’s truth AND grace to those around me. That even means showing grace to the people who don’t show grace to others.
If I’m being honest, I’ve found myself angry and frustrated a lot lately. I hate reading Facebook posts that I feel are ungracious. I hate hearing people speak with such authority and no humility on issues that don’t even really affect them. However, I’ve been convicted in this area. I can’t expect other people to be gracious and then not be gracious towards them.
Finding this balance of truth and grace is something I will struggle with every day on this earth. Even when I am trying to be more gracious, I revert to condemning others in an attempt to share truth about grace. This isn’t easy and we can’t find this balance on our own. Christians, we must be striving each and every day to allow the Lord to work through us. We must be in our Bibles, spending time in prayer, and allowing God to help us love people better – in truth AND grace.
We also must be careful to share both truth and grace in an appropriate manner. Many of our conversations are taking place on social media and are between strangers or acquaintances. The best way to truly show love is through one-on-one or small group conversations that are built on trust and respect.
In what areas of your life do you tend to lean too much to one side of the spectrum? Where do you need to speak out, instead of staying silent? In what areas do you need to speak more kindly and listen, instead of shutting others down? I urge you to really think and pray about these questions. Ask God to reveal to you any areas where He would like to work and humble yourself to allow Him to change you.
