Garry spoke this morning from John 1:1-18, focussing on John 1:17 in particular. The law was given through Moses (who acted as a conduit), but grace and truth are found in Jesus.
Gal 3:22-25 talks about the role of the law, which was our guardian until faith came. The word ‘guardian’ (pedagogos) was used to describe a servant who was employed by someone wealthy to take children aged 6-16 years old to school, someone who was responsible for their behaviour and development. Bill Mounce’s website talks of how the dominant image was that of a harsh disciplinarian who frequently resorted to physical force and corporal punishment as a way of keeping the children in line. The law, although good, was basically intended to show us how far off the mark we fall; so often, we simply settle for less because we realise we are incapable of reaching God’s standard, and substitute our achievements for the standard He sets instead of turning to Christ as God’s solution to this problem.
Many people feel the God of the Old Testament is full of wrath and punishment and Jesus portrays a ‘gentler’ side to God. In truth, the Old Testament speaks also of grace and mercy (God’s ‘chesed‘) and the New Testament also speaks of justice and wrath. Nonetheless, Jesus does reveal to us God’s grace and love; we see the exuberant giving and lavish love of the Father. Luke 6:38 reminds us that God’s measure is overflowing; we may feel overwhelmed by His goodness, but as this blessing is pressed down, we are enabled to receive even more. God’s grace to us is overflowing and expansive (as demonstrated by Jesus’s first miracle at the wedding of Cana where six jars, each holding 20-30 gallons of water, were turned into wine!)
The world works with rules and systems, and to some extent feels comfortable with these. When people become Christians, they often assume that they are exchanging one set of rules for another, but actually, the church needs to demonstrate the rule of grace, not law. John reminds us of the light of Jesus, but He tells us we too are the lights of the world (Matt 5:14-16). We are intended to be illuminators and revelators, just as Jesus is, for as grace fills our lives and overflows, it becomes the motivator for all we done.
As we draw closer to the light, however, we become even more aware of our faults and failings. Rom 7:21-25 reminds us of the inner conflict we often face. As we progress in our journey with God, we need to understand that the journey is not always a gentle incline. Sometimes, we have to take steps of faith which are uncomfortable… and sometimes, the steps of faith we face are huge, way beyond our capability! God reveals our need and works with us to overcome it so that we can progress ‘onward and upward’. God calls us to rise to these challenges of faith and determine to be a revelator of grace and truth, even as He is.
