Passage of the Day - April 19, 2013

John 1:14-18

¹⁴ And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. ¹⁵ John testified about Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’” ¹⁶ For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. ¹⁷ For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. ¹⁸ No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.

How God’s Word became flesh is still quite the mystery.

I find it interesting that John says that they saw His glory full of grace and truth and later says the law was given through Moses and grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.  Jesus is through whom we receive God’s grace and truth.  God chose to go through Moses to give us the Law and through Jesus to give us grace and truth. 

We know the technical definition of grace being unmerited favor, but what does that really mean?  As Pontius Pilate famously asked “What is truth?”

Truth is far more than merely what isn’t false.  Truth is reality with meaning properly perceived.  

Grace is the divine transformation of reality, regeneration of meaning, and corrected perception necessary to be in union with God through Christ.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®,
© Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission." (http://www.lockman.org/)