There is a very large power in some very small words. Case in point, the word ‘and’.
There’s an ‘and’ in the Bible that most of us deeply want to be an ‘or’ so we can pick a side. Most of us live as if it is actually an ‘or’. We line up against each other based on the two sides of this imagined ‘or’; a word that isn’t even there.
It shows up in sentiments like “just love” or “love wins” or the main gospel issue is “love your neighbor.” Sounds great. Or, “Christianity should feel like our love for others continues to deepen, not that our beliefs are more correct than others.” The goal of our faith is unconditionally loving others. This is how we show the love of Christ.
These are good sentiments; they are just…not complete. As the apostle John said in John 1:14,
14 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.
This is who Jesus is, what he is like, and therefore what we are to be like to others. We love that He is ‘full’ of grace. Listen to that word ‘full’. Full to overflowing. Our hope is in this; our salvation depends on it.
So what’s the problem?
That verse was misquoted. It has a premature period. What’s missing?
That ‘and‘ we don’t like.
John actually states at the end of the verse that Jesus was full of grace and truth. Objective, hard, unchanging truth. This is the ‘and’ we’d rather be an ‘or’ because we like to pick one over the other. To be clear, we desire this to be an ‘or’ because we usually want to have our Jesus be all grace, only unconditional love, accepting of all, eating with tax collectors and sinners, missional to the max. The goal is “love your neighbor” and that will lead them to our loving Savior. This is how you ‘be’ a Christian and how you evangelize.
Now there are some who like being on the other side of the ‘or’. This side is all about truth and often mercilessly so. Any hint of error is to be hunted down and beaten into submission. Jesus is truth and truth reigns supreme; other’s feelings be damned. Truth or error. Believer or heretic. The Jack Nicholson movie quote, “You can’t handle the truth!” comes to mind.
John 1:14 states Jesus is an ‘and’. A very small, powerful word that has massive meaning for our everyday lives. The real Jesus, the Jesus that actually exists, is an ‘and’. He is full of grace and full of truth.
Those two words are not synonyms. In one sense, they are a ‘what’ (truth) and a ‘how’ (grace). We as Christians needlessly divide on this because we don’t realize that. A few think the goal is only the ‘what.’ Coldly blast the truth with a ‘take it or leave it’ mindset. I’m not all that deeply interested in you as a person really, I just want to know if you believe some particular truth statement. I simply want to know what side you are on: mine or the heretics’ as those are the only two options. If you disagree with me on a point of doctrine, then I’m telling the world you’re a wolf. I get most excited when I find someone who’s wrong about something. I can use this to signal my virtue to the world of how concerned I am about truth.
But many (most?) think the goal is only the how – to just love and accept and be the most approachable Christian I can be, so totally others-oriented in love that I’d never tell you that you are wrong about something, or in rebellion against God and under his wrath right now and a single heartbeat away from cementing this for eternity. I so love you that I’d never tell you certain choices you are making or positions you are taking are sinful and you must repent. To do so is tearing people down, not building them up, and that is quite unloving. You see this today even in churches that are so loving as to not practice church discipline. To love is to turn a blind eye. Theology, doctrine, drawing hard lines of truth, calling out sin and sinners is just simply divisive when the unity of love is the goal.
This is of course a false dichotomy. That powerful ‘and’ means it is a ‘what’ and a ‘how’ in complete and perfect partnership as seen very clearly in Ephesians 4:15:
Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,
What are we to do? Speak the truth. Don’t miss that this is the primary action of this entire verse. What comes FIRST is speaking the truth. It is not an afterthought or optional; it is the direct command of God. When we obey that, how are we to do it? In gracious love. As recipients of the divine love through grace, we are to show that same grace and love to others. This is how we ‘grow up’. This is how we show Christ to others. Speaking the truth, in love. What and how. Full of grace and truth like our master and example.
We miss this boat. Some of us read it as, “Speak the truth; got it. No problem” and off we go, leaving a trail of bodies in our wake. However, much more commonly we read it as “Act the truth in love.” I really just want to ‘be nice’ which is after all the core of Christianity…with a side benefit of I’ll be liked and accepted. My faith will cost me nothing. We like that (presumed incorrect) attribution to St. Francis of Assissi, in opposition to Ephesians 4:15, of “Preach the gospel, if necessary, use words”. In this erroneous view, our gospel is primarily horizontal, not vertical.
Both are the sin of pride. One manifests itself in haughtiness and self-righteousness, the other in fear of man and desire for approval. By the way, the author is an equal opportunity sinner, committing both and jumping from side to side based on the situation and what suits him best. Don’t think I’m writing this to “you all”.
Our goal is to figure out how to correctly navigate this and be like Jesus; to be full of both grace and truth at all times. Our goal is to be loving as he is loving, as well as to speak truth as he and the apostles spoke truth. In both of these, it’s going to be antithetical to what we mostly see and often believe today because its a combination, not an ‘or’.
We must face this reality. Our love is to be in ‘speaking the truth’. THAT will get you hated (as Christ promised). We must answer the question – is Jesus worth the rejection that will entail? The hard feelings, the awkwardness? Is the truth taught by the Scriptures about who we are, and who He is, worth it? Shall we lose our lives in order to gain them? Shall we lose all profit in this world in order to not lose our soul?
The power of very small words like ‘and’. Are we willing to be full of grace…and truth? To let that grace be in speaking the hard, exposing truth? Do we take all the promises of God, including the ones that we’ll be hated for showing the love of Christ? Do we continue to love our ‘or’ that isn’t there in spite of the ‘and’ that is?
Excuse me, the author has some reflection and repentance to take care of.
Next up – Part 2 on what another powerful little word means – “love”.