Christmas with John, 13: Law or Grace?

SCRIPTURE:  For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.  John 1:17 KJV

THOUGHT: Don’t pass by John 1:17 like a billboard, allowing familiarity to breed contempt. This is John, one of Jesus’ best friends on earth, a first-century Jew steeped in Torah and tradition, saying that the law was no longer enough for him. That’s a big deal.

Even though we’re not first-century Jews, we 21^st-century humans also face a choice between “law” and grace. Either we can try to gain God’s favor by our works and determined attempts to live a perfect life, or we can step into the river of grace and be surrounded by the water of life, a river than has nothing to do with our actions or abilities, and everything to do with our honesty and humility.

We are offered the chance to be hidden with Christ (Col. 3:3) as the water flows, or to rise up in our own strength, determined that action and passion and persistence will save us. Paul tells the Corinthian believers, “you are not your own, you were bought with a price (1 Cor. 6:19-20),” and yet, every day we make choices about whether to fully submit to being hidden with Christ, or to walk our own way, according to our own rules (which might change pretty often!), rejecting the price that was paid for our freedom.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve tried enough of my own self-saving ideas to last a lifetime. I don’t want to stand before God and advocate for myself and my righteousness based on laws I’ve kept, or works I’ve done, or all my good intentions. I’ll take the grace and truth Jesus offers instead, and keep bobbing down the river of life. Yes, there are rapids and rocks, and sometimes the waters are low, but I’m moving toward home and keeping fellowship with some pretty awesome sojourners along the way!

PRAYER: Oh God, thank you for your law because it is perfect, but thank you for grace and truth, because I am not.