Where do we learn how to live a life filled with God’s Grace? Look to the Lord of Grace: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)
The Apostle John began his wonderful account of the Life of Jesus Christ with these words: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1) John gets right to the point of His Gospel Message: Jesus Christ is God, the Lord of Grace. Here are the amazing things we learn about Jesus in the first 14 verses of John’s Gospel:
- Jesus is the Word
- Jesus is with God
- Jesus is God
- Jesus was in the beginning with God
- Jesus created all things
- Nothing was created that Jesus didn’t create
- Jesus is Life
- Jesus is the Light of men
- Jesus shined in spiritual darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend Him
- Jesus is the True Light that gives light to every man coming into the world
- Jesus created the world, and the world did not know Him
- Jesus came to His own, and His own did not receive Him
- Jesus gives the right to become children of God to those who receive Him and believe in His Name
- Jesus became flesh, lived on the earth and people beheld His glory
- Jesus’ glory was as the only Begotten of God the Father
- Jesus is full of Grace and Truth
These 14 verses are a perfect summary of the Gospel message. They may be the most remarkable statement in all of the Bible. Jesus is the Eternal God, the Creator of the Universe and everything in it. Jesus became flesh and lived on the earth. Thousands of people saw Jesus in the flesh, but did not receive Him. Jesus promised that as many as received Him and believed in His Name would become children of God. John and other disciples of Christ beheld His glory and saw that He was full of Grace and Truth. Jesus is the Lord of Grace. His every thought, every word, every action were filled with Grace and Truth. Jesus has a total command of what it means to live a life of grace.
What does this mean to me? If I want to live a life of grace and truth, if I want to live the GraceLife , I need to emulate the Life of Jesus Christ in every way. Everything I need to know about how to live the Christian life to the max is found in the Life Jesus lived while He dwelt among men. Jesus did not hold back. He lived His Life fully, and it was a Life filled with Grace and Truth.
I invite you to read the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John with a new zeal and a deeper appreciation. Witness how Jesus lived His Life. Watch how Jesus talked to people. Listen to what Jesus said to them. See how He treated people and how He reacted to their treatment of Him. Look at the people He used as examples of both good and bad behavior. Make note of what Jesus said is important and what He said was not. Grab hold of His Truth with your whole being and never let it go. Grasp the Grace that filled His heart and make it the most vital part of who you are and who you want to be. And, most importantly, marvel at how much Jesus loves the Father and how much the Father loves Him. Listen to Jesus praying to His Father, and what His Father said about Him. Jesus is the Lord God Almighty, full of Grace and Truth!
Mark McGee
GraceLife Blog 