Scripture References: John 1:14-17; John 8:2-11 (Also references Matthew 18:21-35, John 14:6)
Intro: (Podcast Sermon Title Suggestion: Grace AND Truth: Living in the Tension)
- Introducing a new sermon series on "Tension."
- Churches hold firm positions (core doctrines) but also live within biblical tensions – apparent paradoxes held together.
- Radiant Church's position is often in the tension, resisting the urge to swing to extremes.
- This week's focus: The foundational tension between Grace and Truth.
Key Points:
- Jesus: Full of Grace AND Truth (John 1:14):
- Jesus is our ultimate model. He wasn't 50/50, nor did He alternate; He was simultaneously 100% grace and 100% truth.
- He embodies both the Lion (truth, judgment, holiness) and the Lamb (grace, sacrifice, mercy).
- His truth reveals our need/sin; His grace removes our sin. God never suspends one attribute to exercise another.
- The Danger of Imbalance:
- We tend to emphasize one at the expense of the other ("Gracies" vs. "Truthies").
- Grace without truth breeds compromise, deception, and lacks distinction (like a loose, muddy guitar string).
- Truth without grace breeds legalism, self-righteousness, and harshness (like an overtightened, breaking guitar string).
- Both grace and truth are essential and inseparable for healthy faith.
- Jesus Demonstrates Both (John 8):
- The story of the woman caught in adultery perfectly illustrates Jesus holding the tension.
- He upheld God's truth about sin ("Go now and leave your life of sin").
- He extended profound grace ("Then neither do I condemn you"). He didn't ignore the truth to show grace, nor deny grace to uphold truth.
- Essential & Inseparable Today:
- Our world desperately needs both. It's grace-starved (running on performance/earning) and truth-starved (relativism asking "What is truth?").
- Grace requires acknowledging hard truths (our sin, need for a Savior). Truth needs grace to offer hope of salvation. Conviction (truth) is necessary for conversion.
Conclusion:
- Grace needs truth to have meaning, and truth needs grace to bring hope. They are not opposed but intertwined in the person of Jesus.
- As a church, we commit to holding both grace and truth together in tension, even when it feels uncomfortable or stretches us, seeking to reflect Christ accurately.
Call to Action:
- Examine your own heart and tendencies: Do you lean more towards grace or truth? Where might you be sacrificing one for the other?
- Commit with us to live in the tension, seeking wisdom to apply both grace and truth appropriately.
- Celebrate baptisms today as a beautiful picture of this tension: acknowledging the truth of sin and judgment, while receiving the grace of forgiveness and new life in Christ. Pray for those being baptized.
*Summaries and transcripts are generated using AI.
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