The Abiding One

When Jesus is described by the gospel writer John as being one who is "full of grace and truth,"  we catch a glimpse of the inner being of the Holy One sent into the world through Bethlehem.  To be characterized as one "full of grace and truth" speaks of a completeness that is almost beyond understanding. The state of fullness implies room for nothing else.  A fullness of grace and truth speaks of a heart empty of things like anger, vengefulness, resentment, deceit, and untruths.    

 It is a mistake to think that such was the heart life of Jesus simply because He was the Son of God.  What is being expressed in these words is the way the gospel writer, disciple, and Apostle knew Jesus.  What John witnessed in the living of Jesus was directly related to the connection Jesus had with the Father in heaven.  It was not an issue of will and determination, but of choosing to live immersed within the will of the One who sent Him.  His life was an expression of the heart of the Father.   

Our lives can be characterized as "full of grace and truth" to the degree to which we live connected to God through Christ.  A little later in John's gospel we hear Jesus saying, "I am the vine, you are the branches.  Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing."  (John 15:5)  The key to living a life which expresses grace and truth in every circumstance and in every relationship is Christ.  The difference is not found in us, but in Him who abides in us.