There is no grace without truth.
And, truth without grace does not reflect the heart of our God. Jesus reveals the heart of the Father, which is multifaceted so I’ll focus on grace and truth in this post.
This bible journaling page is the third in a series I’m sharing this month on shining His light. In order to shine the light of Jesus Christ, we have to be rooted in Him.
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 and truth.
John 1:14
Grace first
To shine the light of grace we need to have received that grace ourselves. God lavishes favour upon us because He chose us and that is His nature. We do nothing to earn this favour and, in fact, have earned the opposite – His wrath.
In the same way, we show others grace because that is who we are; our new nature in Christ, and how we were designed to be before The Fall. Having a biblical understanding of sin and it’s destructive force in all of Creation should help us to show grace to others. We should see beyond their words and actions, see beneath the surface, see the deception, and see that they are more victim than enemy.
Then, truth
And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”
John 8:11
The story in John 8:1-11 is about a woman caught in adultery who is brought before Jesus by a group of scribes and Pharisees to test if He would adhere to the Law of Moses and condemn her to be stoned. Jesus said that the one who is without sin among them should be the first to throw a stone at her. And, none could; we all fall short of His glory.
Then, Jesus told the woman that He also does not condemn her and to go and not continue in sin. He showed her grace but also stood firm on the truth that what she was doing was wrong. I can’t say for certain if this pattern – grace then truth – applies to all His interactions with people, but I love the example given in this one.
Scripture says that the Holy Spirit will give us the words to speak in any situation and we should be faithful to speak it with boldness. However, our hearts can get in the way. So, I think this pattern is a wise guideline.
Starting with grace gives us a heart check and reminds us of the grace that we have received. Starting with grace gives compassion to the truth we speak afterwards. However, it is important that we do not stop at grace only because truth is helpful.
Truth sets the expectation for what is right and acceptable. Grace without truth is not grace at all because the basis of grace is that a truth was not adhered to. Otherwise, there would be no need to grace.
May we be so deeply rooted in Him that we shine His light of grace and truth.
Process and products used:
These pages in the NIV Journal the Word Bible (New Testament) feature the following products by Creative Worship Stamps. These are affiliate links, please see the Privacy Policy for details.
- Lantern Light stamp set
- Lantern Light die set
- Vintage Snippets stamp set
- Peace & Grace Word die set
- Star Pattern stencil
- Lots of Dots Mini stencil
- Skinny Caps Alpha stamp set
- Boss Lady Outline Alpha stamps
- Print Script Lowercase Alpha stamp set
This page did not turn out how I envisioned but I still enjoyed the process of creating it as I reflected on the message.
I started with the Star Pattern stencil and applied yellow and light blue ink using an ink blending brush. Then, I applied more yellow ink using the Lots of Dots Mini stencil.
At the top, I wanted a veil of darkness that was pulled back by the light and anchored by the red ribbon signifying Christ’s sacrifice. I swiped navy blue ink directly from the ink pad to the page then blended it in as much as possible. It looked odd so I defined it some more using a marker. Then, I added some lines to it and it turned out looking like a curtain. The ribbon is from the Lantern Light stamp set and was cut out using the coordinating dies.
I used a script stamp from Vintage Snippets on the lower part of the page in red ink. Then, I stamped the word “truth” over that using the Boss Lady Outline Alpha stamps. I coloured it in a bit using a yellow marker then added some detail using a white gel pen.
I stamped the candle from the Lantern Light stamp set and the word “SHINE” using the Skinny Caps Alpha. I used the residual yellow ink on a piece of mixed media paper then cut out the word “grace” using the Peace & Grace Word dies. Then, I glued it to the page and outlined it using a black pen. The word “and” is from the Print Script Lowercase Alpha set. The verse from John 1:5 is from the Lantern Light stamp set.
To finish the page, I added some white paint splatters all over. I also echoed the stars on the left page and brought in some of the navy colour by using the marker to border the verse.
Be encouraged
🎶 Alive in Me ~ Highlands Worship
The gospel, at its core, is grace and truth. We are all already condemned to death and need to be saved. We need Jesus Christ. We need to be found in Him. We need to have His Spirit within us.
Christ in Me – that is how we beat back the darkness, and shine this light of grace and truth.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16
