Grace Is Not a Doctrine; It Is a Person!

John 1:17

The grace of God is the great separation of Christianity from all other religions of the world. Religion, in general, requires the adherent to work hard and hope that they can earn a place in eternity. Followers of Christ do nothing to achieve eternal life, except believe and accept the price paid by Jesus. Only Christianity has God becoming man, to die for man, and then giving the world the gift of resurrected life. In a nutshell, this is the grace of God.

However, grace is not a doctrine, or a belief. It is not just a “thing”, which exists only in practice, like prayer or faith. Grace has been available for mankind from the very beginning, but it was not always accessible. Noah “found grace in the eyes of the Lord” (Genesis 6:8), but when Jesus came, grace found man.

John tells us that “the law was given by Moses”. This denotes distance, with the Law being cast down at man from Mount Sinai. “Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ”, tells us that Jesus brought us grace and truth. He did not cast it down like the Law from the mountain, but walked it to us, as He still does today. This is why you don’t find grace now, as Noah did, but rather grace finds you, for Jesus is always journeying your way.

There is no truth to be found on the side of the law, for grace and truth come together. Jesus told us that He is, “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). If Jesus is “truth”, and grace and truth are a package deal, then grace is not a doctrine, it is a person, and that person is Jesus. He is the embodiment of what the grace of God is and what that grace will accomplish.

Jesus loved people. He listened to their needs. He laughed with their children. He wept at their funerals. His hands of compassion would write words of freedom on the ground for a woman caught in the act of adultery, and feed 5,000 strangers with a miracle of multiplication. His love and mercy knew no boundary. He forgave a thief on the cross, who had previously mocked Him, and He cried out for His Father to forgive His murderers, for they knew not what they did. Jesus does not give grace; Jesus is grace.

When you accepted Christ as your Savior, He came into you with all grace and truth. You are growing into the knowledge of that grace and truth a bit more every day. Jesus told a group of new believers, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). You may not be there yet, but with His grace working in you, that freedom is coming through the knowledge of His truth.

As you go about your day today, remember that Jesus is in you with grace and truth. He is not standing afar off, casting the Law at you, but He walks with you ministering His wonderful grace into every area of your life. Allow Him to do the work, while you take the blessings, and never fear that you are dwelling on grace, “too much”. If one can have too much grace, then one can have too much Jesus, and I have yet to meet that person. Go in His grace!

Wrong Doctrine; Right Heart

John 20:11-16

On Resurrection Morning, Mary Magdalene stood outside the tomb of Jesus weeping, for she saw that His tomb was empty and she did not know where He was. Her first assumption is the natural one: Jesus’ body had been stolen in the night and moved to another location. She was there to anoint His body in the Hebrew custom, and now she would have to go home without having accomplished her task.

In her state of trouble and fear, she seems unfazed at the two angels that speak to her from within the empty tomb; one seated at the head and one at the feet. Just like the cherubim’s that cover the Mercy Seat on the Ark, these two angels now sit at the place of God’s mercy and justice. With the tomb empty, Jesus is alive, meaning that He is now able to live in the hearts of all mankind. It may have been lost on Mary Magdalene, but may it not be lost on us!

Mary turns to leave the tomb and sees Jesus, though she “knew not that it was Jesus” (John 19:14), supposing Him to be the garden keeper (verse 15). In His glorified state, Jesus obviously had a different look about Him, though it becomes obvious that He retains the same physical qualities that He had while on this earth (John 20:27). They hold a brief conversation, within which we learn an important lesson into the heart of God.

“Woman, why weepest thou? Whom seekest thou?” (John 20:15) is the question that Jesus poses to Mary. She doesn’t recognize Him and answers, “Sir, if you have taken Him from here, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away” (John 20:15). It had become common knowledge that Jesus had been buried in a borrowed tomb, so the assumption might have been that the gardener had come and removed the body so that it could be buried in a family tomb, now that the Jewish feast of Passover was finished. Her response shows that she has no suspicion that Jesus has resurrected, but rather that He is still dead in another location.

Notice that Mary does not believe in the resurrection of Jesus. She walked with Him and talked with Him, but she still has problems with her doctrine. In spite of the obvious flaw in her faith, Jesus reveals Himself to her by saying her name, “Mary” (John 20:16). There was something about the way that He said her name that made her heart leap with joy. The intimate sound of Jesus whispering your name will still warm the heart of even the coldest sinner. There is nothing like knowing Jesus, except perhaps the revelation that He knows you!

With this serious doctrinal flaw (not believing in the resurrection), surely Jesus would not give a revelation of His love, right? We are often taught that if there is a problem in your doctrine that God will not bless you. In fact, I used to hear it preached by men that I greatly respected (and still do respect), that “God will not bless error”. They meant that if your doctrine is wrong, your blessings are limited. According to that teaching, Jesus should have just answered “Sorry mam, I haven’t taken Him anywhere”. It would have been an answer perfectly acceptable to Mary based upon her question. Thank God that Jesus sees past our doctrinal flaws and peers all the way into our hearts!

You may not have it all figured out today (join the club!), but you can rest assured that Jesus knows your heart, even when your doctrine falters. He will give you a revelation of His love by saying your name when He sees that your heart is hungry for more of Him. Seek Him and you will find Him, even when you are seeking in the wrong places.

Grace Is Not a Doctrine; It Is a Person!

John 1:17

The grace of God is the great separation of Christianity from all other religions of the world. Religion, in general, requires the adherent to work hard and hope that they can earn a place in eternity. Followers of Christ do nothing to achieve eternal life, except believe and accept the price paid by Jesus. Only Christianity has God becoming man, to die for man, and then giving the world the gift of resurrected life. In a nutshell, this is the grace of God.

However, grace is not a doctrine, or a belief. It is not just a “thing”, which exists only in practice, like prayer or faith. Grace has been available for mankind from the very beginning, but it was not always accessible. Noah “found grace in the eyes of the Lord” (Genesis 6:8), but when Jesus came, grace found man.

John tells us that “the law was given by Moses”. This denotes distance, with the Law being cast down at man from Mount Sinai. “Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ”, tells us that Jesus brought us grace and truth. He did not cast it down like the Law from the mountain, but walked it to us, as He still does today. This is why you don’t find grace now, as Noah did, but rather grace finds you, for Jesus is always journeying your way.

There is no truth to be found on the side of the law, for grace and truth come together. Jesus told us that He is, “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). If Jesus is “truth”, and grace and truth are a package deal, then grace is not a doctrine, it is a person, and that person is Jesus. He is the embodiment of what the grace of God is and what that grace will accomplish.

Jesus loved people. He listened to their needs. He laughed with their children. He wept at their funerals. His hands of compassion would write words of freedom on the ground for a woman caught in the act of adultery, and feed 5,000 strangers with a miracle of multiplication. His love and mercy knew no boundary. He forgave a thief on the cross, who had previously mocked Him, and He cried out for His Father to forgive His murderers, for they knew not what they did. Jesus does not give grace; Jesus is grace.

When you accepted Christ as your Savior, He came into you with all grace and truth. You are growing into the knowledge of that grace and truth a bit more every day. Jesus told a group of new believers, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). You may not be there yet, but with His grace working in you, that freedom is coming through the knowledge of His truth.

As you go about your day today, remember that Jesus is in you with grace and truth. He is not standing afar off, casting the Law at you, but He walks with you ministering His wonderful grace into every area of your life. Allow Him to do the work, while you take the blessings, and never fear that you are dwelling on grace, “too much”. If one can have too much grace, then one can have too much Jesus, and I have yet to meet that person. Go in His grace!

Wrong Doctrine; Right Heart

John 20:11-16

On Resurrection Morning, Mary Magdalene stood outside the tomb of Jesus weeping, for she saw that His tomb was empty and she did not know where He was. Her first assumption is the natural one: Jesus’ body had been stolen in the night and moved to another location. She was there to anoint His body in the Hebrew custom, and now she would have to go home without having accomplished her task.

In her state of trouble and fear, she seems unfazed at the two angels that speak to her from within the empty tomb; one seated at the head and one at the feet. Just like the cherubim’s that cover the Mercy Seat on the Ark, these two angels now sit at the place of God’s mercy and justice. With the tomb empty, Jesus is alive, meaning that He is now able to live in the hearts of all mankind. It may have been lost on Mary Magdalene, but may it not be lost on us!

Mary turns to leave the tomb and sees Jesus, though she “knew not that it was Jesus” (John 19:14), supposing Him to be the garden keeper (verse 15). In His glorified state, Jesus obviously had a different look about Him, though it becomes obvious that He retains the same physical qualities that He had while on this earth (John 20:27). They hold a brief conversation, within which we learn an important lesson into the heart of God.

“Woman, why weepest thou? Whom seekest thou?” (John 20:15) is the question that Jesus poses to Mary. She doesn’t recognize Him and answers, “Sir, if you have taken Him from here, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away” (John 20:15). It had become common knowledge that Jesus had been buried in a borrowed tomb, so the assumption might have been that the gardener had come and removed the body so that it could be buried in a family tomb, now that the Jewish feast of Passover was finished. Her response shows that she has no suspicion that Jesus has resurrected, but rather that He is still dead in another location.

Notice that Mary does not believe in the resurrection of Jesus. She walked with Him and talked with Him, but she still has problems with her doctrine. In spite of the obvious flaw in her faith, Jesus reveals Himself to her by saying her name, “Mary” (John 20:16). There was something about the way that He said her name that made her heart leap with joy. The intimate sound of Jesus whispering your name will still warm the heart of even the coldest sinner. There is nothing like knowing Jesus, except perhaps the revelation that He knows you!

With this serious doctrinal flaw (not believing in the resurrection), surely Jesus would not give a revelation of His love, right? We are often taught that if there is a problem in your doctrine that God will not bless you. In fact, I used to hear it preached by men that I greatly respected (and still do respect), that “God will not bless error”. They meant that if your doctrine is wrong, your blessings are limited. According to that teaching, Jesus should have just answered “Sorry mam, I haven’t taken Him anywhere”. It would have been an answer perfectly acceptable to Mary based upon her question. Thank God that Jesus sees past our doctrinal flaws and peers all the way into our hearts!

You may not have it all figured out today (join the club!), but you can rest assured that Jesus knows your heart, even when your doctrine falters. He will give you a revelation of His love by saying your name when He sees that your heart is hungry for more of Him. Seek Him and you will find Him, even when you are seeking in the wrong places.

Grace Is Not a Doctrine; It Is a Person!

John 1:17

The grace of God is the great separation of Christianity from all other religions of the world. Religion, in general, requires the adherent to work hard and hope that they can earn a place in eternity. Followers of Christ do nothing to achieve eternal life, except believe and accept the price paid by Jesus. Only Christianity has God becoming man, to die for man, and then giving the world the gift of resurrected life. In a nutshell, this is the grace of God.

However, grace is not a doctrine, or a belief. It is not just a “thing”, which exists only in practice, like prayer or faith. Grace has been available for mankind from the very beginning, but it was not always accessible. Noah “found grace in the eyes of the Lord” (Genesis 6:8), but when Jesus came, grace found man.

John tells us that “the law was given by Moses”. This denotes distance, with the Law being cast down at man from Mount Sinai. “Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ”, tells us that Jesus brought us grace and truth. He did not cast it down like the Law from the mountain, but walked it to us, as He still does today. This is why you don’t find grace now, as Noah did, but rather grace finds you, for Jesus is always journeying your way.

There is no truth to be found on the side of the law, for grace and truth come together. Jesus told us that He is, “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). If Jesus is “truth”, and grace and truth are a package deal, then grace is not a doctrine, it is a person, and that person is Jesus. He is the embodiment of what the grace of God is and what that grace will accomplish.

Jesus loved people. He listened to their needs. He laughed with their children. He wept at their funerals. His hands of compassion would write words of freedom on the ground for a woman caught in the act of adultery, and feed 5,000 strangers with a miracle of multiplication. His love and mercy knew no boundary. He forgave a thief on the cross, who had previously mocked Him, and He cried out for His Father to forgive His murderers, for they knew not what they did. Jesus does not give grace; Jesus is grace.

When you accepted Christ as your Savior, He came into you with all grace and truth. You are growing into the knowledge of that grace and truth a bit more every day. Jesus told a group of new believers, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). You may not be there yet, but with His grace working in you, that freedom is coming through the knowledge of His truth.

As you go about your day today, remember that Jesus is in you with grace and truth. He is not standing afar off, casting the Law at you, but He walks with you ministering His wonderful grace into every area of your life. Allow Him to do the work, while you take the blessings, and never fear that you are dwelling on grace, “too much”. If one can have too much grace, then one can have too much Jesus, and I have yet to meet that person. Go in His grace!