Law Through Moses, Grace and Truth Through Jesus

Share this post:
By Rob Robertson -- Board Member Setting Captives Free
July 4, 2021
Jul 2 #699  
Dearest brothers and sisters in Christ. What joy to be sharing my own love of the cross of Jesus with you this week. How priceless, how unspeakably precious to me is the knowledge that Jesus redeemed me on that cruel cross.
I want to ask - How often do you spend time just chewing over a single verse, meditating on the profound truths that God has inspired to be packed into every sentence of the gospel message?
I have read through John chapter 1 often on the past few months. So much powerful truth, so tightly wrapped up in Christ-exalting word pictures.
Look with me at this one verse, won’t you?
John 1:17  For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
There are so many thoughts that run through my mind as I sit and look at this statement by John, but especially the contrast between the law being ‘given’ and that grace and truth ‘came through Jesus.’
‘The law was given through Moses’ - How is law given?
Well, in speech or in writing. As Paul said in 2 Corinthians 3, the law was written in letters on stone. So it is communicated, dispensed, imposed by one on another.
Contrast this with ‘grace and truth CAME THROUGH Jesus Christ.
Aha - So in the first some-THING was given, but in the second some-ONE came.
Later in John (14:6) Jesus states clearly that he is truth itself. Grace is inextricably wrapped up in the person of Jesus. Remember how Paul, in writing to Titus refers to ‘grace’ so personally – ‘for the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people ….. who gave himself for us to redeem us…’ (Titus 2:11 & 14)
So I meditated and also reflected on some of these other passages, and also on the Mosaic laws, yes, there were all 613 of them – what a stark contrast this is.
And then I came back and reflected all the more on just how totally unique faith in Jesus, the man on the cross, is, not just in comparison to the Mosaic law, but in comparison to EVERY SYSTEM that has EVER existed in mankind’s history. Just consider that with me a moment. Along with the ‘law given through Moses’ have been countless systems of law written and communicated in writing, all intended to bring about peace and social harmony to this sin-wracked world.
Failure – total and abject failure.
And in contrast – the cross, our precious Saviour Jesus, the one and only Lamb of God, has BROUGHT peace to millions of troubled hearts, gentleness to millions of angry hearts, purity into millions of wicked hearts. Oh, the superlatives could go on and on, but I’m sure you get the picture. Jesus CAME. He GAVE HIMSELF, completely emptying himself that we might have this grace. And he LIVES IN us now and we in Him (John 17:21).
Oh, he suffered and bled out entirely to ensure that there is NEVER any doubt of the eternal flowing of grace for us weary sinners. His cross stands spectacularly high above every fake promise thought up by man, conquering all and towering alone as truth with all the lies scattered like debris below.
I hope I might inspire you to reflect too on this precious verse and how special the thought is that all grace, and all truth flows into our hearts from Jesus, his lifeblood flowing from that cross directly to us, personally to us, deeply heart to heart.
Brothers and sisters, this love is like no other, there cannot even be a comparison. To try would be utterly absurd, for he has, at supreme cost, given to us a heavenly blood transfusion at the cross, a transfusion so radical our very spiritual-DNA is transformed if I may be so bold.
Oh, I have tears of joy in my eyes as I write this and reflect all the more on this outrageously lavish love of God through Jesus. I pray these few words might stir up your own joy.
May His grace fill you to the fullest with joy and peace.
Rob Robertson
Volunteer
Setting Captives Free
NewerOlder