Grace/Truth: A Both/And Proposition

When our family traveled to Portland to study culture a few years ago, we had no idea how impactful the teaching of Dr. Wan would be on us. In his quiet, humble Chinese way he turned our thoughts down the path of considering the difference between the either/or western mindset and the both/and eastern mindset. We westerners feel most at home with clarity, with definitiveness, with the one right answer. On the other hand, those in the Orient feel comfortable living with the tension of two equal truths residing in balance.

Dr. Wan’s perspective has followed me into an arena that has captured my attention over the last year – grace and truth. As a good southern boy growing up in a fundamental rich background, I have focused on the truth end of the equation. For me that has meant things like picketing an abortion clinic, lobbying the WV State Senate for a cause, confronting believers over clear immorality, doing “the right thing” and standing for the truth against “bad" theology. Sadly, I haven’t always done so with graciousness. How unlike Jesus I am, “We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:14

Lately, I’ve bumped into Randy Alcorn who is saying some of the things I’ve been thinking about grace and truth………only better. Don’t you hate that? Here are some of his thoughts to bring balance to this both/and topic:

"The gospel flies with the wings of grace and truth. Not one, but both.

"Truth without grace breeds a self-righteous legalism that poisons the church and pushes the world away from Christ. Grace without truth breeds moral indifference and keeps people from seeing their need for Christ.

“The ancient historical Jesus came full of grace and truth. The modern mythological Jesus comes full of tolerance and relativism. Even in the church truth has given way to subjectivism and cowardice. Grace has deteriorated into permissiveness and indifference.

“Without truth, we lack courage to speak up and convictions to speak up about. Without grace, we lack compassion to bring the solutions people desperately need."

Thank you, Randy. I think Dr. Wan would be proud!