John 1:16-18, Divine Grace & Truth

16 And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

It is a bold statement to call Jesus “God,” but that is exactly what John does, calling him the “only God, who is at the Father’s side.” When John says “from his fullness,” he means from the divinity of Jesus, because true grace can only come one way from God to us. Before Jesus the law was given not only as a means to reveal the character of God but also to protect his people, like a boundary marker or a fence around a children’s playground. Now in Jesus we have the ultimate protection because we “have the right to become children of God.” We have no greater a protector than God himself, the one who fulfills the law.

God revealed his own character through the law given to Moses, but he reveals something greater in Jesus, which John calls grace and truth. Grace and truth are major themes in this gospel. While the word grace only appears in this chapter (a totally of four times), John nevertheless records acts of the grace of God repeatedly throughout his gospel. Grace is the free gift of God. Jesus is both the gift and the gift-giver to those who believe in him. Jesus speaks the words “truly, truly” twenty-five times and the word “truth” twenty-six times. If you are someone interested in what truth is, listen to Jesus. He actually believes in absolute truth, unlike today’s fanciful belief in relative truth. This gospel is loaded with truth!

Take some time to ask God to help you understand his grace and truth as you read and pray through this gospel.