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c h a ra c te r o f C h rist’s p resence am ong m en b y its m o st distinctive m ark s: H e “w as full o f g race a n d tru th .” * T h e com b in a tion o f th e two w o rd s “g race a n d tru th ” recalls J e h o v a h ’s rev e la tio n .o f H im self to Moses in Exod. 3 4 :6 , “A n d Je h o v a h p assed b e fo re him, an d proclaim ed , Je h o v a h , Je h o v a h , a G o d merciful an d gracious, slow to an g e r an d a b u n d a n t in loving kindness an d truth.” See also Ps. 2 5 :1 0 ; Gen. 2 4 :2 7 ; 3 2 :1 0 ; Ps. 4 0 :1 0 , 11; 6 1 :7 . So J o h n h e re says th a t th ey b eh e ld th e in c a rn a te W o rd to b e ju st w h a t Je h o v a h h a d rev e a led H im self to Moses a n d o th ers to be. T h e w o rd “g ra c e ” h e re as ap p lied to ou r L o rd Jesu s d o e s n o t so m uch m ean grace in th e sense o f “ sw eetness” or “ch a rm ” o r “ loveliness” (th o u g h th a t is tru e o f th e L o rd Je su s) as g race in th e p rev ailing New T e sta m en t sense, th e “k indness b y which G o d b estow s favo rs u p o n th e ill-de- serv ing .” It po in ts to thfe salvation th a t is in th e L o rd Jesu s as b ein g of g race a n d n o t of works. T h a t this is th e m e an ing o f “ g race” h e re is ev iden t, n o t m erely from th e cus tom a ry u sage o f th e New T e stam en t, b u t also from th e co n tex t as seen in verse 17, w h ere a co n tra st is d raw n b e tw e en th e law given b y Moses a n d th e g race a n d tru th th a t cam e by Jesu s C h rist (cf. Rom . 4 :4 , 5 ) . T h e in c a rn a te W o rd as b e h e ld by Jo h n in th e p erso n o f o u r L o rd Jesu s w as full o f grace, full of k in d ness a n d m ercy tow a rd th e u n d e serving an d ill-deserving (cf. Luke 1 5 :2 ). H e w as also “ full o f tru th .” H e n o t m erely d e c la red th e truth, H e w as th e tru th (J o h n 1 4 :6 ). H e d id n o t rev e a l G o d ’s g race tow a rd sinners a t th e expen se of G o d ’s tru th an d justice a n d holiness. In H im th e u tte rm o st love tow a rd th e ill-deserv ing w as com b in ed w ith th e u tte rm o st fidelity to th e tru th . In H im “m ercy
G od , th e O ne to w hom th e title “S o n ” belong s in a sense a lto g e th e r unique. W hile all b eliev ers a re chil d re n o f G o d (J o h n 1:12 R. V .) , no o th e r p erso n is Son o f G o d in th e sense in which th e L o rd Jesus is Son of G od . T h e g lo ry which J o h n an d th e o th e r A p o stle s b e h e ld in Jesus m a d e it c le a r th a t H e sto o d ab so lu tely a lon e as th e R ev e a le r o f G od . T h e re is a d e ep significance in th e change o f th e p repo sitio n in th e R e v ised V ersion to “ from ” in ste ad of “ o f.” It sets fo rth th e th o u g h t th a t o u r L o rd Jesu s w as n o t on ly th e b e g o tten of th e F a th e r, b u t H e was from th e F a th e r; th a t is to say, H e w as n o t m erely a son, b u t a son sent to execu te a special w ork. O u r L o rd H im self con stan tly dw e lt up o n this fa c t (J o h n 6 :4 6 R . V .; 7 :16 , 2 9 ; 1 2 :4 9 ; 1 4 :2 4 ; 1 6 :2 7 ; 1 7 :8 ). T h e re w ere especial occasions w h en th e D ivine g lo ry dw elling in C h rist bu rst in a p a rticu la r w ay th ro u g h th e veil o f flesh, as especially in th e tran sfig u ra tio n (L uk e 9 :3 2 ) , an d J o h n v e ry likely refers h e re especially to such occasions as this, as d id P e te r his com p an ion in 2 P e te r 1:16, 17. It w as on this occasion th a t G o d a u d ib ly spok e b e a rin g w itness to th e L o rd Jesus, “T h is is My Son, My cho sen” (L u k e 9 :3 5 ; M att. 17:5 c f .; 1 J o h n 4 :1 4 ) . ( 4 ) T h e c h a ra c te r of th e in c a r n a te W o rd : “Full of grace and truth.” T h ese w o rd s d escrib e th e W o rd as H e dw e lt am o n g m en. W e could read , om itting th e parenthesis, “T h e W o rd dw e lt am ong us, full of g race a n d tru th .” J o h n in se rted th e pa ren th e sis becau se a t this p o in t his m ind w as c a rried aw ay b y th e H o ly Spirit to th e glorious m em o ries of tho se d ay s w hen he h a d ga z ed up o n th e g lory o f th e W o rd w ho h ad dw e lt w ith th em in th e P e rso n of Jesu s; b u t now he d ro p s th e p a re n thesis an d goes on to d e c la re th e
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