“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14

Jesus was filled with truth, grace, and love. How can we live like that, full of both love and truth? Is it an either/or choice? either we stand firmly on the truth, or we are kind and loving? How can we do both? How can we be like Jesus?

My mentor for this question is Dr. Paul Brand, a renowned orthopedic surgeon who began his career with leprosy patients in India and ended it as a professor at the University of Washington Medical School. Dr. Brand knew the human body. He also knew the Body of Christ because he was a committed follower of Jesus.

Dr. Brand draws a parallel. Truth is like the bones in our bodies—rigid and unbending. Love (which is grace) is like the touch of a human hand—warm and soft. We need hard, strong, unbending bones to hold us up. But we need those bones to be sheathed in soft, warm skin that shows grace and mercy, compassion and kindness, love and welcome. Flesh and bone, grace and truth.

What the Bible says about the Christian faith is true and has settled great dignity upon each of us. What God has given us in the Bible and what Jesus accomplished for us are the bones of our faith. These bones form the truth of our faith, the core that all Christians believe.

This truth unites us regardless of our century, denomination, country, race, or background. Our ability to walk, run, dance, and even use our phones depends on our bones—rigid, inflexible bones. Their strength and rigidity don’t restrict us; they free us to live.

Dr. Brand draws parallels for us:

  • Bones are unbending, and so is Truth. Consider the Ten Commandments. God gave
    us a simple, strong, unyielding structure of laws to live by. They stand today as true as
    they ever were.
  • Bones are strong, and so is Truth. Strong bones support and protect every organ in
    the body. Truth supports and protects us, carrying us through confusion and difficult
    decisions. It brings clarity and gives guidance. It will call us home when we have
    wandered far.
  • Bones support great weight and endure great stress. So does Truth. How many
    governments have tried to outlaw the Christian faith? How many of us have wandered
    away from it or outright rejected it? Yet, Truth does not falter; it endures. It stands and
    always will.
  • Bones shape us physically. What we affirm as Truth will shape our choices and
    structure our lives. How we spend our time, money, love, energy, and talents depends
    on what we believe to be true and ultimate.

Yes, truth matters, and so does love. Dr. Brand reminds us: “A skeleton is never beautiful; its contributions are strength and function.”¹ Love is the very core of the gospel, the very marrow of the bones of Truth.

When asked about the greatest commandment, Jesus calls it love: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40)

The strong bones in our bodies are covered in warm, sensitive, touchable human flesh. Touch is the first and the most essential sense for newborns. By gentle and warm touch, babies know they are loved and safe. The bones of our faith—the core truth of what we believe—are fleshed out in mercy, kindness, humble service, and generous warmth. Through our love and acceptance, our welcome and generosity, newcomers to a life of faith can know they are
loved and safe.

Yes, truth shapes us, but what covers and clothes us is love, joy, peace, goodness, kindness, and all the fruits of the Spirit. This is what grace looks and feels like.

So let the world first see the beauty and feel the softness and warmth of the Christian community, and then let it begin to learn the underlying glorious strong, shining truth of all that God has done for us, all that God has given us, all that God will do for those who seek him. This is what unifies us—the beautiful pairing of truth and grace, perfectly seen in Jesus, humbly lived out by you and me.

by Pastor June Barrow

¹Fearfully and Wonderfully Made, Philip Yancy and Paul Brand, 2010, pg. 102