As believers we hear statements all the time that sound nice on paper but feel so difficult to live out.

Speak the truth in love.
Show a little grace.
Hate the sin, love the sinner.

But how can these ways of living that often feel contradictory play out together in real time? How do we live for and stand up for what Jesus teaches without being a jerk? How do we love with open arms those who are living far outside the bounds of biblical truth without condoning their choices? How do we live with a balance of Jesus’s truth and Jesus’s grace?

As believers one of biggest battles we face with culture is that society doesn’t seem to embrace the “both/and” concept. It no longer sits well in a generous grey area when addressing dissention, disagreement, or ultimately any kind of opposing perspectives. It’s an us vs. them culture. We are politicized and polarized in every way. And one of my greatest grievances is that both secular and Christian culture now seem to expect a partisan vote from believers too. “Are you a grace Christian or a truth Christian?”

We know without question the way of Jesus is to hold both equally, for ourselves and for others.

But in a world where “truth Christians” are judgmental jerks and “grace Christians” tolerate everything in the name of love, how do we hold and live out both? 

That’s exactly the real talk we’re having this week. In a time that seems to not just resist, but disdain, true biblical values and commands, how do we not shrink back and stay silent, and yet not drive people away? Full disclosure, we don’t have any fail-proof answers to these questions. But we do know the power in approaching with grace and encouraging with truth. Speaking truth in grace is so much less about the words than the posture.

Is the log out of your own eye before you address the stick in your sisters? Can you exchange a pointed finger saying, “get out of there” for an arm wrapped around her saying, “I’ve been there.” Can the conversation begin not with “you’re doing this wrong,” but with “I’ve struggled here too.” 

Whether we find ourselves in a tough conversation with a family member or friend, or whether we feel compelled to speak out on social issues that violate the truth of the gospel, our motivation should always be care, not condemnation. Because that’s how Jesus comes to us. We don’t have to be loud; we have to be loving. Because that’s how Jesus speaks to us.

It is hard to actively and vocally follow the truths of scripture in 2020. In most ways on most days, it feels like an uphill battle that we may not win. But the ultimate truth is, we’re all totally broken, and the ultimate grace is that we’re all set free. My deepest hope is that we learn how to live in such a way that shows this beautiful “contradiction” to the world; that makes culture crave the grace to which we all have access and understand the truth of how to receive it in full.