June 08, 2022 – Wednesday
John 1:15-17 NIV
15 (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”)
16 Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given.
17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
Comment.
Yesterday we looked at verse fourteen and today we are covering the next three verses. When we look at verse 15, we are reading the testimony of the John the Baptist. It was well known John the Baptist had said, He who comes after me has surpassed me because He was before me.
We know from scripture John the Baptist was older than Jesus, so what did he mean? John the Baptist’s testimony was founded in his knowledge and understanding of the pre-existence of Jesus. He knew not only that Jesus was before him, but before him in every sense of the word before – in other words, God.
Immediately following this, the Apostle John writes about Jesus, 16 Out of His fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. The phrase grace in place of grace already given is also written as grace for grace. Guzik tells us, This new order has an inexhaustible supply of grace (grace for grace, the figure of speech similar to sorrows upon sorrows) and truth, contrasting with an order of rigid laws and regulations given through Moses. In other words, grace abounds, and it will never run out as it is without limit.
When we look at verse seventeen, 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ we see a comparison and contrast stated between the law was given through Moses and grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. While the law was in its own right a form of grace, the fullness of grace through Jesus was of a different type than that brought by Moses. Jesus came to fulfill the law and through His sacrifice on the cross provide a grace unimaginable prior to His death and resurrection.
Bottom Line: Nothing compares to what Jesus offers us. No one else could pay the price for our sin and make a covenant with us through His own blood as Jesus did. No one else loves us as He does.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, You abound in love, mercy, and patience towards us as shown through Your Son Jesus and your stay of the final judgment so more might find their way to You. Thank You. – In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
RileyD, nwJ
Riley D. Driver – Pastor
Calvary Chapel of Dayton
in Beavercreek