Written by Paul J Bucknell on October, 18, 2025

Truth and Grace: Reflecting God’s Full Glory

Two fundamental qualities are crucial for the health of the Christian church in her pursuit to showcase God’s glory.

Key Bible passages: Psalm 117, John 1:14,17, and Genesis 1:27

God reveals His glory through two powerful concepts, grace and truth. They are both clearly shown in this brief Psalm.

1 Praise the Lord, all nations;
Laud Him, all peoples!

2 For His lovingkindness is great toward us,
And the truth of the Lord is everlasting.
Praise the Lord! (Psalm 117 NASB)

These two words, lovingkindness (or grace) and truth, form a strong foundation for understanding God’s glory. This is not merely an intellectual exercise. It requires a humble encounter of all our being to draw closer to knowing the Lord Yahweh, the Maker of the heavens and earth.

We will explore this revelation of God through three perspectives—first in Psalm 117, then in John 1:14,17, and finally in mankind, created in God’s image. Each step in this study takes us through different scenes, revealing God’s majestic presence.

1.) The Foundation of God’s Glory: Psalm 117

What we first notice about Psalm 117 is its brevity, only two verses. In Hebrew, it contains just 17 words. At both the beginning and the end, everyone is called to praise the Lord. This is transliterated as “Hallelujah” [הללו יה], with the final ‘Jah’ being the abbreviated form of God’s revealed Name (such as Yahweh, Jehovah, LORD).

The opening verse, clearly emphasizing this point, calls all nations to worship Him, with mankind mentioned twice. The two main reasons for this powerful call to all humanity are the focus in verse 2, which explains why we should turn from our activities to worship Yahweh.

These two core reasons form the centerpiece of God’s self-revelation. If we stray from them, our ability to know and live for God vanishes. Let me expand on this by first providing four English translations that highlight our difficulties with grasping these two concepts.

For His lovingkindness is great toward us,
And the truth of the Lord is everlasting. (NASB)

For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. (ESV)

For his loyal love towers over us,
and the Lord’s faithfulness endures. (NetBible)

For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the Lord endureth for ever. (KJV)

I have otherwise written much on both of the two key terms: lovingkindness (חסד heseth) and truth (אמת ameth).

Grace and truth are consistent themes throughout the Scriptures, acting like a resonating pulse that flows through them and helps people gain a clearer view of God’s holy Name. They are translated in different ways, each requiring many synonymous words to fully capture their depth. Still, remember that the widespread use of Bible verses mainly guides us in best describing God through these words along a spectrum.

The NASB oft-used term of lovingkindness combines two words: love and kindness. The Hebrew term (חסד heseth) is closely associated with God’s covenant or promised love, teaching us how God assures us that His love stands firm and will prevail. “Steadfast love” and “merciful kindness,” two other translations, also capture the sense of grace embedded in the expansive breadth of God’s love. It dares to reach into what we would call unholy places, bringing not only mercy, connected to forgiveness, but His grace and favor to otherwise forever reprobate people.

Truth’s spectrum spans two distinct Western words: faithful and truth. As we explore these terms further, we see their deep connection to God’s essence. He is who He is. He consistently reveals Himself over time to all His creation, and thereby defines truth through unwavering action and proclamation. Wherever we look, God’s truth is present, serving as a constant reminder to those who do evil. Darkness can never prevail but must always and fully yield to God’s resolve to reveal His light.

The two terms coexist in God Himself and therefore help us understand God’s glory. We do not invent words or try to form a concept of God. Instead, the terms serve as His way of revealing His glory to us, mere creatures sickened with sin. Their broad meanings and interaction with each other remind us not to confine God to our understanding learned through a dictionary or seminary but through life, in many diverse God-encounters.

Grace and Truth Coexist as foundational attributes of God.

2.) Full of Grace and Truth: John 1:14-18

If we are compelled to provide a unified understanding of these two terms, grace and truth, we must employ glory or light, which encompasses all the attributes of God’s glorious being, just as physical white is a collection of colors. However, we can’t easily approach or understand God’s bright, shining light, but are humbled by its incomprehensibility. “This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5; John 1:5). John begins his Gospel and letter with this thought, as Genesis.

John kindly leads us back to these two terms, truth and grace, after reminding us of God’s glory. They, through Christ Jesus, serve as a more approachable way of knowing God the Father.

¹⁴ And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. ¹⁵ John testified about Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’” ¹⁶ For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. ¹⁷ For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.

I suggest that John follows the Psalmist’s presentation using the same two words: grace and truth (χάριτος καὶ ἀληθείας). Since it is written in Greek, we cannot definitively confirm that these are the exact same words; however, we are convinced they are meant to be the same. From Psalm 117’s three translations, we find mercy, lovingkindness, and steadfast love. These qualities are well described by the New Testament word ‘grace’ (charis) in John 1:14,17, although it more strongly emphasizes the idea of undeserved goodness.

We are well served by truth and grace, which enable us to inch forward in our glimpse of God’s magnificence.

If we look at the Septuagint, the most comprehensive Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, we find what we would expect. (Psalm 117 is the Hebrew Psalm 116).

Ἀλληλούϊα. ΑΙΝΕΙΤΕ τὸν Κύριον, πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, ἐπαινέσατε αὐτόν, πάντες οἱ λαοί,

2 ὅτι ἐκραταιώθη τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ ἐφ᾿ ἡμᾶς, καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια τοῦ Κυρίου μένει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. (Septuagint).

Mercy (eleos) is used to translate heseth, not grace (charis). However, truth remains truth (aletheia). Mercy (used 54 times in the NT) is emphasized over grace in the Old Testament.

“In the Septuagint (LXX), חֶסֶד (ḥesed) is most commonly translated by the Greek word ἔλεος (eleos, “mercy, compassion”) — this is the usual lexical equivalent. Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange+2Academia+2. … In the LXX χάρις is mainly the rendering of חֵן (ḥēn, “favor/grace”)—about 61 times—not of ḥesed.” (ChatGPT)

Grace appears twice as often in the New Testament, with 114 occurrences compared to 54 in the Old Testament. There is a slight shift from an emphasis on mercy in the Old Testament to grace in the New Testament. In the Old Testament, words for ‘grace’ mean favor, blessing, or good, while ‘mercy’ specifically refers to forgiveness and atonement. Grace does not exclude mercy but expands its scope to fully highlight undeserved kindness, even beyond the concept of atonement. Paul’s use of grace three times in Ephesians 2:5-8 illustrates this full picture. For this reason, John uses grace (charis) instead of mercy, emphasizing God’s gracious care for His people.

Truth in Hebrew encompasses more than just reality; it also includes faithfulness. The New Testament’s use of truth, while somewhat shaped by Hebrew faithfulness, is heavily influenced by the Greek understanding of objective truth, which is based on reason. We should remember the broader Hebrew meaning when we see the Greek word for truth in the New Testament.

Grace and truth, in that order, both reveal the full glory of God. John takes a significant step forward in showing them fully manifested in the person of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Word expressed (John 1:1,14).

God’s Revelation in Jesus Christ: (John 1:14,17)

These two descriptions of how Jesus Christ fully revealed God’s glory are extraordinary.

And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)

Grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. (John 1:17)

John first identifies Jesus Christ as the Word and as God’s only begotten. John speaks of no one else but Jesus Christ. His Gospel expands on this, showing our need to believe in Jesus Christ, our Savior, who is both man and God (John 14:6).

However, our focus is on summarizing what people saw when they saw Jesus—God’s glory. They always saw the full glory of God. Glory and light are used as strong one-word descriptions of God, but they don’t fully help us understand God. Jesus, a Good Shepherd, takes us further in, however. Jesus was full of grace and truth. In verse 17, he explains even more clearly, using the same words, “Grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.”

John confidently and without hesitation helps us understand that Jesus Christ was God in the flesh. If we want a clear picture of God, we should get to know Jesus Christ by living out grace and truth. Jesus said to Philip, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). Grace and truth are fully complementary, essential attributes of God.

3.) Genesis 1:27

This last point is a monumental illustration. Given the modern confusion of genders, I thought it worthwhile to address this complementary point.

“God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:27).

One of my grandchildren recently asked if there will be sexes in heaven. I don’t think I’ve ever considered this before. Jesus speaks on not having marriage, but this doesn’t address our sexes (Mat 22:30). Our genders are so closely linked to our identities that our sexual differences will probably be evident in our resurrected bodies, especially as they reflect our unique design.

When God created man, He made both man and woman; “He created him; male and female He created them” (Gen 1:27). Modern society is often comfortable with the idea of unisex, non-sexual, or a blend of genders, or even trans-human ideas as better ways to think of people. However, this perspective overlooks God’s unmistakable, supreme design of male and female. These qualities, represented by woman and man in that order, reflect God’s fundamental nature. Mankind, being made in God’s image, is best pictured both “male and female.”

Women are generally more sensitive, tender, and kind, while men tend to be more domineering, command-oriented, and strong. Women are often associated with a touch of class and elegance, enjoying style and color. Men, on the other hand, focus more on their actions and mobility. Women are nurturers; men are builders. Women tend to focus on the needs of others and make incredible mothers, while men excel at logic and reasoning, aiding them in their fatherhood. Women typically have higher voices, while men’s voices tend to be lower. The two genders beautifully highlight God’s person. In other words, neither man or woman alone can fully reflect God’s glorious image.

Returning to our main point, women emphasize grace, while men emphasize truth. Each gender showcases their unique differences, though there is much variation within each. God was pleased to represent both aspects of Himself through the two genders: male and female.

Jesus was male, yet because of His perfect knowledge of the Father, He could show His Father’s concern to others and respond to their requests. While we shouldn’t push this too far, it’s enough to learn from these two fundamental differences that reveal aspects of God’s nature. We can’t combine them; only God or His only begotten Son could fully live out that life.

Summary

Our goal is to know and become perfect like our Father in heaven (Mat 5:48). We aim for this likeness. Discipleship speeds up growth. With Christ’s Spirit, we can go further in living more like Jesus, full of grace and truth. We cannot do this on our own but only by prayerfully depending on the Lord. This doesn’t mean we discard our genders, as we clearly reflect certain attributes of God, but we should also embrace the extra grace to live more like the Father, just as Jesus did.

As we consider our thoughts on Christian development and education, we must let these two virtues—grace and truth—serve as foundational themes, which will then shape our perspective on the Christian life. Our modern culture separates these qualities, leading to indiscriminate “Love all” churches that are painfully insensitive to the truth. The other side claims to know the truth, yet seldom reflects Christ in His love, often leaving a scent of arrogance. Paul advises us to speak the truth in love (Eph 4:15). There is no glory of God when truth is vacated or grace alone is prized. God seeks to shine through His people, where both attributes stir the church to produce acts that give glory to God (Matt 5:16). As a church, we need to persist in growing in Christ’s likeness and therefore glorify God.

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.”

–Peter, 2 Peter 3:18

Study Questions for Grace and Truth

What two words are at the heart of our discussion? Why are they so significant?
How can two words encapsulate God’s attributes?
Which two Hebrew words are used, and how do their original language meanings help us?
Why does the author suggest one reason to portray God’s glory and light differently through grace and truth?
Why are their complementary attributes so important, keeping both aspects intact?
Do you see how grace in John 1 includes mercy but also promises much more goodness in the New Testament through Jesus Christ (2 Pet 3:18).
Why does the author introduce the two sexes into this discussion on God’s two attributes?
How does our modern culture, or any, have trouble with the balance of truth and grace?
Which attribute do you most struggle with to perfectly shine?

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