“Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ; the law was given through Moses.” (John 1:17)
Grace and truth abounding, Christ “became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). However, what does this actually mean, and how do these and [the law that was delivered through Moses] relate to each other?
In order to provide an accurate response, it is necessary to keep in mind that God first resided in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve. Then, because of sin, man was no longer allowed to live in God’s holy presence. However, He provided a means of dwelling with His people (Israel) first in a tabernacle and then in a temple by His mercy. Moses prayed to God to reveal His magnificence while the tabernacle was being built (Exodus 33:18). In response, God revealed Himself to Moses as “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,” rather than by physically appearing before him. (Exodus 34:6).
One possible translation for the phrase “abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness” is “rich in grace and truth.” This explains God’s fidelity to the previous agreement—the covenant of the law—that He had established with Israel, serving as its intermediary through Moses. John thus most definitely refers to Exodus 34:6 when he says that Jesus is “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14), confirming that God’s faithfulness finds its fullest expression in the incarnation of his Son and in his new covenant, which is a covenant of grace.
John aims to demonstrate how [the new covenant] has developed more fully and favorably than the old covenant, and how grace has triumphed over the law. The apostle illustrates this superiority by using Jesus Christ, Moses, and John the Baptist as examples (Luke 16:16).
Jesus is superior to John the Baptist (John 1:15-16)
John the Baptist realized that his role as a prophet was to “bear witness to Christ,” even if he was born before Jesus in terms of physical birth and started his career before Jesus. He was aware that he was only “the friend of the bridegroom” (John 3:29) and “the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord” (John 1:23). He knew that, as prophesied in the Old Testament and declared by the prophets he represented, God would create the new covenant in the person of the Christ.
John the apostle acknowledges that Jesus is greater than John the Baptist and declares that “grace upon grace” has been extended to those who have trusted in Jesus (John 1:16). He acknowledges that the Old Testament has “grace,” but the New Testament—and specifically Christ—contains the entirety of God’s grace.
Jesus is superior to Moses (John 1:17)
In the personas of Moses and Jesus as well as the contracts they mediate, John perceives “grace upon grace.” “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph,” declared Philip at the start of Jesus’ career (John 1:45). Jesus would later declare in front of the law professors that he was better than Moses (John 5:39–47).
Because the law refers to Christ, the new covenant is superior to the old covenant and grace is superior to the law. The basis for this supremacy is not that Christ abolishes the law, but rather that He fulfills it (Matthew 5:17). Therefore, law and grace are not in any way distinct from one another. Conversely, there is a strong oneness existing between the two.
Outside of God’s communion, the law reveals our sin and makes it evident that we are not worthy of God’s glory. However, the law also directs us to Christ, who is the exclusive mediator between God and humanity (Galatians 3:24). And that’s where grace overflows, because we can only be reconciled to God and receive forgiveness of sins via Christ, something we lost in the Garden of Eden.
Summary
Law and grace are related in that the new covenant is better than the old because God’s law is now internalized in our hearts (Jeremiah 31:33–34; Hebrews 10:16), we are free to do God’s will rather than feel compelled to obey it (1 John 2:5–15), and we confess our sins and turn to God for forgiveness.
In Christ, the new covenant is brimming with grace and truth! Christ is mentioned in the Law!
