Finally, JESUS is here! Grace upon Grace!

I've been teaching Redemptive History since August. Walking in the sandals of our spiritual forefathers has been quite a haul. YHWH continually promises to send someone to fix humankind's stupidity, selfishness, rebellion, and pride [Gn 3.15; Gn 12-17; Gal 3.16; Dt 18.18; 2 Sam 7.12-13; Is 7-12; Is 52-53; Jer 23.5-6; Ezk 34.23; Ezk 37.24; Dan 9; Zech 13-14; Mal 4.2; etc]. My students' test over the return from exile and the intertestamental years is on Tuesday.

And then, He comes [Gal 4.4].

I even feel a sigh of relief typing this. It has only been eight months of teaching for me and I've been waiting for Jesus to get here! John felt the same way, but probably 100x stronger:

For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.

Here's what I love about our long-awaited Jesus bringing this grace. The word "upon" is a fine translation. The Greek preposition is "anti." This is the same as when John says "Antichrist." A healthier rendering of this preposition is "in the place of." The Antichrist will attempt to act "in the place of" the true Christ.

So, John says that in Jesus we have "grace in the place of grace." If you get what John is telling us here, you'll know that he could have easily said that we have "grace upon grace upon grace upon grace upon grace upon grace upon grace upon grace upon grace upon grace upon grace upon grace upon..." 

To those in Christ, the infinite reservoir of grace can never be drained of one drop. If an ounce of grace be usurped because of our sin, there is found in that same place just as much or more grace than there was before!

He has come. The peculiar, yet glorious, marriage of grace and truth has arrived.