Sometimes truths seem to coexist in tension, which is not the same as in contradiction.

For example, in the "one another" commands, "accept one another" seems at odds with "instruct one another." There is tension between "forgive one another" and "admonish one another." The command to "bear with one another" (see previous post) seems out of sync with "spur one another on to love and good deeds."

I suspect that one's temperament, experiences, and gifts determines which side of the tension is the default mode, and which comes more naturally or easily. Most of us are more "grace" people or "truth" people. Only Jesus perfectly balanced them, "full of grace and truth."

Which ever side of the tension is more difficult and less natural for me is probably the one that I need to work on. In every case, opening myself to the work of the Holy Spirit to make me more like Jesus as I live in community is the journey I must continually reaffirm.