The Verse That Wouldn't Leave Me Alone

When I was about 12 years old, sitting on a couch in Montana with a Bible open in my lap, a verse I was studying for a Bible quiz club caught my attention: "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us… full of grace and truth." (John 1:14). I didn't have the words for it back then, but something in my spirit knew that phrase mattered. Grace and truth. Two things that felt almost like opposites. Grace sounded like God just letting stuff slide. Truth sounded like God calling out every failure. How could Jesus be full of both, all the time? It took me years to see it. Grace and truth aren't opposites—they're the two ingredients of real love. Grace says, "I love you exactly as you are." Truth says, "And I love you way too much to leave you there." Take either one away and what you're left with isn't love anymore. It's either license or legalism. That's what makes Jesus so stunning. He never dilutes one to make room for the other. He gives us the full weight of grace and truth — every second and every conversation. Which ingredient is harder for you to receive today—His grace, or His truth?intersection

Paul Durbin • 2 Minute Read

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178 | Are You Loving From the Intersection of Grace and Truth?

In this message, Pastor Paul Durbin returns to the relationship series with the one skill he says he left out—love. D...

Paul Durbin • 8/30/2026