Parenting by the Principles of Grace, Part Two

How We View God Determines How We Parent Our Children

After being a father for five years, I am convinced that parenting is one of the most difficult challenges believers face. None of us wants to mess up our kids. We all want our children to believe the gospel of grace for their eternal salvation. Moreover, it would also be nice if our kids would embrace the message of grace and remain in the doctrine for the duration of their lives. Yet, many of us worry we are screwing up our kids. In fact, many are burdened with guilt over past failures and fear of future mistakes. Many of us fall back on our default setting, and parent our children similarly to the way our parents raised us. As we all know, this type of copy cat parenting is not always good.

How can we offer gracious leadership for our kids in the midst of a culture that has gone berserk? Culture relativism and postmodern philosophy challenge the very nature of absolute truth. Where lying, cheating, stealing, and pushing your weight around at the expense of someone else used to be recognized as wrong, now they are accepted if the situation calls for it. Where the word of God used to be the box top people used for guidance in assembling the puzzle pieces of life, now the notion that any absolute standard of truth exists is viewed as close-minded and exclusive.

Ineffective Parenting Models

In Grace-Based Parenting, author Tim Kimmel discusses seven common evangelical parenting models that he believes to be deficient. According to Kimmel, the proof of an effective parenting model lies in how prepared our children are to enter the world of adulthood and not be intimidated by those who do not share our Biblical worldview. Kimmel writes:

The proof that any model of parenting is effective is not how the parents and children get along. It isn't even how well they treat and respect each other after they are all grown up. Even nonreligious families can accomplish this. The real test of a parenting model is how well equipped the children are to move into adulthood as vital members of the human race. Notice I didn't say "as vital members of the Christian community." We need to have kids that can be sent off to the most hostile universities, toil in the greediest work environments, and raise their families in the most hedonistic communities and yet not be the lest be intimidated by their surroundings. Furthermore, they need to be engaged in the lives of people in their culture, gracefully representing Christ's love inside these desperate surroundings.(1)

Grace based parents ought not measure the effectiveness of their parenting by comparing their kids to others, for this will surely led down the path of legalism. II Corinthians 10:12 states, "For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise."

Kimmel submits the following seven models as ineffective for demonstrating grace to our children. Grace-Based Parenting discusses these seven parental mindsets in descending order beginning with the most prevalent.

• Fear-Based Parents—are scared of Hollywood, the Internet, the public school system, Halloween, drugs, alcohol, rock'n'roll, rap, unbelieving softball teams, and liberals. "Fear based parents assume that obedience to a stricter and tighter standard will somehow help them raise better children.(2) As a result, fear drives these parents to erect unnecessary defenses around their children under the misguided notion that God's favor for having done so will protect their kids. "Fear based parenting is the surest way to create intimidated kids. It's also the surest way to raise Christian kids who either don't have any passion for lost people, are indifferent to the things of God, or out-and-out rebel against their parents, their church, and the Lord."(3)
  
• Evangelical Behavior-Modification Parents—"this is an offshoot of fear-based parenting that assumes the proper environment, the proper information, the proper education, and the absence of negative influences will increase the chances of a child's turning out well. This parenting plan works from two flawed assumptions: 1) the battle is primarily outside the child (it's not); and 2) that spiritual life can be transferred onto a child's hear much like information is placed on a computer hard drive (it can't)."(4)
  
• Image-Control Parents—adhere to a checklist method of parenting that is part of the seduction of legalism. "Image—control parenting assumes that people will know you are a good Christian parent raising nice Christian offspring by your church attendance, they way you dress (or don't dress), they way you cut your hair (or don't), the words and expressions you sue (or don't use), the schools you attend (or don't attend), the movies you see (or don't see), or the amount of Scripture you can quote."(5) In short, all decisions are made based on how the family will appear to others.
  
• High-Control Parents—"There is a vast difference between parents who keep their children under control and parents who control them. High-control parenting happens when we leverage the strength of our personality or our position against our children's weaknesses to get them to meet our selfish agenda. This form of parenting is fueled by a combination of toxic fear, toxic anger, toxic bondage, toxic shame, and toxic strength." "High-control parents are blind to how they are treating their children because high-controllers can always morally justify every move they make. Because they are so convinced that their controlling tendency is right, they can't see how destructive it's effect is on their children."(6) These parents are easily frustrated when their children fail to conform to their standards. Moreover, they are almost never willing to admit when they are wrong.
  
• Herd-Mentality Parents—"these are parents who follow the crowd . . . These parents aren't known for thinking as individuals. Instead they follow the fads in how they eat, dress, vacation, educate their kids, and worship." Rather than knowing their children individually and applying God's word to each situation, Herd-Mentality parents look around and parent like everyone else.(7)
  
• Duct-Tape Parents—"rather than figure out how to fix their parenting issues, these families cope by patching their problems. Temporary solutions are sought when crisis arise. These families are usually running on empty—to busy, too many bills, and too focused on the immediate rather than the permanent."(8)
  
• Life-Support or 911 Parents—"these homes are much like the duct-tape families but with the added feature that a particular crisis is dominating their focus. They may be consumed with a medical or economic crisis. Or the crisis maybe the result of the deterioration or collapse of a marriage."(9)

While Kimmel is not a mid-Acts dispensationalist and therefore lacks the theological support structure for his teaching on grace, it is clear that he does understand some of the practical aspects of grace-based living. After articulating the seven defective parenting models described above, Kimmel offers the following summation of why they are lacking:

All the parenting styles listed above have this in common: they are the result of a parent's theology. Their theology is a combination of the way they view God and the way they think He views them. If we have flawed theology regarding God's attitude towards us, it can automatically crate a chain reaction of flawed decisions in how we raise our children. It can also set up our children to miss the joy of God, the heart of God, and the power of God in their personal lives. This is a recipe for the child to rebel and reject a parent's primary belief system.

This is a powerful truth: how we view God determines how we parent our children. For those of us who call ourselves grace believers, and claim to be living the grace life, we need to consider this question: do we truly apply what we say believe about God's grace when we deal with our children? What are we teaching our kids about God through how we parent them? Much of what our children believe about God in their early years is formed through the type of leadership we provide for our children. In short, we need to parent our kids the way God deals with us, in grace.

Judgmental and Legalistic Parents

Kimmel articulates two overarching attitudes that mark the defective parenting styles outlined above. Judgmental and legalistic parents fail to communicate to their children the unconditional love and grace of God. Please consider the following descriptions:

• Judgmental Parents—"spend most of their time making sure their family is better than the ones around them. They live to monitor everyone else. Their children are supposed to support their concerns about what is wrong with everyone around them. If you were to see them in action, you would notice them pointing their fingers at others and having little to do with anyone who doesn't see life their way. They can be especially hard on children who don't accept their narrow view of life." Their advice to their children is a mixture of: 'God is watching you, and so am I,' and 'You may be bad, but you're better than so-and-so.' "When it comes to boundaries, their exhortation to their children would be: "if it feels good, it's probably wrong!" When it comes to God, they are so distracted by looking down on other families that don't see life their way, they don't really enjoy God much."(10)
  
• Legalistic Parents—"spend most of their time trying to make sure their family does everything right. They live to keep score of their own good deeds. Their children are supposed to help them stack up "brownie points" with God. If you watch them in action, they appear burdened and stressed out. They are especially hard on children who don't toe the line." Their advice to their kids is a combination of: 'You owe God so you better get busy,' and 'You may be bad, but if you try harder, you can ultimately please God.' "When it comes to boundaries, their exhortation to their children would be: "if it feels good, stop it!" They assume that what God demands of them should be their primary business. When it comes to God, they feel they need to reimburse Him.(11)

Children who are raised by judgmental parents come of age with a sense of spiritual superiority. Whereas kids raised in legalistic homes tend to leave home feeling inferior and guilty. Often the offspring of legalistic homes rebel and live their lives in stark contrast to the oppressive values of their parents.

Grace-Based Parenting

Contrasted with judgmental or legalistic parents, those who rear their children with grace as their model are inherently unafraid of the evil that surrounds them. Grace-based parents understand their own propensity toward sin. As a result, the grace and forgiveness they have received from Christ motivates them to love and good deeds for the right reasons. Not motivated by the needed to do penance, grace-based families don't stand in judgment over struggling people. Rather, they see themselves in struggling people and understand how much of God's love they have received. Consequently, kids reared in a Grace-based home are daily recipients of the same grace their parents rejoice in. Grace-based parents offer the following advice to their children: 'you are a gift from God; go make a difference,' and 'you may struggle doing the right thing sometimes, but you're forgiven.'(12) When it comes to boundaries, grace-based parents teach, "if it feels good, examine it in light of God's word rightly divided."

As we discussed last week, grace does not exclude obedience, respect, boundaries, or discipline, but it does determine the atmosphere in which these important parts of parenting are carried out. Grace allows us to tailor our parenting style and decision-making process around the unique bent of each child. Grace helps us determine what rules need to be written in pencil and which ones should be written in blood.(13) In short, God's word draws boundaries for acceptable and unacceptable behavior. Grace allows these boundaries to be enforced without crushing the spirits of our children.(14)

Endnotes:

1. Tim Kimmel. Grace-Based Parenting. (Nashville, TN: W Publishing Group, 2004), 9.
   
2. Ibid., 13.
   
3. Ibid., 13.
   
4. Ibid., 13.
   
5. Ibid., 14.
   
6. Ibid.., 14-15.
   
7. Ibid., 15.
   
8. Ibid., 15.
   
9. Ibid., 15-16.
   
10. Ibid., 16-17.
    
11. Ibid., 17-18
    
12. Ibid., 19-20.
    
13. Ibid., 22.
    
14. Ibid., 19-20.
    

Parenting by the Principles of Grace, Part 1

Confessions of a Tent Making Grace Preacher

Let me begin this journey by telling you a couple of things about myself. First, my wife, Rebekah, and I have been married for almost ten years. Three weeks after we got married, I began preaching at West Side Grace Church in Muskegon Heights, Michigan at the ripe old age of twenty-three. Still in college, I struggled to juggle my marital, ministry, and academic responsibilities. In 2002, I completed my undergraduate studies with a dual bachelor's degree in Secondary Education and Religious Education. That same year I was ordained by Berean Grace Church in Genoa City, Wisconsin and officially installed as the Pastor of the Muskegon Heights assembly.

In 2003, I landed my first full time job as a high school social studies teacher at a public charter school in Cedar Springs, Michigan. In the meantime, having purchased our current home, Becky and I decided it was time for us to begin our family. After almost two years Andrew, our first son was born in January of 2005. In December of 2006, I began working on my Masters Degree in Military History in order to retain my teaching credentials with the state of Michigan. Prior to beginning this eighteen month accelerated program, Becky and I decided that we would wait under after I was finished to have a second child.

In June of 2007, only seven months after beginning my Masters Degree, Becky unexpectedly was pregnant with our second son. In the meantime, things with our assembly had taken a turn for the worse resulting in my resignation in October 2007. The very next week, a core group of saints met and began forming our current assembly, Grace Life Bible Church. December of 2007 brought even more change as I finally landed a teaching job at a large public high school in Greenville, Michigan after five years of searching. That same week Becky's beloved grandfather died after a long struggle with cancer. In addition, Daniel, our second son was born two days after Christmas.

To recap, heading into 2008, I was trying to balance a new child, new job, new ministry, to finish my Master's degree, and to see to the needs of my wife and eldest son. Needless to say, my cup was running over and making a mess all over the floor. Throw in a colicky baby and the resulting lack of sleep, and it's a miracle Becky and I survived. Not very gracious I know.

It is now 2010. Thankfully, the pressure cooker of life has released some of its steam. Needless to say, life remains a juggling act between marital, parental, ministerial, and work responsibilities. Looking back, it is easy to see how being in survival mode for such a long period of time adversely impacted my family, particularly my wife and oldest son. Throughout our ordeal, Becky struggled with my being gone to teach other people the truth about God's grace while I was struggling to make spiritual connection with her. Likewise, rather than offering gracious leadership for Andrew, my parenting resembled something of a duct tape approach. Rather than addressing the spiritual issues that lay at the heart of my son's struggles, I offered a legalistic discipline that was designed to solve the latest crisis that was distracting me from my list of priorities.

In her wisdom, my wife knew that the inertia of life was pulling us down the wrong path. Desperate to right the ship, she reached out to one of her Christian friends who recommend the book Grace-Based Parenting by Tim Kimmel. Michelle shared with Becky how Mr. Kimmel's book had helped her in dealing graciously with her two children. Knowing in my spirit that things needed to change, I immediately purchased the book and began reading it with Becky. Instead of offering instant liberation, we felt condemnation as we both came face to face with the mistakes we were making. Rather than suffer any more heartache, the book was placed on Becky's dressed where it collected dust and remained untouched for the next nine months.

Meanwhile, time marched on, and Andrew celebrated his fifth birthday in January of this year. While relationships at home improved as life slowed down, things Andrew would say to me caused me to wonder how he viewed God. For example, after Andrew would be disciplined for not listening to Becky or me, he would say things like "Jesus doesn't love me anymore." Initially, my reaction was to ignore this as an attempt to get my goat after having punished him. However, as these exchanges continued over time and were coupled with more interest in Spiderman than evening Bible reading, I began to worry that the way in which I was correcting my son was impressing a legalistic view of God upon his little mind.

Two steps ahead of me as usual, Becky dusted off Grace-Based Parenting and began reading it without me. Finally, after weeks of ignoring the spirit's work in my inner man, I picked up the book and began reading it on my own. It was so insightful that I finished the entire book in one week. Mr. Kimmel's common sense grace approach offered a new perspective on my job as a parent as well as what my parenting style had been communicating to my son.

While some might find it scandalous that a grace preacher would struggle in demonstrating grace toward his children, I submit that I am not alone in this short coming. I rejoice that grace gives me the ability to be candid about my own failings. The bottom line is that we as parents, particularly grace parents, need to deal with our kids the same way God deals with us. While some might argue that my son's struggles are typical for five year olds, I know in my inner man that Grace has not been the driving force behind the way I deal with my sons. Rather, I have been more concerned about what people in my family or church would think of my wife and me if our kids behaved in certain ways. Just as grace gives us the freedom to be different, candid, vulnerable, and to make mistakes, we need to extend the same freedom to our children without crushing their spirits and turning them off to the truth of God's word rightly divided.

Children need boundaries. Grace does not promote or give one license to sin as many have suggested. Rather, grace teaches us how to live "soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world," according to Titus 2:11-12. Paul, using the language of grace, reiterates the moral standards God included in the Ten Commandments. For example, Paul's writings prohibit idol worship, use of the Lord's name in vain (corrupt communication), stealing, lying, adultery, murder, a covetous spirit, and promote children obeying their parents. In fact, only the command to honor the Sabbath is not restated by Paul as a moral standard for the body of Christ. In short, true Biblical grace does not tolerate untruth or sin. Likewise, we should not turn a blind eye to these behaviors in ourselves or our children.

At this point you might be wondering why I am so frank with sharing my parental shortcomings. The simple answer is that I know that I am not the only one that struggles with these issues. Human nature and the human experience is universal. For those of you who haven't noticed we have a serious challenge of keeping the second and third generation of Grace kids in the doctrine. I personally believe that one of the reasons for this phenomenon is the double standard that exists within so many grace homes. Our kids grow up listening to messages about grace but then don't experience grace in any meaningful way at home. This disconnect between what we teach and how we act does not go unnoticed by our children. Herein lies the reason why I have chosen to write on this topic - I want to share some of the practical tips I learned for reading Grace-Based Parenting.

As I post these articles over the coming weeks, I am by no means claiming to be an authority of the subject of Grace-Based parenting. Rather, I am trying to generate some honest dialogue about this sensitive and often overlooked aspect of the Grace Life. Please feel free to share your own successes and defeats. It is my prayer that all our homes can be a refuge of grace for our children as we raise them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

The Truth About Angels: Basic Facts About the Angelic World

Are Grace Lifers Deists? Complete Articel

Many have accused those who believe in the principles of the Grace Life with being Deists. In our most recent series of postings I set out to prove that Grace Lifers are not Deists. All of the individual postings in this series have been combined and edited to read like a single essay. Click here to obtain your copy of Are Grace Lifers Deists? Learn how Grace Lifers enjoy the most intimate relationship with their heavenly father that is humanly possible. Be sure to share these life changing truths with others who will listen. If you would like to see this essay professionally printed please contact Grace Life Bile Church to contribute to an effort to get it printed.

Are Grace Lifers Deists? Part Four

Grace Lifers Are Not Deists

Now that we have explored the basic beliefs of Grace Lifers and Deists, we are ready to answer the central question possessed by the series of postings — are Grace Lifers Deists? Simply stated, Grace Lifers are not Deists. There are many reasons why those who hold the principles of the Pure Grace position are not Deistic in their theology.

First, Grace Lifers as they have been defined in this series of articles, believe in the concept of divine revelation. In addition to God's general revelation through creation,(1) Grace Lifers adhere to the belief that God inspired(2) and preserved(3) every word of Scripture. By holding this position, supporters of the Grace Alternatives are in direct opposition to one of the fundamental tenets of Deism, which asserts that any belief in divine revelation is spurious.

Second, because the Bible is God's revelation to humanity, Grace Lifers believe every single miracle recorded in Scripture. To the author's knowledge, there is not one Pure Grace teacher who doubts or questions the veracity of any miraculous event record in the Bible. In fact, Grace Lifers are emphatic that one must believe in the greatest miracle of all, the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ, to receive justification, redemption, and the forgiveness of sins. Once again, the facts demonstrate that the Pure Grace principles stand in direct contrast with the beliefs of Deists.

Third, unlike Deists, Grace Lifers maintain the orthodox belief in the Deity of Jesus Christ. Supports of the Pure Grace position hold that Jesus Christ was the second member of the Godhead incarnate in human flesh.(4) Logically, it follows then that Grace Lifers would also hold a Trinitarian view of the Godhead unlike the Unitarian view typically espoused by Deists.

The results of our investigation are clear. It is impossible to rightly call Grace Lifers Deists since they are at odds with the fundamental beliefs of a Deistic worldview. Despite this clear testimony, Grace Lifers maintain positions on how God is working in time that may appear Deistic to those who are unfamiliar with them or have chosen not to give the Pure Grace position a fair hearing. Unfortunately, this writer believes one contributing factor is that teachers of the Grace Alternatives have not always articulated their views clearly.

Grace Life Position on God's Working in Time

Scripture is clear that God created an orderly universe that functions according to natural laws. For example, universal gravitation is responsible for the movement of the planetary bodies through the cosmos. The tilting of the earth on its axis combined with these gravitational relationships has resulted in seasonal changes upon the earth. Genesis 1:14-19 reports these facts:

14) And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: 15) And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. 16) And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. 17) And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, 18) And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. 19) And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

Please note that when God garnished the heavens with the sun, moon, and stars, he placed them in such as fashion to communicate information to the inhabitants of the earth. Specifically, it is by the earth's rotation on its axis that days are counted. Likewise, not only is one revolution of the earth around the sun how we account for years, but it is this earth-sun relationship that also brings about the passing of the seasons. For the Bible believer there can be no doubt that God created an orderly universe that functions in accordance with natural laws that God established.

Grace Lifers, along with the rest of orthodox Christianity, assert that the same God who created the laws upon which creation functions is capable of intervening within them. As stated earlier, supporters of the Grace Alternatives believe every miraculous account of God's intervention recorded in Scripture. The question is not whether God has intervened physically in the past, or even could God intervene miraculously during the dispensation of grace, because the Bible is clear that God has done so in the past. Rather, the real question is whether God works in this fashion today during the church age.

Above all, Grace Lifers believe that God has complete integrity to his word. In this sense God places limits upon his own actions. For example, God certainly still possesses the power to destroy the world again through a flood. However, God promised humanity through the Noahic Covenant that he would not do so.(5) Titus 1:2 states, "In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began." If God exercised his omnipotence to destroy the world through a flood after promising he would not, God would violate his own word thereby making him a liar. Since Hebrews 6:18 tells us that God cannot lie, a second global flood is clearly not an option for God even though his power to do so has not subsided. Consequently, despite traditional claims to the contrary, God cannot do whatever he wants whenever he wants since he has complete integrity to his word.

As we saw in the second posting in this series, the Pure Grace position holds that God deals with humanity in accordance with the nature of the dispensation that is in effect. During the current dispensation of grace, God is forming a spiritual body of believers in which all physical divisions have been removed.(6) Hence, all the blessings that the body of Christ receives are spiritual in nature according to Ephesians 1:3, "blessed be the God and Father or our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ." According to Ephesians 1:4-9, believers received the following spiritual blessings the moment they trusted Christ: predestination unto the adoption of children, acceptance in the beloved, redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, wisdom and prudence in abundance, and knowledge of the mystery of his will. Moreover, believers are said to be spiritually seated with Christ in the heavenly places as we wait for the Lord's return to catch away the church.(7) In short, the salvation and blessings of the body are all spiritual in nature, and our destiny is heavenly in location.

In accordance with the nature of this spiritual body that God is forming in his Son, Paul describes Christ's relationship with the members is body in II Corinthians 5:16-17. He writes, "wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." Paul teaches that as new creatures in Christ our relationship with Christ is not based upon the flesh. Believers are placed into a living spiritual unity and relationship with the head of the body of Christ. As a result, God's entire relationship with believers today is based upon their spiritual union with Christ.

Just as God cannot destroy the world again through a flood and maintain his integrity, he also cannot deal with his spiritual body in a fleshly way. It is paramount to realize that when Grace Lifers teach that God does not intervene physically during the dispensation of Grace we are not limiting God's potential power to work in this fashion. Rather, we are recognizing that God has chosen to work with the body of Christ differently from how he worked with Israel in time past. In short, it is not a question of whether God could work in this fashion but whether He is.

As stated earlier, Grace Lifers are not Deists because they believe every miracle recorded in Scripture. Herein lies the difficulties for those who believe God is still working in a miraculous physical fashion. First, it is not in line with everything Paul teaches about the nature of the body of Christ's relationship with its head. Second, upon what authority are we to conclude which events can be attributed to God? Without an objective standard outside of ourselves how is one to judge which events in human affairs stem from the hand of God, which from mankind's own stupidity, and which from the lying wonders of the adversary?

Ultimately, one is left to rely upon human experience and stories rather than upon divine authority. Even the Apostle Peter who was an eyewitness to the events of Christ's earthly ministry said that he had more confidence in "the sure word of prophecy"(8) than what he saw with his own eyes. Mid-Acts dispensationalists chide the Pentecostal movement for its insistence that divine revelation continues today through the functioning of the sign gifts. This scolding is based upon the notion that none of these so-called "words from God" can be substantiated by the testimony of scripture. Yet, the same people who chide the charismtics practice the same type of unscriptural thinking when it comes to attributing human events to the sovereign will of God for which they have no scriptural proof.

On the surface this author can see why Grace Lifers have been accused of being Deists. The insistence of the Pure Grace position that God does not intervene physically within creation during the present dispensation does appear to be Deistic. However, such a conclusion fails to understand how God is working in the world today. To be clear, Grace Lifers do believe God cares about his saints and is actively working in the world during the dispensation of Grace. In accordance with the spiritual nature of the body of Christ, God is working today in the inner man of believers as we are conformed to the image of Christ through the written word of God.

The moment a lost sinner places faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ and his resurrection from the dead as the only complete payment for sin, God the Holy Spirit baptizes that individual into the body of Christ(9) and seals them unto the day of redemption.(10) In Galatians 3:27 Paul writes, "For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ." Having put on Christ, the believer is instructed to let Christ be formed in them. Again, writing to the Galatians Paul states, "My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you." It was with great travail and spiritual pain that Paul desired that the Galatians recover themselves from legalistic bondage and allow Christ to be formed in them. This process of spiritual transformation whereby Christ is formed in the believer is one of the reasons why God revealed the mystery of the church age to begin with. Consider Colossians 1:25-27:

25) Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; 26) Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: 27) To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

The riches of the mystery is Christ's desire to be formed in the believer and live his life out through the believer. This is precisely Paul's point in II Corinthians 4:11, "For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh."

Since our relationship with Christ is not based upon the flesh and since Christ's desire is to manifest his life through our mortal flesh, it logically follows that God's working in time would also be spiritual in nature. Notice what Paul teaches about where and how God is working during the dispensation of Grace:

• Ephesians 3:16-20—That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; 17) That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18) May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19) And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. 20) Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
  
• Philippians 2:13--For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
  
• I Thessalonians 2:13—For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.
  

The testimony of the preceding verses is clear about where God is working. God is at work on the inner man of the saint to conform him into the image of Christ so that Christ's life can be lived out through the saint's mortal flesh. I Thessalonians 2:13 is equally clear about how this work is being accomplished. The same Holy Spirit that inspired every word of Scripture seals and indwells the believer. When the believer, by faith applies God's written word to the details of his life, the power of the Holy Spirit is released in his inner man.

Today, humanity man does not witness the power of God through miraculous physical interventions. Rather, the power and life of God is demonstrated to the world through the transforming power of the gospel of grace and the working of God's word in the lives of believers. As God's word edifies and changes believers from the inside out, the power of God is on display to a lost and dying world. Remember that God chose to work using signs and wonders with Israel in time past because they required them.(11) How unfortunate it is when mid-Acts dispensationalists who understand the difference between Israel and the body of Christ insist that God is still in practice operating as if Israel's program were still in effect.

In time past Israel was physically very close to the presence of God. The glory of God dwelt between the cherubims on the top of the mercy seat in the tabernacle and later in the temple. Yet, spiritually Israel was far from God. The high priest was only allowed into the presence of God in the holy of holies once a year under penalty of death for violating priestly protocol. How much closer to God are members of the body of Christ to God compared to Israel under the law! Rather than living in the holy of holies, God has chosen the saints as his habitation during the church age. Paul clearly teaches that believers are God's habitation through the spirit:

• I Corinthians 3:16-17—Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 17) If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
  
• I Corinthians 6:19—What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
  
• II Corinthians 6:16--And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
  
• Ephesians 2:20-22—And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; 21) In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: 22) In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
  

Instead of believing in a God of no concern as the critics of the Pure Grace position have insinuated, Grace Lifers maintain an intimate view of God's relationship and care for his children. Not only has God established a residence within his saints, but he has adopted us and placed us as full adult sons into the family God.(12)

Having been fully justified, redeemed, forgiven, chosen, predestined, sealed, seated, abounded toward in wisdom and prudence, accepted in the beloved, adopted, inhabited, given an inheritance, and blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places what else must God do to demonstrate his intimate love and care for the body of Christ? Grace Lifers do not believe in a Deistic God of no concern. Rather, we believe in a God who established the most intimate relationship possible with his children and actively works in their lives through to power of his written word.

While the body of Christ has received all of the spiritual blessings that Israel is still waiting for, God has asked believers today to wait for the physical redemption of our bodies. Ephesians 1:14 makes clear that the redeemed of God will experience a yet future redemption for which the Holy Spirit has been given as a down payment. Paul writes the following regarding this redemption in Romans 8:22-25:

22) For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. 23) And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. 24) For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?25) But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

In exchange for the exalted spiritual position we have been given in Christ, God asks us to wait for the redemption of our bodies. Here in lies our hope. As we groan and travail in this life under the bondage of corruption we have a future assured hope that one day "this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality."(13) The real problem with desiring God's direct physical intervention now is that we are being impatient. After all if God were to grant us our physical redemption now what would we have to hope for?

Conclusion

Grace Lifers are not Deists. We do not believe in a God no concern. On the contrary, we believe in a God who has placed us into a loving, living, and active union within himself based on merits of the cross work of Christ. Consequently, we maintain that Christ deals with us not according to the flesh but according to the spirit. Therefore, God works today in the believer through the word of God as it is by faith applied to the details of life. God's work is accomplished today as the life of Christ is made manifest in the mortal flesh of the believer. It is the prayer of this author that all believers will learn to appreciate the riches of God's grace that have already been extended toward us.

Endnotes

1. Romans 1:20
   
2. II Timothy 3:16, II Peter 1:21
   
3. Psalm 12:6-7
   
4. John 1:1-3, 14, Philippians 2:5-8
   
5. Genesis 9:11-15
   
6. Galatians 3:28
   
7. Ephesians 2:6
   
8. II Peter 1:16-19
   
9. I Corinthians 12:13
   
10. Ephesians 4:30
    
11. I Corinthians 1:22
    
12. Galatians 4:6-7, Romans 8:15-17
    
13. I Corinthians 15:53