A Grace-Filled Home
by Pastor Justin Lynn, Director of Technology and Institutional Advancement
Estimated Time to Read: 6 Minutes
What should a biblical, Christian home look like? Let me reframe the question from a personal perspective. As a husband and father, what do I want my home to look like? What are the foundational pillars that I desire to uphold my family through the stresses and strains of life?
As a servant of God, committed to the ministry and message of the Lord Jesus Christ according to the Gospel of the Grace of God given to and through the Apostle Paul, one hallmark theme quickly emerges and surfaces to the position of supreme importance and priority—grace.
I want my home to be a grace-filled and grace-saturated environment where my own heart, along with my wife and children, can flourish according to the glorious “unsearchable riches” (Eph. 3:8) afforded us in Jesus Christ. What might that look like? Paul shares three essential elements of a grace-filled life that enable us to overflow blessings to others within the context of all relationships, most importantly within our homes.
The Word: Perfect and Complete
In the first chapter of Colossians, Paul, as he so often does, underscores the importance and uniqueness of his calling and apostleship, stamped through and through by the grace of God. He states, “I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the Word of God” (Col. 1:25).
The message given to Paul by Christ was unique and revelatory, a “mystery…hidden from ages and from generations” (Col. 1:26). However, God’s silence on the matter was broken as He dispensed His glorious plan through Paul, who not only boldly proclaimed it through preaching and teaching but recorded it in written form, fulfilling or bringing the Word of God to its perfected completion (Col. 1:25; Eph. 3:8-12).
For God’s children, the Word of God is the essential, foundational source to “be filled with the knowledge of His will” (Col. 1:9) so that we may, indeed, grow in the grace of God and “walk worthy of the Lord…increasing in the knowledge of God” (Col. 1:10).
Word-Rooted
A grace-filled home then must first be a Word-rooted home. Second Timothy 3:16-17 highlights the transformative power of God’s Word. It establishes doctrinal truth. It convicts us of our sin, correcting and instructing us in the path of holiness. God equips and matures every believer by means of Scripture.
As a husband and father, one practical way I can live according to this paradigm is by leading my family in consistent, intentional worship through the reading and teaching of God’s Word. It doesn’t have to be fancy or even formal but it must be heartfelt, honest, and humble. What a powerful testimony and impact when our spouses and children get a front-row seat to the transforming power of God’s Word on living display in our lives (2 Tim. 3:14-15)!
Christ-Exalting
Second, a grace-filled home must be Christ-exalting. With the importance of the written Word of God clearly established, we must further recognize that God has inspired it to always point to the incarnate, living Word of God – Jesus Christ (John 1:1, 14; Eph. 4:21).
Paul established the perfect primacy of the Word for the Colossian saints for one purpose and aim: “to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery…which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27). Everything Paul did was toward the end of magnifying and glorifying the Lord Jesus Christ (Phil. 3:8-14). Christ alone is the source of our salvation (1 Thess. 5:10), spiritual blessing (Eph. 1:3-14), and our life (Col. 3:4; 1 Thess. 5:11; 2 Tim. 1:10).
At the heart of Paul’s preaching was Jesus Christ, “Him we preach” (Col. 1:28). Paul never preached a what (meaning a mere thing or idea); he preached a Who, the living, resurrected and glorified Jesus Christ. Likewise, a godly home will diligently and faithfully point every heart within its walls to the ultimate source of life, joy, peace and grace—Jesus Christ—in every area and facet of life (Col. 1:28).
Spirit-Dependent
Finally, Paul offers a third, balancing truth in the pursuit of a grace-filled home; it must be Spirit- dependent. The apostle of grace was certainly on a mission, indeed, even laboring and “striving” after one (Col. 1:29). The original language behind the word striving provides the root and basis for our modern word “agonize” where it doesn’t fixate on anguish and worry but rather highlights the presence of struggle, engagement, and contending in intense warfare.
Paul deeply engaged in battle for the hearts of all he encountered to be presented “perfect in Christ Jesus” (Col. 1:28), yet it was not done in solitude or self-willed effort. Paul’s striving was “according to His working.” The Spirit of God alone empowered Paul, working in him “mightily.”
When we are passionate about something, our excitement can all too easily overshadow and take over control. The temptation to “take over” in our flesh is highly common to mankind (Gal. 3:3), particularly in the realm of godly living. Paul concludes, however, that it is the Spirit of God by which we live and walk (Gal. 5:25).
Grace, by its very definition, necessitates the working of God on behalf of man with man as the recipient (Eph. 2:8-9). The grace-filled life flows from a humble walk of faith as we respond to God’s revelation and Christ’s riches. We must look to God’s strength and empowerment every step along the way.
An Anchor
The burdens and challenges of family life are inexhaustible. While the complexities and contexts of each home vary widely, the Apostle Paul offers immoveable hope and assurance that God’s grace can reign freely in every circumstance.
In Colossians chapter 1, he offers a three-pronged anchor for every family. God desires for our homes to be rooted and grounded in His Word. He seeks for Jesus Christ to be first and foremost, pre-eminent in every heart and life. Finally, He provides unlimited resources and empowerment for us through our dependency upon the Holy Spirit.
Dear reader, my greatest prayer for you and your family echoes the heart of the Apostle Paul: may Christ “dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may…know the love of Christ” (Eph. 3:17-19). I am praying that your heart and home may be filled by His grace.
Read another article from this edition of the BBI Bulletin:
