Understanding God’s Grace: Not in Instant Miracles but in Lasting Maturity

Understanding God’s Grace: Not in Instant Miracles but in Lasting Maturity

In many circles of modern Christianity, there is a prevailing sentiment that God is essentially "on call," always attending to the immediate needs and welfare of the believer as if He owes them or as if, through His love, He is expected to provide constant earthly comfort. Believers today often expect instant miracles or immediate answers to prayer because they figure that since they are Christians, God is obligated to shield them from all hardship. While God’s love for us is indeed infinite, this specific theology of guaranteed physical health and wealth actually belongs to God’s dealings with Israel in the kingdom dispensation. During that time, God made literal covenants with Israel to protect them, heal them, and save them from their earthly enemies as a sign of His favor, promising that "the Lord will take away from thee all sickness" (Deuteronomy 7:15) and that they would be "blessed in the basket and thy store" (Deuteronomy 28:5).

However, these national, physical covenants were not made with the Body of Christ today. We must recognize that God works with us in the Dispensation of Grace (Ephesians 3:2) in a very different way. In this present time, we are told that we "walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7), which means we do not rely on the visible "sight" of constant miracles to validate God's presence. Our primary blessings are not found in the bank account or the doctor’s office, but are "spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3). While God certainly has the power and ability to work miracles today, it is not His current focus or His method for proving His love toward us. Our inheritance is spiritual and eternal, and we are instructed to set our affection on things above, not on things on the earth (Colossians 3:2).

We see this pattern most clearly in the life of the Apostle Paul, who is the pattern and example for those of us who believe today (1 Timothy 1:16). Paul did not live a life of ease or instant deliverance; rather, he suffered immensely in all manner of life and trial, including being "in weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness" (2 Corinthians 11:27). When Paul sought the Lord to remove his "thorn in the flesh," God did not provide a miracle of removal, but a miracle of endurance, telling him, "My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9). God’s grace carried Paul through his trials rather than saving him out of them. This teaches us that we are strengthened by our trials and that we grow and mature in faith and in sound doctrine through our hardships. We are told to "glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience" (Romans 5:3), for it is through these pressures that our character is forged.

God works with us over the span of a lifetime, not just in isolated moments of crisis. While we might see a small miracle or a touch of providence at times, it is in the long course of our lives that God is proving us, honing us, and renewing us. This is where the true miracle of sanctification is happening—the process of being "conformed to the image of his Son" (Romans 8:29). When we look back on our journey, we can see the hand of God over the course of years and decades, recognizing that He was working to fit us into the Body of His Son, where our life is hid and will also be glorified. As our "outward man perish," we can rejoice that our "inward man is renewed day by day" (2 Corinthians 4:16). This is the mature walk of a believer: trusting in the sufficiency of His Word and the quiet, steady power of His Grace.

The Debt You Don’t Have to Repay: A Lesson in Grace and Forgiveness

The Debt You Don’t Have to Repay: A Lesson in Grace and Forgiveness

When we rightly divide the Word of Truth, we discover the liberating difference between the conditional forgiveness taught under the Gospel of the Kingdom and the unconditional, finished forgiveness given to us under Grace. In Matthew 18:21–35, Jesus tells the parable of the unforgiving servant: a man forgiven of an impossible debt of 10,000 talents, yet unwilling to release his fellow servant from a mere 100 pence. The King, angered by this hypocrisy, revokes his mercy and delivers the servant to the tormentors. To Israel under the Law, this was a sobering warning—“Forgive, and ye shall be forgiven” (Luke 6:37). Their forgiveness was conditional, revocable, and tied to their performance. Jesus Himself concluded, “So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses” (Matthew 18:35).

But when we turn to Paul, the Apostle of the Gentiles, we see the glorious shift brought by the Cross. Forgiveness is no longer a transaction waiting to be revoked; it is a finished fact. Paul writes, “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:32). Notice the tense—hath forgiven you. Colossians 2:13 confirms it: “And you, being dead in your sins… hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses.” Under Grace, God cannot “un-forgive” you, because Christ already bore the torment for your debt. The ledger is not merely canceled—it is paid in full at Calvary.

Rightly Dividing or Wrongly Destroying: Exposing the Assault on Paul and the Word of Truth

Rightly Dividing or Wrongly Destroying: Exposing the Assault on Paul and the Word of Truth

False View Warning: A Tainted Doctrine Ahead

The following is a distorted perspective that elevates Jesus’ earthly teachings while rejecting the authority of Paul’s epistles, claiming they contradict Christ. This view misuses Scripture, applies a flawed interpretive lens (“Unity/duality”), and undermines the dispensational distinction between Jesus’ ministry to Israel and Paul’s revelation for the Body of Christ. It’s important to understand what some people believe—so we can rightly divide and correct it.

False View: A Sample of Tainted Doctrine from a comment I received

Some believe that Christians should follow Jesus Himself—not Paul, Peter, or any other apostle. They argue that Catholics follow a Pope who follows Peter, a dead Apostle, and Protestants (many unknowingly) follow Martin Luther, who followed Paul (also a dead Apostle). In contrast, they claim that true Christians should only love Jesus, the Son of God. Using a “Unity/duality” filter, they reinterpret verses by replacing terms like “evil” or “enemy” with “the person's name” to prove deity versus the fallibility of man's teachings and that only Jesus’ words make logical sense. Let me give a few examples:

To understand the “Unity” of Jesus Himself, they suggest putting His name in the "target" of His Own Words. For example:

• Matthew 5:39—"Resist not evil" becomes [Resist not Jesus.]
• Matthew 5:44—"Love thine enemies" becomes [Love your Jesus] / [Love your Christ]

They claim this makes logical sense and reflects true unity.

Then they apply the same “Unity/duality” filter to Paul’s words to expose what they see as contradiction or distortion. For example:

• Ephesians 6:11—"Put on the full armor of God, so that you can make your stand against the devil’s schemes" becomes [Put on the full armor of Paul, so that you can make your stand against Paul’s schemes]

They argue this reveals duality, not unity. The same filter is applied to other apostles, such as James 4:7—“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you,” which becomes [Submit yourselves, then, to James. Resist James, and he will flee from you.]

They conclude that only Jesus’ teachings reveal true unity, while apostolic writings reflect duality. Paul is especially criticised, with his teachings referred to as “divine taurum stercore” (Latin for “divine bull dung”). The post urges readers to reject Paul and listen only to Jesus Himself.

Numerous contrasts between Jesus’ teachings and Paul’s writings are listed to support this claim—these will be addressed and corrected later in the article.

Grace, Not Power: Paul’s Apostolic Heart for the Church

Grace, Not Power: Paul’s Apostolic Heart for the Church

Romans 1:11-12 | A Dispensational Teaching Post

“For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established; That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.” —Romans 1:11-12 (KJV)

Paul’s longing to see the Roman believers was both pastoral and doctrinal in nature. Paul had not yet been to Rome. He had not yet met these believers in person. Though his longing included mutual fellowship, his primary desire was to bring the grace doctrine to them—to see them firmly established in the gospel committed to his trust. His desire to visit was driven by love for the saints and a divine urgency to strengthen them through teaching, so they might stand mature and unwavering in Christ.

What Is Paul Really Saying?

• “I long to see you”: This is not casual. It’s a deep yearning, showing Paul’s affection and spiritual concern.
• “That I may impart unto you some spiritual gift”: Paul isn’t claiming to distribute gifts arbitrarily. He’s likely referring to teaching, encouragement, or apostolic insight that would strengthen their walk.
• “To the end ye may be established”: His goal is spiritual establishment—not emotional hype or temporary excitement, but rootedness in truth. Paul wrote his epistle to the Romans around AD 57, sending it ahead to lay the doctrinal foundation of the grace message. Though the believers in Rome could read and begin to grasp the truth from his letter, Paul still longed to see them face to face. His desire was to establish them—not merely inform or stabilize them. When he finally arrived in Rome around AD 60, it was as a prisoner, yet his purpose remained unchanged: to personally establish them, grounding them in the grace doctrine, ensuring they were not only introduced to it, but firmly rooted and built up in it.
  Additional considerations:
• Romans 16:25: Believers are stablished by Paul’s gospel, the preaching of Jesus Christ, and the revelation of the mystery. This is a direct link between spiritual stability and doctrinal teaching.
• Colossians 2:7: We are rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught. Establishment comes through instruction, not spiritual phenomena.
• 1 Corinthians 13:8–10: Sign gifts like tongues and prophecy were temporary. Once the full revelation came, they ceased. What remains is charity and truth—the enduring foundation for growth.
• Ephesians 4:14-15: Paul warns against being tossed to and fro by false doctrine, and urges believers to grow up into him in all things. This growth comes through truth spoken in love, not through signs or wonders.
• “That is, that I may be comforted together with you”: Paul clarifies—this isn’t one-sided. He expects mutual encouragement through shared faith.
• “By the mutual faith both of you and me”: He’s not above them. He’s beside them. Their faith comforts him just as his comforts them. The phrase “mutual faith” reminds us that faith isn’t private—it’s communal. We draw strength from each other’s trust in Christ.

This is a model of spiritual fellowship: not hierarchical, but reciprocal.

What Is “Imparting a Spiritual Gift”?