Part 4: Redemption

“Now it is clear that no one is justified before God by the law, because the righteous will live by faith… Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us… The purpose was…so that we could receive the promised Spirit through faith.”

Galatians 3:11-14

Reminding a person of his hopelessness does very little to spur him toward revival. The phenomenon of the “self-fulfilling prophecy” is easy enough for us to see in ourselves and those around us: the person we believe we are is who we become.

This is the principle behind positive parenting; however, without gospel transformation, even positive parenting falls short. If people do not have a basis of understanding their shortcomings, a compass of right and wrong (in Scripture, it is simply called “the law”), they will not see the need for salvation. On the other side of the coin, if people do not have a framework for obtaining a new identity in Christ by grace through faith, they will find it impossible to have a heart change, a real exchange of wills that allows them to glorify God.

Offering our children a chance at redemption must be the final step in disciplining and discipling them. We must teach them the gospel — that God-in-flesh lived a perfect life, died a cursed death in our place, and rose again on the third day — over and over, in different contexts, and as subtle, daily reminders that He accomplished what we could not. In this way, the gospel becomes the faith they cling to, the language they speak to themselves, and the identity they internalize as children of God.

1. What are examples of times you have had to re-teach the gospel to yourself?
2. The goal of parenting is our children receiving the Holy Spirit through faith. How does this change the way we discipline?
3. What are some practical ways to offer grace and speak new identity while still holding our children accountable for their actions?