Overview
Plugged-in to the Dynamic Word: Living in Faith, Love, and Hope is the theological gateway to Larry Grabill’s work. It presents a unified vision of the Bible centered on what the author identifies as its central message:
Spiritual conquest through faith, love, and hope.
Rather than treating Scripture as a collection of disconnected doctrines or isolated texts, this book reads the Bible as a coherent whole. It shows how the Old and New Testaments see their unity when viewed through this central motif—and how that motif explains both God’s work in history and His transforming work in people today.
The Central Idea of the Bible
This book argues that the Bible has a unifying theme that gives coherence to its many parts. That theme is not merely doctrinal correctness or future escape, but God’s ongoing work of restoring spiritual dominion.
The Bible’s story is presented as the story of God:
- Confronting the loss of spiritual dominion caused by sin
- Confronting the loss of spiritual dominion caused by sin
- Advancing His kingdom against Satan’s dominion
- Restoring people to God-centered living
This conquest is not achieved through political power or coercion, but through spiritual dynamics God imparts to human hearts.
Faith, Love, and Hope as Living Dynamics
At the heart of this work is the claim that faith, love, and hope are not static virtues, but interactive spiritual dynamics through which God accomplishes spiritual conquest.
Throughout the New Testament—especially in the epistles—faith, love, and hope are consistently presented in relation to one another. This book demonstrates that they function together as a living system:
- Faith moves people away from self-reliance and into active trust in God
- Love aligns the heart with God’s will, truth, and character
- Hope anchors endurance and directs life toward God’s promised future
Rather than operating independently, these dynamics build upon and reinforce one another. The book shows that this interaction is the means by which the Holy Spirit equips believers for spiritual growth, holiness, and victory over sin.
Featured Excerpt from Plugged-in to the Dynamic Word
This book seeks to set forth the Bible’s central theme and, within the frame of that key idea, portray one comprehensive picture of the whole of Scripture. This provides benefits that otherwise may not be gained: the ability to see each passage in its local context in relation to the larger central theme, a better grasp of the Bible’s thought pattern, and the incentive to conquer the world in our personal lives and draw closer to God.
We demonstrate that the Bible’s central theme can be defined as spiritual conquest through faith, love, and hope. We do this by attempting to overview the Bible through the periscope of this motif. In other words, we try the key in the lock to see if it works. In so doing, we see the Bible’s passages coming to light and its basic parts coming together to compose a whole book.
The Bible is interwoven with the threads of God-given faith, love, and hope. These dynamics of God’s truth-program turn people from self-centeredness to God-centeredness. Faith turns one from humanistic self-reliance to dependence on God. Love turns one from selfishness to loving God, others, and truth. Hope turns a person from being earthly and materialistic to placing confidence in spiritual values.
Viewing the Bible through these concepts brings the whole of Scripture into focus.
— Larry Grabill
Spiritual Conquest and the Kingdom of God
Drawing from biblical theology, Plugged-in to the Dynamic Word affirms that the kingdom of God is the central message of Jesus and the New Testament.
The kingdom is presented as:
- A present reality, not only a future expectation
- A realm advancing through conflict with Satan’s dominion
- A work accomplished through God’s action in people
This book goes beyond identifying the kingdom theme to address the essential question:
How does this conquest actually take place?
The answer given is consistent and clear: God advances His kingdom through faith, love, and hope working dynamically in the lives of those who belong to Him.
A Holistic Approach to Scripture
This book is written using the method of biblical theology, which seeks to understand Scripture according to its own internal unity rather than imposing an external system upon it.
By identifying spiritual conquest through faith, love, and hope as the organizing principle, the book demonstrates:
- How individual passages relate to the whole of Scripture
- How doctrine, spiritual experience, and ethical living are integrated
- How Scripture moves people from self-centeredness to God-centeredness
Readers are invited not merely to analyze the Bible, but to allow its message to shape their understanding, their values, and their way of life.
The Transforming Aim of the Book
Plugged-in to the Dynamic Word is not written simply to inform, but to awaken and motivate.
The goal is that readers:
- See Scripture as a unified and living word
- Recognize the spiritual dynamics at work within their own hearts
- Participate consciously in God’s ongoing work of spiritual conquest
The book emphasizes that the Word of God is meant to be embraced, internalized, and lived—so that faith, love, and hope become active realities rather than abstract ideas.
Who This Book Is For
This book is especially suited for:
- Christians seeking a deeper, unified understanding of the Bible
- Readers dissatisfied with fragmented or purely academic Bible study
- Believers longing for real spiritual growth and victory over sin
- Those interested in the kingdom of God as a present, transforming reality
Though written for the general reader, the work is carefully grounded in Scripture and engages seriously with biblical theology.
The Gateway to a Larger Work
This book provides the theological foundation for Larry Grabill’s broader body of writing. The themes developed here—faith, love, hope, spiritual conquest, and the present advance of God’s kingdom—are expanded and applied throughout his other books.
For readers seeking to understand the heart of the Faith–Love–Hope movement, Plugged-in to the Dynamic Word is the natural starting point.
Availability
Plugged-in to the Dynamic Word: Living in Faith, Love, and Hope is available online.
Formats:
- Paperback
- Kindle eBook