23 Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed.
Rules and rule-keeping can never complete the journey to maturity. We see that with our children. When they are very young, we give them specific rules, boundaries that are very well defined, all to keep them safe. When they are young this works well. It establishes us as the ones in charge, as the authority in their lives. This instills in them a sense of security and stability. Rules serve a great purpose in the lives of a young child. But those who have teenagers realize that rules outlive their usefulness. Teenagers must by God’s design begin to make decisions based on something other than rules. They come to realize that there are some situations for which there are no rules. How are they to know what to do? They begin to make choices out of their relationship to others. They think about the effect their decisions will have on their relationships to peers and parents. If the connections they have with their parents are positive, personal connections, it is more likely they will make choices in line with the values of their parents. If peers are closer, they will follow their peers. Rules are meaningless at this point. There must be some internal set of values that guides their decisions. It is out of this internal value set, values based on the quality of the relationship, that decisions get made. When the bond with parents is strong and caring, they make better choices. This is just like our relationship with God. If we try to live by a set of rules, commandments, we will surely fall flat on our faces. We have a great way of wiggling out of and finding exceptions to God’s demands. God does not talk about the internet in Scripture, so how are we to know healthy boundaries in its use? You see, we must be motivated by something other than rules or our lives will soon become ungoverned by godly principles. But if we have an intimate friendship with God, then our choices will be made out of that friendship, not from some limited, easily evaded set of rules. We will want to do things that enhance our relationship with God, not hinder it. We will be striving upward in our pursuits, reaching for ever higher intimacy with God. We won’t want anything to interfere with that relationship.
The Arnold Journey 