Raising Purity

Thoughts on Rule Making: Part 2

December 14, 2009 // 1 Comment »

We’ve been discussing the use of rules as a means of leading our children into lives of purity. Establishing firm guardrails without falling into legalism can be a tricky thing sometimes. It my previous post I suggested that we pattern our use of rule after God’s use of rules. So continuing from part 1…

You as a parent may have a list of rules you expect your young children to follow: clean your room; take out the trash; gather your laundry; brush your teeth; don’t cross the street alone; save part of your allowance. You may likely include a system of rewards and punishments as they follow (or don’t follow) the rules you have clearly spelled out.

Without carefully explaining these rules and making sure your children followed them, your children would make themselves miserable. They do not have the inward maturity or strength of character to govern themselves. But if your child at the age of twenty-one cannot decide for himself when it is safe to cross the street or needs to be told to brush his teeth, something has gone wrong!

The rules you set are not to be permanently relied upon but rather are meant to lead your children to the place where they no longer need them. Adults do not brush their teeth because they are compelled by an external source but because of their internal desire. The same principle holds true, I believe, for how Christians relate to the Old Testament Law. As New Testament saints, we no longer rely upon an extensive list of do’s and don’ts, telling us how we should behave toward God and each other. We are under the Law of the Spirit.

Jesus, Paul, and James all explicitly affirm the command to love as the sum total of the revealed Law (Luke 10:25–28; Romans 13:9; James 2:8). Because of the Holy Spirit, we do not need an elaborate list of commands to know how love should be carried out. Rather it is much more intuitive, flowing from who God has made us (and is making us) in regeneration and sanctification. It is the foundational aspect of the fruit of the Spirit, the ability that comes to all who are born of God (1 John 3:14; 4:7).

We are fundamentally different people than the Old Testament believers. The lives of New Testament believers should be marked by a higher level of holiness and love than the lives Old Testament believers, for we possess the salvation they could only see from afar (1 Peter 1:10–12), the salvation the Law itself was leading us toward (Romans 3:21).

This is not to say, however, that even we as New Testament saints have entered into the fullness of our inheritance. Paul tells us that the Holy Spirit is a “deposit,” the firstfruits of the perfection that is to come at the resurrection. Thus we exist in a sort of spiritual dawning. The sun has risen in our lives but has not yet come to its full zenith. In this regard we still need “rules” and “laws” from God, and the New Testament is not devoid of these. But it is clear from even a simple reading of Scripture that God’s call to obedience is much more clearly detailed and formalized under the Old Covenant than the New.

Our final post will pull all of this together regarding sexual purity.

Categories:
Boundaries and Rules, From the Book, Legalism, Parenting, Sexual Purity

Entrusted with a Child’s Heart, by Betsy Corning

December 3, 2009 // 1 Comment »

Over the past number of years my wife and I have greatly benefited from the ministry of Betsy Corning. Betsy and her husband Dave are founding members of Harvest Bible Chapel (my home church). Over the years Betsy has put together a family-targeted curriculum that helps young mothers think through all of the important issues related to marriage and family. This curriculum has been so beneficial to the health and life of my own family, as well as the Harvest family. Many of the women in our church have been through Betsy’s year-long class multiple times. That’s how good this information is.

“But,” you say, “I live in Toledo; I can’t take Betsy class.” Ahh, but now you can. Betsy has finally pulled all of this rich information into book form: Entrusted with a Child’s Heart: A Biblical Study in Family Life. The book is a veritable “how to” manual for raising kids and navigating the inevitable pitfalls of family relationships. Each chapter is chalked full of godly, biblical, field-tested wisdom, followed by a memory verse, a commitment prayer, and discussion questions for small group use.

If you’re looking for a a personal or small group study on the family, I highly recommend Betsy’s book. Below is a bit more information from the Entrusted site about Betsy and her ministry.

Betsy Corning is Founder of Entrusted Ministries. She is the author and teacher of Entrusted with a Child’s Heart parenting curriculum which has been taught to thousands of women. The curriculum was written for her home church of Harvest Bible Chapel in Rolling Meadows, Illinois and is now being distributed nationally via DVD. Betsy holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Occupational Therapy and has extensive experience in Biblical counseling. She and her husband, David, have been involved in ministry from the beginning of their married lives, starting with the Navigators. They are founding members of Harvest Bible Chapel where David serves as Chairman of the Elder Board. They are the parents of three grown children and the grandparents of five.

Categories:
Books/Resources, Entrusted Ministries, Parenting