There is a value in ropes. (see previous post) I use them as a parent with my kids (not literally, but sometimes . . . . ) and with the students in my class. There is a value in restraining someone from going headlong down a road that you know will lead them to a possible life-affecting disability. In that sense, "ropes" can be of tremendous short-term value.
Also, if I'm struggling with something immediate, ropes can help me while I find the deeper victory. I don't want to give the impression that rules are never any good. God Himself established "rules" in the sense that He knew for a society to function in an orderly way then certain guidelines needed to be established. Yet He also knew that the ultimate plan is for this "LAW" to be written upon our hearts.
But if someone has a bent to something destructive - alcohol, drugs, sexual promiscuity, pornography, destructive relational behavior - then by all means we need to 'rope' them in so that we can help them before they hurt themselves. As long as we understand that these ropes are really only "temporary restraining orders" while the heart is brought to a place of healing and change.
David was condemned as a father in I Kings 1:5,6 for NOT interfering with his son's destructive decisions, for not tying some 'ropes' around him. This allowed him to become so rebellious that he ultimately tried to unseat his own father. We do have a responsibility with those around us (and with ourselves) to use whatever temporary means possible to gain control over a potentially fatal situation.
I hope I didn't give the wrong impression in my prior post, as "freedom-seekers" tend to blast "legalists" out of the water to the point that they have swung the pendulum too far and can't see how God uses the entire process to effect change in the life of the believer.
3 comments:
hello Mr. tdags,
i think there is a lot of truth in these words you've posted. the temporary rope idea could be seen in brother Larry's book. this past sunday at church, the pastor got into some of the same stuff. he was in the book of ephesians and he read some verses that stressed being saved and then going on to live a God centered life. basically, just because you are saved doesn't mean that these old habits from our old nature instantly go away. being saved, we then have the power from God to overcome those habits but it becomes, like bro larry says, a practice. we are fully equipped to overcome anything that holds us back from a deeper relationship with God and sometimes to get there, we need to use those ropes. i like how you stressed the fact they are temporary ropes. we cant be relying on our own devices for success in this area. after all, that is why we turn to God in the first place, because we realized that we cant do it on our own. it come down to faith. the overarching theme of the Christian walk. threw a deepening faith our reliance becomes fully on God. a process of using less and less rope.
Ropes are not always necessarily used to tie oneself up as they are also used as boundary lines or landmarks so you can know area you are free to walk in. Beyond the ropes sometimes are danger zones or even enemy territory. Though we are free from sin, we are not free to walk in sin. What is seen by some as restrictive can in all actuality be a healthy reminder that traveling beyond those ropes lies very dangerous consequences. So in that sense ropes in some cases are not just short term as no matter how old we get in Christ, we still need those landmarks to ensure we are not wandering off the path.
Good point, JMac. I guess what I mean by ropes are not "Truth or Consequences" but self-devised methods that prevent you from falling into those areas that you mention. For example - if someone is having trouble with internet porn, it's a good idea to rope themselves in at first with filters and other things, but the ultimate goal would be to win the battle of the heart. I'm not trying to confuse ropes with right/wrong, but with methods to keep me in the right and out of the wrong.
Thanks for your reminder.
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