Romans 4:13-17
Every family has rules. This is true if your father is a king, or if he is a carpenter. Some rules are common to most families, and others are unique. Common sense tells us that it might be possible to leave our family by refusing to follow the rules. Rebellious teenagers will runaway to avoid the rules. Common sense also tells us that we cannot force a family to adopt us by following their family rules. Yet, when we talk about God’s spiritual family, people lose their common sense. The Jews believed that by following God’s law they obligated God to regard them as righteous. At the same time, some modern Christians believe that they can refuse to obey God’s family rules and it will have no impact upon their relationship in the family.

We cannot gain membership in the family of God by good works, and we cannot obtain it by keeping God’s law. We can be born into a family, a family can adopt us, and we can marry into a family. The Bible uses all three methods as descriptions of becoming a Christian, and a child of God. Christ said we must be born again. Through faith in Christ, God makes us new, and we are born into a new relationship with God. By faith, God regards us as righteous brothers and sisters with Christ. In unity, Christians form the church, and the Bible describes the church as the bride of Christ. None of these three descriptions of becoming part of the family of God talks about keeping the law; they all talk about faith and believing God’s word.

God is a good father. His law is not a test to see if we are worthy of love. His law is proof that he loves us. As a part of his family, we do our best to follow his law. Our faith in God means that we trust His law is for our good. We keep the family rules, because we are part of the family.