Next week, I’ll take my daughter to driver’s ed. Ugh! She will spend 30 hours in a classroom learning the rules of the road contained in a 100 something page booklet. Yet, even if she is successful in learning every rule, she won’t be able to keep every one of them every time. If by some miracle she could keep every rule, she still will not automatically be a good driver. Driving is so much more than just following rules.

In Galatians 5, Paul admonishes us not to be enslaved by rules. Good to hear since we know that we can’t possibly follow the whole law all of the time (“...for all have sinned,”) and even if we could, that obedience certainly can’t save us. “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” (Gal 5:6) God wants us to embrace the gift He has given us and realize that we cannot earn eternal life by followinga set of rules. Even though he freed us from the rules, He did not throw them out; instead, he warns us “do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh.” (v. 13) Rules are important; just not the most important.

Signaling 50 feet before her turn won’t save my daughter from a speeding car barreling toward her, but she still must learn to signal. God’s laws are still relevant to us, but thankfully, His grace trumps our violations.