At a conference this week, and heard a very good speaker this afternoon who does amazing things with his kids each year. Aside from the purposefully heart-twisting videos of his kids (along with a live performance), the speaker mentioned the six stages of moral development that he leads his kids through over the course of the year. The higher the stage, the more mature the character.
Stage 1: the student is good because he fears punishment
Stage 2: the student is good because he gets a reward for doing so
Stage 3: the student is good to impress others
Stage 4: the student is good because it is the rule to be good
Stage 5: the student is good because he understands he has a social contract with others and wants to treat them the way he wishes to be treated
Stage 6: the student is good because he is good
There is a very clear parallel here to our spiritual maturity. A believer with an immature or new faith obeys God out of fear of His punishment. He then moves to being obedient because he thinks it earns him favor with God. Then he is obedient so that other believers see him as obedient. Then he is obedient because he understands God wants him to be obedient. Then he is obedient because he expects all believers to be obedient. But best of all is when he is obedient because he is a true believer and simply has an obedient heart.
Hear that Randy Alcorn and JBC? Rewards for obedience should not be your primary driver of behavior. You act the way you act because that is who you are in Christ. Keep your precious crowns. I'll keep my loving obedience.
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