Is the Bible More Like a Rule Book or a Compass?

The Bible contains rules, but it’s not helpful to think of it as a rule book. As important as rule books are, they don’t inspire devotion. Imagine curling up with a cup of coffee and your company’s employment manual. Good times, right? Instead of a rule book, think of the Bible as a compass. When my children and I tested for our advanced open-water diving certification, we descended to forty feet below the surface and took turns swimming in a square, a hundred feet in each direction.

At the farthest point, we were about 140 feet from the rest of our group in an environment where…