Why "Because the Bible says so" is not enough.

I found this convicting. John Piper writes on commending “the beauty” of truth not just its “rightness.”

Commending Biblical truth involves more than saying, “Do it because the Bible says so.” That sort of commendation may result in a kind of obedience that is so begrudging and so empty of delight and hearty affirmation that the Lord is not pleased with it at all. So there is a second task in winning people over to a vision of [Biblical] manhood and womanhood. Not only must there be thorough exegesis, there must also be a portrayal of the vision that satisfies the heart as well as the head. Or to put it another way; we must commend the beauty as well as the truth of the vision. We show that something is not only right but also good. It is not only valid but also valuable, not only accurate but also admirable.

It got me wondering whether I convey to my children the beauty even God’s own motivations behind His commands particularly the prohibitions. I begin to examine myself and ask whether I was merely commanding my children to obey because such commands are right but not going far enough in conveying the beauty of God’s wisdom as reflected in His law. Surely this is what God meant to put on display, for in giving Israel the law he says, “Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people’” (Deut. 4:6-7).