friendship with christ jesus

We have been reading the reflections to the community of 1 John regarding friendship with God and divine love and from the gospel of John (the reflection of Jesus following the Last Supper about the Good Shepherd and the vine and the branches.) 
 
Consider that the moral responsibility from friendship with Christ Jesus or faith takes the stress off rules and regulations.  Consider that rules foster irresponsibility - once we have kept the law - we will conclude that we have no other responsibility.  On the other hand, moral responsibly is of infinite responsibility to all persons because to act morally is to be responsible to God.  
 
A preacher (William Willimon) reflects, “How trivial of us to encapsulate morality into petty individual codes of personal behavior rather than to demand the kind of moral  boldness which Jesus demonstrated! . . . A rich young man asked Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”  Jesus told him to obey the rules.  “I already do that,” the young man responded. “Then go sell everything you have, and give it to the poor,” Jesus said.  Jesus was not laying down a new rule but offering the young man a way to live not by the limits of rules and regulations, but by the freedom and challenge of responsible gratitude.“
 
When believers listen to Jesus, living is not slavishly following rules; it’s living that flows from friendship with Christ Jesus.