This would be like a man who says he loves a girl and they get married. After the wedding his lifestyle stays the same as when he was a bachelor: he hung out with his male friends, partied, when he wasn't at work he spent his leisure time on the golf course, and came home to his wife at all hours. He felt no obligation to help with the domestic chores. After she gave birth to a child his behavior didn't change. He was no more interested in being a parent than he was in being a husband. It was as though he were still a teenager. He never matured. He still acted as though he were still single. While he said that he loved his wife, he gave no evidence of it apart from giving her his name and a roof over her head. She eventually divorced him.

Then there is the woman who became active in the church, quoted her record of leadership in her previous church and her knowledge of how church life should be run, attended some meetings, and volunteered for various church activities. But she was constantly critical of others, jealous of her peers, given to angry comments on the Sunday sermons, and was generally uncomfortable to be around despite a fixed smile on her face. She could never same a kind word or appreciate what was being done for her.

There are reasons why people behave badly. They may have come out of families where they were not loved or where they were not disciplined. They probably carry baggage that others do not know about. They may be struggling with a personality disorder or a physical problem that needs attention. I knew a church leader who started to act erratically and opposed anything new. He was discovered to be suffering from what used to be called "hardening of the arteries". Others go against the moral law because they believe that their lifestyle choices are legitimate for them and that the church's interpretation of Scripture is wrong. They are the criterion for being right, and anyone who doesn't agree with them is prejudiced and intolerant.

St. John defines the essence of sin as lawlessness. It is rebellion against the moral law of the universe. There have been those in every age who thought that they were above the law, that they were enlightened and that the moral law did not apply to them. I have known clergy who got into trouble because they thought this way. They thought that they deserved exemptions from the moral law, and that Christian morality was a matter of indifference. But St. John is here saying that sin is active rebellion against God's will and a violation of his standards of life. While the civil law may allow disregard of the Christian moral law on the basis of so-called human rights, or individual liberty, the apostolic New Testament does not.

Why is it so important to follow the moral law if you are a Christian?

First, because Jesus came to take away our sins, and in him is no sin. If we claim to be in Christ, to follow Christ, to believe in Christ, we will not want to keep on living as though sin does not matter. If we are married to Christ, as Bride to the Bridegroom, our behavior will change. It is incompatible with being a Christian to continue to live as though we were not Christians. We cannot keep company with Christ and not let him take away our sins. Living with Christ affects every part of our lives. Therefore, if impatience, or selfishness, or anger is a problem for us we will pray that Christ will take that away from us.

Second, the origin of this rebellion against God is the devil. He is the evil force that opposes the work of God and seeks to undermine it by corrupting all men and women, as he did to Adam and Eve. We may live under the illusion that we are making up our own morality but in reality we are under the influence of the devil. That is why, "The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work." Jesus came to defeat the devil and to liberate all men and women from his influence. Therefore, the Lord's Prayer, "Deliver us from evil" will become a powerful reminder that we need supernatural help to defeat the spiritual forces of evil that seek to tempt us, deceive us and weaken us.

Third, when we are born of God by the Spirit we are given the seed of God's life, the spiritual genetic component to enable us to break free from a pattern of sinning. Even though we may have inherited from our past, from our forebears, from our family of origin or our previous experience, all sorts of disorders, habits, attitudes, dysfunction and weaknesses, the Spirit of God gives us power to overcome them. We can break bad habits, overcome addictive behavior, be set free from compulsions, and begin to become a different person. This was true for Saul of Tarsus, for St. Peter, for numerous people throughout history. You can be changed by the power of the Spirit dwelling within you. This is the liberating message of the Gospel.

Fourth, this is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are. As Jesus taught: "by their fruits you will recognize them" (Matthew 7:20). There are only two groups of people. "Our parentage is either divine or diabolical." (John Stott) When a person becomes a child of God by believing on and receiving Christ and by being born of the Spirit that person can be recognized by his moral behavior. If we are children of God we will want to do what is right and love one another.

Psalm 119 is a song in praise of the law of the Lord. It ends with these words: "I long for your salvation, O Lord, and your law is my delight. Let me live that I may praise you, and may your laws sustain me" (Ps.119:174,175). Rather than be lawless, amoral, and antinomian, which leads to death, we delight in the guidance and protection of the moral law that God has provided for our human flourishing. The commandments instruct us in right living. They give us divine standards by which to live. They prevent us from destructive and irresponsible behavior. St. Paul tells us to "Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:2). He also tells us that "I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law" (1 Corinthians 9:21). Jesus said, "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know you are my disciples, if you love one another" (John 13:34,35). "Love is the fulfillment of the law" (Romans 13:10). What more do we need?

(Ted's blog is found at www.tedschroder.com SOUL FOOD: DAILY DEVOTIONS FOR THE HUNGRY, Vol.4, October, November and December is now available.)