Day 19

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” —MATTHEW 5:17

One of the biggest issues of life is how we are supposed to behave. We make decisions about behaviour everyday as we go about our responsibilities in the home, workplace and our social circles. As parents, we have to rear our children with what we think is proper behaviour and as a society, we elect a government that legislate proper behaviour for its citizens. This science of behaviour is what we call “ethics”.

During the last half century, there has been a vast change in ethical perspective, particularly in the western world. In this short space of time, there has never been such a phenomenal revolution of ideas as to what is right and wrong, good or bad. Fifty years ago, it was more or less assumed there was a universal right and wrong, but now very few would agree there are moral absolutes. The greatest transformation has probably been in our understanding of sexual ethics. Chastity was once considered a virtue, a good thing, but in today’s world, it’s regarded as unrealistic, unreasonable and even psychologically damaging.

Christians live in two worlds. We live in the 21st century everyday world where we are often caught up in the currents, crosswinds and influences of modern day culture. But we also live ‘in Christ’, in union with Him. How these two worlds interconnect is the challenge for us, especially in the area of morality and behaviour.

God gave the Ten Commandments to reveal to humankind his own moral character. For instance, when God said you shall not steal, the reason isn’t because stealing isn’t nice, but because God, Himself, is not a thief, and human beings were created in His moral image to express His moral character. The Ten Commandments are essentially an autobiographical statement by God about God and, therefore, intended to be biographical statements about human beings created to express His image and behaviour. Our ability to express His image is impossible to us (hence we are all sinners, and sin is breaking the law of God - see 1 John 3.4), so the only way this will ever be accomplished is by Christ’s indwelling Spirit where He “fulfills the law”, bringing us into harmony with God and His moral character.

PRAYER: I thank You, Lord, for being my counsellor, my guide and for freeing me from all the uncertainties of this world, and allowing me to rest in You alone.

TO REFLECT UPON: When I’m tempted by the ways of this world I know are not biblical, do I call on the empowerment of Jesus? If not, what can I do to ensure I am turning to Him first?