Lawlessness.

     John has this to say about those who practice sin.

     Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness (1 John 3:4).

     This is in contrast with those who are waiting for Jesus Christ to return. These are the ones who are purifying themselves in anticipation of seeing Jesus.
     A lawless person is a person who has cast off restraint. The law of God means nothing to them, it is there to be broken at one's convenience. They ignore the fact that Jesus did not come to do away with the law (Matt 5:17-20). Many individuals today believe that in the New Testament age of grace, the law is optional, and if it is disobeyed, God doesn't mind because they believe Christ has obeyed it for us. Actually the moral law of God has not been done away with, and God expects us to abide by it. Listen to what Jesus says about those who live without law.

     Not everyone who says to Me Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.
                     Matthew 7:21-23 NASB

     Jesus is plain. If we cast off law, if we chose to live our lives in sinful disobedience to God, He will cast us off on that day when we stand before Him. To hear His words and obey is like building a house upon a rock, but to hear and disobey Him, is like building upon a foundation of sand (Matt 7:24-27).
     The Apostle Paul stated that it was not enough to hear the law, but one must also obey it (Romans 2:13). According to Paul, it is not the hearer who is justified, but the doer of the law. James says a similar thing about hearing the word, and actually obeying it.

     Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.
                    James 1:21-22 NASB

     James likens one who hears without obeying the word to a man who looks at himself in a mirror and then walks away, forgetting what he looked like. The one who hears and obeys however, will be blessed in what he does (James 1:23-25).
     You see, when we decide that we do not have to obey God's moral law, we are rebelling against Him. We are casting off restraint, and deciding that we know what is best for us, and we will live our lives without God. We are actually setting ourselves up as our own little god, to the peril of our own souls.
     The point is submission. Do we understand who God is, and who we are, and that we must submit to His authority over our lives? To willingly yield and obey is what biblical faith consists of (James 2:14-26). To say we believe in Christ, but to refuse to submit to Him and His word is an untruth. Paul tells us that such an individual is an enemy of God, and cannot please Him (Romans 8:7-8).
     What does your life look like compared to these verses? Are you living your life with no regard for God's law, or are you living in loving obedience to Christ, showing the proof of your faith?