Romans 7:7-25

Please take your copy of God's Word and turn to Romans chapter 7 with me.

Romans 7 · chapter mention

! Romans 7, verses 7-25.

Romans 7:7–25

What then shall we say that the law is sin?

By no means. Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin.

For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said,

You shall not covet.

But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness.

For apart from the law, sin lies dead.

I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came,

sin came alive and I died.

The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me.

For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me.

So the law is holy and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.

Did that which is good then bring death to me?

By no means.

It was sin producing death in me through what is good,

in order that sin might be shown to be sin,

and through the commandment might become sinful beyond all measure.

For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin.

For I do not understand my own actions.

For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.

Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law that it is good.

So now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh.

For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.

For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want, I keep on doing.

Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand.

For I delight in the law of God in my inner being,

but I see in my members another law, waging war against the law of my mind,

and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.

Wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of death?

Thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

So then, I myself serve the law of God in my mind,

but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

Pray with me.

Father, we thank you that your word is powerful,

and it cuts through joint marrow to the intentions of our heart.

And as we consider our wrestling with sin and holiness in this life,

help us, Lord.

Convict us where we need to be convicted.

Lord, let us stand and abide upon your truth,

and let our hope be in Jesus Christ who will rescue us.

In Jesus' name, amen.

So last week, our sermon text was Romans 7, 1 through 6.

In Romans 7, 1 through 6, the main idea was that in Christ,

we have been set free from the law so that we can serve by the Spirit.

We saw that unbelievers are under the rule of the law.

When we're in Adam, the law held us captive to its holy and righteous standards.

Under the law's dominion, we're required to give exact obedience,

and if broken, we received its penalties.

Galatians 3.10 says,

Cursed is everyone who does not keep all things written in the book of the law.

James 2.10 says,

To break one part of the law is to break the whole law.

So under the law's rules, our sinful passions were aroused,

and we did works that produced bad fruit.

We broke the law, and we deserve the penalties of it.

Jesus Christ came and set us free from the law.

As our federal head, he represented us.

He lived and died in our place.

To fulfill his covenant and provide us redemption,

he himself went under the law and took its consequences.

Jesus perfectly obeyed the law, fulfilling it for us.

And Jesus sacrificially took the consequences of the law

becoming a curse for us and removing our curse.

Jesus represented us in keeping the law, enduring the curse.

We've been freed from the rule of the law and its penalties.

We now belong to another.

We belong to Jesus Christ.

The Son has set us free,

and we are free indeed,

brothers and sisters.

The Holy Spirit then takes this work that Jesus did and unites us to Christ.

He gives us new hearts and puts the law within us,

causing us to walk in his ways.

So now we serve by the way of the Spirit.

We live to please God and to bear fruit for him.

You are no longer under the law,

but you are under grace.

Now, as we come to Romans 7, 7 through 25,

I'd like to introduce our text by revisiting Martin Luther's life

for two reasons.

Tuesday was Reformation Day,

as we consider Martin Luther's stand and the other reformers

as they worked to help remove us from,

or remove themselves from,

the dominion that they were under

and the false beliefs of the gospel.

As they stood on the gospel and justification by faith alone,

through grace alone,

and Christ alone.

So I'd like to revisit that.

The second reason is

because his struggle that he had with temptation

that he called infectum

is a really good introduction to our text today.

So as last week,

I told you that Luther struggled with the temptation

that he called infectum.

He describes the struggle as dread,

as anxiety,

as foreboding doom.

At one point, Luther said,

there is not one corner in him

that was not filled with the most bitterness,

the most horror,

the most fear-dollared,

and all these things,

this dread,

this anxiety,

this bitterness,

seemed eternal.

At the rustling of dry leaves,

it seems as if the universe

was going to collapse on him.

This struggle led unbelieving Luther

to the cross

and to embrace a biblical understanding

of justification by faith alone.

But for Luther,

this spiritual struggle,

this temptation,

is not merely momentary.

For the rest of his life,

he struggled with subsequent experiences

of temptation

that made him feel dreadful,

made him feel sad and depressed,

that brought great anxiety in him.

Luther once said,

temptation and experience

certainly teach us

that faith is a really difficult art.

Luther contended

that faith and theology

are wrought

on the anvil of temptation.

For Luther,

his commitment to be holy

and to kill any sin within him

produced this rich

and steadfast faith,

this unshakable faith

that stood the temptations

to be free from his struggles,

that stood the temptations

to be living

and not be condemned

and suffer death

from the Roman Catholic Church.

We may not struggle

with the same experience as Luther,

or we may,

but for most of us,

I don't think we have the intensity

of this spiritual conflict.

But we do all experience

temptation of sin.

And we all have a warfare

where we wrestle with sin.

There's ill thoughts

and desires in our hearts,

but we want to be holy.

We want to follow God.

We want to please God.

So my hope today is

as we come to Romans 7,

Romans 7:7–25

verses 7 through 25,

that we see

while we have been freed

from the dominion of sin

and while we've been freed

from the law,

there remains a war with sin

until Jesus Christ rescues us.

So if you have your bulletin,

I provide an outline

for this morning.

And I'm going to read

the three points on that outline.

Point number one.

We were sinful beyond measure.

Point number two.

We experience a war

in the inner man.

And point number three.

We will be delivered

from this body of death.

So point one.

We were sinful beyond measure.

In verses 7 through 13,

Paul describes his experience

as an unbeliever.

And we see this

because all the verbs

that are used

are in the past tense.

Communicating a past action.

Something that's happening

in the past.

After verse 14,

or after verse 13,

Paul begins using

a present tense.

So the text is very clear

that he's talking

about the past.

And then we get into

verse 14.

It becomes the present.

He starts talking

about his current struggle

with temptation.

Verses 7 through 13

go to explain for us

verse 5,

which says,

for while we are living

in the flesh,

our sinful passions

aroused by the law,

we're at work

in our members

to bear fruit for death.

And then Romans 7,

7 through 14,

describes how the law

aroused sin

while remaining

holy and righteous.

How does the law

remain holy and righteous

but in the same sense

arouse sin,

incite sin

within the unbelieving heart?

And we'll see

that the law is good

and the law is holy

and the law is righteous

but we are sinful

beyond measure.

It is the law

that reveals our sin

and sends us to the gospel

for justification.

So verse 7,

we see another question posed

to challenge our thinking.

And then Paul provides us

with the answer

to the question

to clarify this truth,

to hone in on it

so we have a good understanding

of what he's communicating.

So the verse says,

what then shall we say?

Is the law sin?

Since the law arouses sin,

is the law itself sin?

By no means,

Paul responds.

And then he spends

the next four verses

explaining how the law

is not sin.

And he concludes

in verse 12,

the law is holy

and the commandment

is holy, righteous, and good.

So Paul's conclusion

is the question,

is the law sin?

Is that no,

by no means,

the law is not sin.

The law is a reflection

of God's perfections.

What the law is doing

in the unbeliever's life

is exactly what it was

purposed to do.

It reveals the unrighteousness

of the unbelieving heart.

It reveals what sin is

and it points people to Jesus,

points to one

who fulfilled the law for him,

who took the curse.

The law tells us

what it is to be righteous,

holy, and good.

But it not only tells us

what it is to be

holy, righteous, and good.

The law itself

is holy, righteous, and good.

The law comes from God

and it reflects his character

through its commands.

To call the law sin

would to accuse a lawgiver

of being sinful.

Paul explains

that the law cannot be sin

but because it reflects

the giver's perfect being.

It reflects God

in its commands.

So we see here

that the Ten Commandments

themselves are righteous

and they show righteousness.

They are holy

and they show

what it looks like

to live a holy life.

And they are good

and they show

what it is to be good.

And the law

ultimately points

to God,

the one who is

supremely righteous,

who is supremely good,

and supremely holy.

So in the following verses

we're going to see

the law's purpose

in revealing sin.

We see that the law

exposes sin

by delineating

right from wrong.

It's a perfect standard.

It shows what God expects

and shows what right is

and what wrong is.

For verse 7,

it says,

Yet if it had not been

for the law,

I would not have known sin.

For I would not have known

what it is to covet

if the law had not said,

You shall not covet.

The law defines

what sin is.

It is like a lighthouse

that shines into our hearts

and exposes the sin within.

It defines what it is

to be contrary to God.

What it is to be

against God

and His ways.

So while God

is chief good,

God is holy

and He is righteous

and He is good,

the law is the chief evil.

It's a rejection

of Him and His ways.

Jeremiah Burroughs

called the law

or called the sin

the evil of evils.

Sin is a rejection

of God

and is lawless.

Sin is heinous

and it is a monstrosity.

It should not be.

Sin is pure evil

and a grievous thing.

Sin is a willful rejection

of God

and His sufficiency

and who He is.

It's a rejection

of His holiness.

He is righteous

and sin is unrighteous.

Sin loves the creature

more than the creator.

Sin exchanges the glory of God

and enthrones idols.

And the law reveals

what this sin is.

It delineates

right from wrong.

In the sinful passion

of our flesh,

apart from Christ,

the understanding

of the law

aroused sin.

In verse 8,

Paul says,

but sin,

seizing an opportunity

through the commandment,

produced in me

all kinds

of covetousness.

Here,

Paul is portraying

sin at work.

Sin is an action.

It's doing something.

And the word

for opportunity

portrays

military advancement,

a military operation.

So it's as if

sin saw a weakness

and through that weakness

staged an assault.

The commandment

to not covet

was the base

of operations

or the way

in which

sin attacked Paul

and incited in Paul

all types

of covetousness.

So the commandment

that said

do not covet

then in the sinner

aroused

what it is to covet

and to do more

covetousness.

It aroused sin.

You can probably

think of a time

in your life

when you were told

not to do something

and in being told

not to do something

it then provoked

in you

to do that thing

that you're told

not to do.

Parents,

you've probably seen

this in your kids.

As you tell them

not to do something

and then they do

what you tell them

not to do.

Sin takes advantage

of the law

to stir in us

more sin.

In the depraved heart

the commandment

becomes a production

factory

where sin

is mass produced

and from it

comes all kinds

of covetousness.

Paul describes

a time

when he was alive

apart from the law.

You see in the next verse

it says

I was alive

apart from the law.

He does not mean

that he was not aware

of the law.

Paul was raised in law.

He knew the Torah

at a young age.

He knew the commandments.

This is talking

about a time

where Paul lived

without an awareness

of God's righteousness.

Without an awareness

that he was under

judgment from the law

and condemned by it.

This is when

we could call Paul

a happy pagan.

He lived

self-righteous

and self-assured

in his pharisaical life.

He lived

as

he would say

that I was a Pharisee

of Pharisees.

He lived

in this way

that he enjoyed

the world

and the pleasure

within.

And we can also

probably reflect

on this time

when before we came

to Christ

we lived in our sin

unaware of God's law

and we reveled in it.

We enjoyed sin.

It was

our delight.

But

Paul goes on to say

that when the commandment

came

it penetrated

our hearts.

It penetrated

his heart.

When the commandment

came

sin came alive

and I died.

When he grew

an awareness

of what sin is

of his own wickedness

the law brought

conviction.

It exposed him

and in doing so

he produced more sin

but his sin

continually was exposed.

He continually felt

this weight

of conviction.

Once he was alive

apart from the law

now he's dead

according to Romans 7.

Once he was alive

but the law came

and the sin

deceived him

and he was killed.

Sin exposes

to us

or the law

exposes to us

sin.

And sin

deceives us

and it kills us.

It shows

our inability

to be righteous.

It shows

that we

cannot live

by the law

but we live

under the law

in a poor state

because we can't

fulfill the commandments.

We have no ability

to keep them.

So then Paul

raises another question.

So the law

exposes sin.

The second question

Paul raises

is

did the good law

bring death to me?

And he responds

again

by no means.

The law

did its job.

It exposed sin

and made it known.

It demonstrates

our wretched state.

It demonstrates

that we could not

be righteous

and it said

that from this exposure

from the sin

being made known

to him

that he was sinful

beyond all measure.

So Paul got to a point

in his life

where he was sinful

beyond all measure

but then came

the gospel.

because of Jesus'

life,

death,

and resurrection

Paul was set free

from his great

sinfulness

and God has done

the same work

in us.

If we

apart from Christ

look at the law

it will show us

how we can't

fulfill it.

It will show us

all the places

that we have broke it.

It will show the times

that we did not

worship God.

It will show all

our array of idols.

It will show the times

we did not love

our neighbor

as ourselves.

The times we covet

and the times we lust

and the times we steal.

But Jesus Christ came

he fulfilled the law

and he took the curse

for us

and we have been set free

from the rule

of the law.

We are now free

in Christ.

So after Paul

explains his former

sinful state

he seeks to explain

how sin still remains

within us though.

We have been freed

from the dominion

of sin

we have been freed

from the rule

of the law

but

we still

experience sin

today.

There is a battle

between our new nature

our new man

and between our old nature

and our old man.

This battle

has been won

in Christ.

Christ has defeated

sin and death

but until he comes again

or until we die

we will still

experience this battle

and one day

we will be freed

from this flesh

and sin will be no more.

So point number two

we experience

a war

in the inner man.

In verse 14

Paul goes

from speaking

in the past

to now speaking

in the present

and Paul is speaking

of himself

and his current

experience.

There is much

argument

much discussion

among people

about whether

this text

is speaking

all about

Paul's past life

or if

as Paul

being a mature man

this is a current

experience

for him.

I think because

he was speaking

in the past

and now he's speaking

in the present

it's clear

that he's talking

about his current

life

that he is

writing to the Romans

explaining that

now he struggles

with sin

now he's waiting

to be free

from this body

of death

and I hope

to show that

as we continue.

So all Christians

struggle with sin

until we will be

home with God

and free

from this sinful

nature.

This is what

Paul communicates

in verse 14

when he says

Paul expresses

attention here

that he knows

the law is spiritual

but he still

wrestles

he's still in the

flesh

still under sin

he still is

sold into sin

he's free from

his dominion

but it's still

within him

and this

brings us

to the question

of how do we

understand man

for us to

properly understand

sex we need

to have a

biblical lens

by which we

see man

how do we

understand Paul's

struggle and

how does that

help us understand

our struggle

so in describing

man

often the scriptures

talk about

inner man

and outer man

it talks about

a physical

bodily faculty

this outer man

and it talks about

an inner faculty

this spiritual

emotional

intellectual part

of man

that we call

the inner man

while the scriptures

define inner man

and outer man

a physical body

and a spiritual

self that has

emotions and

intellect and

desires

these two cannot

be fully separated

the bible

extinguished them

but the body

influences our soul

and our soul

influences our body

what we have

called this

what this has been

called

is the

psycho

somatic union

and basically

that is saying

the soul

and body

union

or like what

biblical counselors

call it

the embodied

soul

in the scriptures

the inner man

which is

our spiritual

state

the intellectual

our desires

our thoughts

all that

stems

from our

inner man

and often times

this is talked

about as the

heart

proverbs 423

says

keep your heart

with all diligence

for from it

flows the spring

of life

so i say all

that to say

when we get to

romans 7

14 through 25

paul is exposing

his inner man

he's talking about

the way he

struggles inside

himself

the battle

within his

heart

and i think as

we get into

this

you can relate

you can relate

to how

you struggle

with sin

and feel

paul's tension

so in romans

7 it's as if

paul takes

a surgeon's

scapel

and opens

his heart

to express

a war

that is occurring

within himself

within his

heart

in romans

7 23

we read

but i see

in my members

another law

waging war

against the

law of my

mind

and making

me captive

to the law

of sin

that dwells

in my

members

in romans

7 23

there are

two laws

there is

the law

of sin

and death

the flesh

and then there's

the law

of the spirit

and there are

two laws

are waging war

against one

another

we have

often called

this the

old man

and the

new man

the flesh

and the spirit

in romans

4 that's

what paul

calls it

in romans

7 it's

our new

heart

with renewed

desires

and it's

our flesh

with indwelling

sin

the law

of the spirit

of life

and the law

of sin

and death

but these

laws

he's talking

about

are not

perfect

standards

they're not

rules

that are

put before

paul

he's now

talking about

inward

influences

he's talking

about

principles

that are

in him

there is a

principle

by which

the spirit

is in him

producing life

there's a

principle

by which

indwelling

sin is in

him

and influencing

him

and we

see this

in romans

7

john owen

explains this

a little bit

further

he says

that these

influences

the spirit

and the

flesh

constantly

moves

and inclines

us

towards

any

action

these two

laws

within us

are powerful

and they're

affecting us

seeking

to move

us to

good

or to

evil

to

righteousness

to please

god

and love

him

or to

sin

and to

follow

the ways

of our

flesh

so let's

look at

each

principle

separately

the first

principle

the spirit

of life

this is

the holy

spirit

that has

given us

new

hearts

the bible

says

when we

become

christians

the holy

spirit

comes in

us

takes out

the heart

of stone

and puts

in a

heart

of flesh

the spirit

gives us

new hearts

and puts

the law

of god

within us

causing

us

desires

to follow

him

and do

his will

he has

changed

within us

our desires

to live

for ourselves

to live

the old

life that

paul was

talking about

in the

earlier

parts of

romans

7

and now

we want

to do

good

there's a

desire in

us that

we want

to please

god

we want

to love

him

and to

delight

in him

and his

commandments

the spirit

is at work

in the

inner man

causing

us

and working

on us

to love

god

and to

delight

in his

law

and we

see this

in romans

Romans 7:16

chapter 7

verse 16

says i agree

with the law

that it is

good

verse 18

i desire to

do what is

right

verse 22

i delight in

the law of god

in my inner

being

in verse 25

i myself

serve the law

of god

with my

mind

the holy

spirit is in

us now

and he is

doing a

work of

renovation

over the

span of

the christian's

life

the spirit

is changing

us

changing

the man

and making

us more

like

jesus

our lives

are being

conformed

now

to the

image

of christ

we are

being

transformed

from one

degree

of glory

to another

by the

work

of the

spirit

we call

this work

this transformation

this renovation

of the spirit

where the new

man is

growing and

helping us

love god

more

progressive

sanctification

philippians

2 13

through 14

say

therefore

my beloved

as you have

always obeyed

so now

not only as

in my presence

but much more

in my absence

work out

your salvation

with fear

and trembling

for

it is god

who works

in you

to will

and to work

for his good

pleasure

see as even

now we desire

to do right

and do good

we desire to

love god

to keep his

commandments

and we do this

working it out

with fear

and trembling

but in the end

there is this new

man

the spirit

that is working

and willing

in us

transforming us

and conforming us

more into

christ

and one day

we will escape

the flesh

romans 8

2 says

that the spirit

of life

has set you

free from

the law

of sin

and death

the law

and sin

and death

have been

killed

in our union

with christ

we're free

from the law

of sin

and death

the old man

is experiencing

a lingering death

while the new man

is experiencing

progressive life

do you see that

that our flesh

is slowly dying

and one day

we'll be gone

and our spiritual side

our spiritual man

is continually

growing

and progressing

as we look

to be holy

and look more

like god

so that leads us

to the bulk

of this text

the second principle

which is

the influence

the principle

of the law

of sin and death

this is the old man

this is what paul

calls his flesh

this is the sin

that remains

in us

so let's look

at how

romans 7

talks about

this law

this influence

of the flesh

verse 14

i am of the flesh

sold under sin

verse 15

i do not understand

my actions

verse 15

i do the very thing

i hate

verse 17

sin dwells

within me

verse 18

nothing good

dwells in me

that is in my flesh

verse 18

i do not have

the ability

to carry out

good

verse 19

the evil

i do not want

is what

i keep doing

verse 20

sin dwells

within me

verse 21

evil lies

close at hand

verse 23

indwelling sin

is making me

captive

to the law

of sin

in verse 24

we live

in a body

of death

and finally

verse 25

with my flesh

i serve

the law

of sin

it is clear

that this condition

this flesh

that we have

is active

and that

while we do good

evil lies

close at hand

there's this tension

between

the spiritual nature

and the old man

new man

and old man

and our indwelling

sin

has powerful

influence on us

it's seeking

to capture us

to captivate us

and to lead us

into more

evil

we do not

understand

the extent

of the influence

that's in us

by this sin

or always how

it is working

but while we are

in this body

we're experiencing

its poisonous effects

its influence

upon us

james 1 13

says that

our flesh

entices us

and drags us

away

in romans 7

our flesh

deceives us

this inward

influence

is so deep

that paul says

that he cannot

understand

its depths

of its influence

in fact

he says

he does

the very thing

he hates

because of

its effectual

influence

on him

the effect

of indwelling

sin

is so deep

in us

that we

do right

but evil

is close

at hand

and while

we live

in this body

everything

we do

evil

will always

be close

by us

trying to

sway us

trying to

entice

us

into sin

the flesh

wants us

to follow

its desires

so in

John

Owen's

work

that he

calls

indwelling

sin

he says

this

regarding

the tension

and regarding

the law

of sin

wherever

you are

whatever

you are

about

the law

of sin

is always

in you

in the best

that you

do

in the worst

men

little

consider

what a

dangerous

companion

is always

at home

with them

when they

are in

company

when alone

by night

or by day

all is

one

sin

is with

them

there is

a living

coal

continually

in their

house

which

if it

is not

looked

after

will burn

up in

fire

and it

may

consume

them

oh

the woeful

security

of poor

souls

how little

do most

men

think of

this

inbred

enemy

that is

never

away

from

home

how little

for the

most part

doth

the watchfulness

of any

professors

answer

the danger

of their

state

and their

condition

brothers

and sisters

our

inner man

is always

waging war

within us

between living

in the spirit

and living

in the flesh

and there

is great

application

here

this comes

home to

us

this goes

into our

daily

experience

and what

we learn

is that

the greatest

enemy

is not

outside

of us

it is not

our spouse

it is not

our friends

it is not

our children

our jobs

our health

or our

vices

the greatest

enemy

that we

have

is within

us

it is

sin

that dwells

in us

our greatest

problem

is not

outside

of us

but

within

us

it is

the sin

that dwells

in you

the enemy

is a

dangerous

companion

that

is always

close at

hand

this enemy

is always

seeking to

seduce you

and sway

you

by its

power

indwelling

sin

is a

siren

call

seeking

to lead

poor

souls

away

to its

lusts

and desires

think

dear

believer

of the

times

your

heart

is

easily

tempted

of

speaking

ill

of

others

think

about

the

times

that

poisonous

words

come in

your

mind

of

gossip

or

slander

or

come out

of your

mouth

towards

others

think

about

how

quick

a

wayward

thought

comes

into

our

mind

and

entices

us

with

its

lust

think

how

deceptive

our

flesh

is

at

forming

idols

in

us

when

we

don't

even

know

!

and then

we

see

them

and

we

work

to

get

rid

of

them

brothers

and

sisters

look

after

this

burning

coal

of

indwelling

sin

when

the

siren

call

is

sounding

plug

your

ears

tie

yourself

to

the

mass

pluck

out

your

eyes

cut

off

your

hands

do

not

fall

into

the

grips

of

the

enemy

do

not

let

sin

lead

your

life

and

entice

you

with

this

I'd

like

to

offer

five

points

of

application

number

one

be

watchful

we

are

much

more

sinful

and

viler

than

we

think

our

sin

and

satan

are

seeking

to

snare

us

it

says

that

the

devil

is

scheming

schemes

and

temptations

to

catch

us

we

need

to

be

sensitive

we

need

to

have

a

sensitive

conscience

to

sin

our

conscience

is

God's

gift

to

us

it's

God's

deputy

of

our

soul

it's

God's

court

for

our

lives

a

sensitive

conscience

knows

God's

law

and

it

examines

our

thoughts

our

motives

and

our

actions

by

it

and

if

they

contradict

it

it

seeks

to

kill

that

sin

it

watches

to

see

if

our

words

are

God

honoring

it

checks

to

see

if

our

motives

are

God

exalting

and

it

searches

our

desires

to

expose

any

self

exalting

self

pleasing

impulse

so

labor

brothers

and

to

yield

the

law

as

an

instrument

of

your

conscience

and

expose

sin

and

kill

it

verse

21

says

even

when we

seek

to do

right

evil

lies

close

at

hand

the

most

holy

sin

to

sin

to

to

sin

to

sin

!

!

to

press

on

humility

is

an

antidote

to

pride

because

it

depends

on

God

and

not