Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
The verse lays out a fixed course in which a person's own desire draws and entices, and when that desire is cherished it gives birth to sin, and when sin is carried to completion it gives birth to death. Temptation itself is not sin, for sin comes only when temptation is yielded to and consented to by will and heart. God tempts no one to evil and did not create evil, sin, and death, but temptation rises from within the person while disobedience itself began with Satan. Evil must therefore be stopped at its start by at once rejecting unholy thoughts and shutting out whatever leads into sin, since dwelling on impurity arouses passion and brings forth sin. Left to run its course, finished sin brings separation from God, suffering, and death, not as part of His original design but as the sure harvest of choosing sin.
Meaning of the Progression
The verse lays out a fixed course in which a person's own desire draws and entices, and when that lust has conceived it gives birth to sin, and sin when brought to completion and fully grown gives birth to death. Sin begins when desire is indulged and yielded to rather than being caused by God, who may prove people so they recognize weakness but never tempts anyone to evil. Its warning calls for victory over self, temper, and inclinations, with the human will brought into conformity to God's will and divine power joined to human effort.
Temptation itself is not sin, for sin comes only when temptation is yielded to, when lust is conceived and consented to by will and heart. Spiritual ruin follows only then, when passion is allowed to rule reason and wrongdoing triumphs over truth and justice by the person's own act, which no earthly power can compel. One who stands firm in doing right and keeps the mind unpolluted is not defiled by surrounding evil, even though even the best have been grievously assaulted. Temptations in earthly probation test people and reveal what is in their hearts, so the weakest need not be discouraged merely because they are assailed.
Open sin follows a gradual inner process in which spirituality declines, God is neglected in thought and prayer, selfish thoughts and feelings gain control, carnal desires grow stronger, and proud self-sufficiency takes hold before the act is committed. Passion gaining control over reason and impulse overcoming principle shows how unchecked desire leads to violation of law, with the danger often unrecognized until purity is lost and results appear. Inward corruption meeting outward temptation places the soul in danger, since temptation can awaken corrupt thoughts and purposes and lead toward ruin. An evil heart that gives temptation room to grow must be confronted, for prayer alone without changed conduct and self-control does not overcome.
Sin grows step by step, with one transgression and even one neglect to manifest the right spirit opening the way for another and still another until the mind is overmastered by principles of evil. One sin leads to a second and prepares a third and so on until the course ends in perdition, and a moment's carelessness or swerving a single inch from duty can begin a plunge into irretrievable ruin. Desire allowed to grow brings forth open sin that then becomes like a current carrying the sinner onward toward death, leaving the character with very little power to resist the clamors of passion. Evil must therefore be stopped at its start by shutting out whatever leads into sin, as with unchaste familiarity that could have been prevented by guarding against the first familiarities.
A single indulged wrong desire or choice can prepare the way for further wrongdoing and end in death. Even a small departure from principle can separate from God and end in apostasy, as one glass of wine may lead to drunkenness and an indulged vindictive feeling may lead to murder. Corrupt habits are formed more quickly than habits of righteousness and truth and prove difficult to abandon.
Temptation, Sin, and Responsibility
God tempts no one to evil, for temptation rises from inside the person when his own desire draws him away and entices him. Desire conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when brought to completion and fully grown brings forth death, so unholy practices, including cherished unholy desires and sexual sin, end gravely unless sincerely repented of and forsaken in this life. He may prove people so that they recognize their weakness, but proving is not tempting to do evil, and yielding to deceptive temptation is what carries desire forward into sin and finally into death. Evil, sin, and death were not created by God but result from disobedience, which originated with Satan, and forbidden curiosity and unsatisfied desires led Adam and Eve into sin and the loss of their Eden home.
Satan seduces professed soldiers of Jesus Christ away from God step by step by devising deceptive allurements. He first uses transgression in what seem like little matters, when the word of God has plainly revealed the work to be done and it is refused because it does not suit inclination or because the attraction of the world allures from the service of Christ, and then he presents larger attractions to seduce fully from God, drawing youth especially away from Jesus. As long as he exists he will keep putting every inducement before the soul to lure it into self-deception that ends in death, when desire gives birth to sin and sin leads to death. Therefore faith must become more than it is now, and each one who receives Jesus Christ must take the preparation for eternal life offered in the Word of God.
Temptation does not force anyone to sin, for although Satan as sin's originator may make evil appear enticing, each person chooses whether to accept or refuse it. Sin follows only when a person yields to temptation, so Satan's part does not excuse personal choice. Refusing temptation allows escape from its deadly outcome.
Sin's End in Death
Suffering, sickness, pain and death are not part of the original design but are the result of sin and of humanity's continual transgression, and when that design is restored sickness and death will be absent. Giving in to appetite belongs to this same progression toward death, for uncontrolled appetite can ruin people and enslavement to it prevents the perfecting of Christian character, while conquering appetite strengthens a person to overcome other temptations. Temptations to indulge appetite become harder to resist as the end of time approaches.
Finished sin brings forth death as a bitter harvest of separation from God, loss of heaven, agony and despair. Choosing sin separates from God and cuts off blessing and leads surely to ruin and death. Each act of transgression changes character and makes further sin easier, not because God waits to punish but because actions themselves set their consequences in motion.
Natural tendencies such as self-love and self-indulgence carry within them the seeds of moral death. Without the Holy Spirit and a vital connection with God, people cannot resist temptation and its effects. Desire for forbidden things gains mastery when the heart is not purified by divine grace, and such ruling desire is joined with self-glorification and failure to show sincere love. Even sanctification does not make affections and desires always right nor remove the danger that they may lead into sin, since desire can lead to sin and sin when it reaches its full result leads to death.
Persistent yielding to known desire gives birth to sin and leads to death, and persistent sin brings moral ruin and risks eternal ruin. Greater light and knowledge increase guilt when they are resisted. Sin grows step by step, where one sin leads to a second and the second prepares the way for a third until the course ends in perdition, and even a moment's carelessness or swerving a single inch from duty can begin this course and plunge a soul into irretrievable ruin. The danger falls especially on those who think they stand firm because they have the truth while not having it as it is in Jesus. God will not save a person while continuing in sin known to be sin, so making light of sin and dwelling only on love encourages fatal self-deception and keeps truth apart from the life so that it has no power to convict and convert. Turning from that course requires repentance and genuine conversion, with hope only by fastening to Christ, pleading constantly to be kept by His power, and straining every power to leave the world and attain the perfection of His character.
Examples Warning Every Age
Lust once it takes hold gives birth to sin, and sin carried through to completion brings death, following a fixed course from misplaced affection and coveting what is forbidden to ruin. Solomon illustrates this progression, for though he was the greatest king, the beloved of God, and endowed with heavenly wisdom, he failed to rule his own passions, became contaminated and forsaken of God, and dishonored God by choosing to be controlled by lust rather than to partake of the divine nature. After a life of greatness and power he fell from greatness into ruin through uncontrolled passion, and though he may have repented, repentance could not efface the high places and stones that remained as evidence of his crimes. His legacy of evil warns the youth to bring their gifts early to God and to keep adding virtue to faith, and warns people of every age, including the mature who think they stand firm, to watch and pray, keep grace in the heart, and resist inward corruption meeting outward temptation.
Elder Himes illustrates the same course, for he was led away by his own lusts and enticed, and sensual practices turned what might have been his best years into his worst. Desire when yielded to and followed and allowed to grow gives birth to sin, and sin leads to death, bringing moral ruin and destroying years that could have been fruitful. Persistent sin brings moral ruin and risks eternal ruin, with greater light and knowledge increasing guilt when resisted, so repentance and genuine conversion are necessary to turn from that course. Adam and Eve illustrate the loss brought by forbidden curiosity and unsatisfied desires, which led into sin and the loss of their Eden home. Evil, sin, and death were not created by God but result from disobedience, which originated with Satan.
Judas illustrates how cultivated selfishness becomes a devouring passion which nothing but the power of Christ can subdue. Satan ruins the soul by closing the heart to the needs and suffering of others, since practical sympathy is the test of purity and unselfishness of heart, and constant planning to benefit self cultivated selfishness as in him. Though as near to Christ as Judas was, without being made one with Him in sincere sympathy for those for whom He gave His life a person is outside Christ and the sport of temptations. Sin grows from the first small deviation from righteousness, for one transgression and even one neglect to manifest the spirit of Christ opens the way for another and still another until the mind is overmastered by the principles of the enemy. Other cases show lustful passions as a serious obstacle to overcoming and developing Christian character, as with Cornell, whose passions threatened downfall. Yielding to temptation produces concrete sinful action such as embezzling the Lord's goods, and those who claim to be converted must show a change in character and principles rather than continue in conduct condemned by God.
Victory at the Beginning
Evil must be stopped at its start, for cherished desire gives birth to sin and sin fully developed brings death. Evil-speaking begins in evil thoughts, and tolerated impure thoughts and cherished unholy desire contaminate the soul and compromise its integrity. To avoid sin a person must resist it at its beginnings, immediately reject and repel unholy thoughts, hold every emotion and desire under reason and conscience, and take every precaution to shut out whatever leads into sin. Once desire is allowed to grow it brings forth open sin, and that sin then becomes a current that carries the sinner onward toward death with very little power left to resist the clamors of passion, as seen in unchaste evil between a man and a woman which could have been prevented by guarding against the first familiarities that lead into sin.
Dwelling on scenes and thoughts of impurity arouses passion, and when desire is stirred and allowed to grow sin is the result. It is unsafe to linger to contemplate the advantages to be gained by yielding, for sin is blinding and deceiving in its nature and entices with flattering presentations, and means dishonor and disaster to every soul that indulges in it. Venturing onto forbidden ground removes assurance of protection from power, so every avenue by which the tempter may find access must be closed rather than going needlessly where protection is no longer assured.
The warning calls for victory over self, temper, and inclinations, with the human will brought into conformity to God's will and divine power joined to human effort. Temptation itself is not sin; sin comes only when lust is yielded to and conceived, and finished sin brings forth death as a bitter harvest of separation from God, loss of heaven, agony and despair. Even the best who ever lived have been grievously assaulted, so the weakest should not be discouraged merely because they are assailed, but victory comes by keeping grace in the heart, watching and praying, standing fearlessly and firmly for God and the right on the promises of Scripture with truth as armor and sure defense, while not placing oneself needlessly in the way of temptation since contact with a poisoned moral atmosphere can taint the life-blood of the soul before danger is perceived. Uncontrolled passion leading from greatness into ruin warns people of every age, including the mature who think they stand firm, to resist inward corruption meeting outward temptation.
Overcoming requires sincere repentance and forsaking sin in this life, with genuine conversion to turn from the course of yielded desire that conceives sin and, when brought to completion, brings death, a course not caused by God. What might have been best years can become worst years when one is led away by his own lusts and enticed into sensual practices and unholy practices including sexual sin, bringing moral ruin and risking eternal ruin with grave end to continuing in sin. Greater light and knowledge increase guilt when resisted, and God will not save a person while he continues in sin that he knows to be sin, so making light of sin and dwelling only on love encourages fatal self-deception and keeps truth apart from the life so it has no power to convict and convert. Hope is only by faith becoming more than it is now, taking the preparation for eternal life offered in the Word, fastening to Christ, pleading constantly to be kept by His power, and straining every nerve and spirit and muscle to leave the world and attain the perfection of His character, for a moment's carelessness or swerving a single inch from duty can begin a step-by-step growth where one sin leads to a second and prepares a third until the course ends in perdition and irretrievable ruin, a danger falling especially on those who think they stand firm because they have the truth while not having it as it is in Jesus, while as long as evil exists every inducement will be put before the soul to lure it into self-deception that ends in death.
The same progression applies to gratifying appetite for wine and cider, where indulgence leads to stronger cravings, intoxication, loss of reason, and further sins ending in ruin, and one glass of wine may lead to drunkenness just as an indulged vindictive feeling may lead to murder. It applies to unbecoming familiarity and sentimental indulgence between men and women, the sensual flow of affections in the wrong channel, and an unreal life with no depth of character tossed to and fro like waves of the sea instead of cherishing virtue and purity and love and pressing forward to the high calling. The path of selfish and sensual pleasure may appear to promise happiness, but its hidden danger and fearful end are ruin in this life and the life to come, wasting strength and destroying lives, while uncontrolled appetite ruins people and prevents perfecting of character. Conquering appetite strengthens a person to overcome other temptations, yet a single step and even a small departure from principle can prepare the way for further wrongdoing, separate from God, and end in apostasy, for corrupt habits are formed more quickly than habits of righteousness and truth and are difficult to abandon, continual transgression has brought sickness, pain, and death, and temptations to indulge appetite become harder to resist as the end approaches.
The verse lays out a fixed course in which a person's own desire draws and entices, and when that desire is cherished it gives birth to sin, and when sin is carried to completion it gives birth to death. Temptation itself is not sin, for sin comes only when temptation is yielded to and consented to by will and heart. God tempts no one to evil and did not create evil, sin, and death, but temptation rises from within the person while disobedience itself began with Satan. Evil must therefore be stopped at its start by at once rejecting unholy thoughts and shutting out whatever leads into sin, since dwelling on impurity arouses passion and brings forth sin. Left to run its course, finished sin brings separation from God, suffering, and death, not as part of His original design but as the sure harvest of choosing sin.
Meaning of the Progression
The verse lays out a fixed course in which a person's own desire draws and entices, and when that lust has conceived it gives birth to sin, and sin when brought to completion and fully grown gives birth to death. Sin begins when desire is indulged and yielded to rather than being caused by God, who may prove people so they recognize weakness but never tempts anyone to evil. Its warning calls for victory over self, temper, and inclinations, with the human will brought into conformity to God's will and divine power joined to human effort.
Temptation itself is not sin, for sin comes only when temptation is yielded to, when lust is conceived and consented to by will and heart. Spiritual ruin follows only then, when passion is allowed to rule reason and wrongdoing triumphs over truth and justice by the person's own act, which no earthly power can compel. One who stands firm in doing right and keeps the mind unpolluted is not defiled by surrounding evil, even though even the best have been grievously assaulted. Temptations in earthly probation test people and reveal what is in their hearts, so the weakest need not be discouraged merely because they are assailed.
Open sin follows a gradual inner process in which spirituality declines, God is neglected in thought and prayer, selfish thoughts and feelings gain control, carnal desires grow stronger, and proud self-sufficiency takes hold before the act is committed. Passion gaining control over reason and impulse overcoming principle shows how unchecked desire leads to violation of law, with the danger often unrecognized until purity is lost and results appear. Inward corruption meeting outward temptation places the soul in danger, since temptation can awaken corrupt thoughts and purposes and lead toward ruin. An evil heart that gives temptation room to grow must be confronted, for prayer alone without changed conduct and self-control does not overcome.
Sin grows step by step, with one transgression and even one neglect to manifest the right spirit opening the way for another and still another until the mind is overmastered by principles of evil. One sin leads to a second and prepares a third and so on until the course ends in perdition, and a moment's carelessness or swerving a single inch from duty can begin a plunge into irretrievable ruin. Desire allowed to grow brings forth open sin that then becomes like a current carrying the sinner onward toward death, leaving the character with very little power to resist the clamors of passion. Evil must therefore be stopped at its start by shutting out whatever leads into sin, as with unchaste familiarity that could have been prevented by guarding against the first familiarities.
A single indulged wrong desire or choice can prepare the way for further wrongdoing and end in death. Even a small departure from principle can separate from God and end in apostasy, as one glass of wine may lead to drunkenness and an indulged vindictive feeling may lead to murder. Corrupt habits are formed more quickly than habits of righteousness and truth and prove difficult to abandon.
Temptation, Sin, and Responsibility
God tempts no one to evil, for temptation rises from inside the person when his own desire draws him away and entices him. Desire conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when brought to completion and fully grown brings forth death, so unholy practices, including cherished unholy desires and sexual sin, end gravely unless sincerely repented of and forsaken in this life. He may prove people so that they recognize their weakness, but proving is not tempting to do evil, and yielding to deceptive temptation is what carries desire forward into sin and finally into death. Evil, sin, and death were not created by God but result from disobedience, which originated with Satan, and forbidden curiosity and unsatisfied desires led Adam and Eve into sin and the loss of their Eden home.
Satan seduces professed soldiers of Jesus Christ away from God step by step by devising deceptive allurements. He first uses transgression in what seem like little matters, when the word of God has plainly revealed the work to be done and it is refused because it does not suit inclination or because the attraction of the world allures from the service of Christ, and then he presents larger attractions to seduce fully from God, drawing youth especially away from Jesus. As long as he exists he will keep putting every inducement before the soul to lure it into self-deception that ends in death, when desire gives birth to sin and sin leads to death. Therefore faith must become more than it is now, and each one who receives Jesus Christ must take the preparation for eternal life offered in the Word of God.
Temptation does not force anyone to sin, for although Satan as sin's originator may make evil appear enticing, each person chooses whether to accept or refuse it. Sin follows only when a person yields to temptation, so Satan's part does not excuse personal choice. Refusing temptation allows escape from its deadly outcome.
Sin's End in Death
Suffering, sickness, pain and death are not part of the original design but are the result of sin and of humanity's continual transgression, and when that design is restored sickness and death will be absent. Giving in to appetite belongs to this same progression toward death, for uncontrolled appetite can ruin people and enslavement to it prevents the perfecting of Christian character, while conquering appetite strengthens a person to overcome other temptations. Temptations to indulge appetite become harder to resist as the end of time approaches.
Finished sin brings forth death as a bitter harvest of separation from God, loss of heaven, agony and despair. Choosing sin separates from God and cuts off blessing and leads surely to ruin and death. Each act of transgression changes character and makes further sin easier, not because God waits to punish but because actions themselves set their consequences in motion.
Natural tendencies such as self-love and self-indulgence carry within them the seeds of moral death. Without the Holy Spirit and a vital connection with God, people cannot resist temptation and its effects. Desire for forbidden things gains mastery when the heart is not purified by divine grace, and such ruling desire is joined with self-glorification and failure to show sincere love. Even sanctification does not make affections and desires always right nor remove the danger that they may lead into sin, since desire can lead to sin and sin when it reaches its full result leads to death.
Persistent yielding to known desire gives birth to sin and leads to death, and persistent sin brings moral ruin and risks eternal ruin. Greater light and knowledge increase guilt when they are resisted. Sin grows step by step, where one sin leads to a second and the second prepares the way for a third until the course ends in perdition, and even a moment's carelessness or swerving a single inch from duty can begin this course and plunge a soul into irretrievable ruin. The danger falls especially on those who think they stand firm because they have the truth while not having it as it is in Jesus. God will not save a person while continuing in sin known to be sin, so making light of sin and dwelling only on love encourages fatal self-deception and keeps truth apart from the life so that it has no power to convict and convert. Turning from that course requires repentance and genuine conversion, with hope only by fastening to Christ, pleading constantly to be kept by His power, and straining every power to leave the world and attain the perfection of His character.
Examples Warning Every Age
Lust once it takes hold gives birth to sin, and sin carried through to completion brings death, following a fixed course from misplaced affection and coveting what is forbidden to ruin. Solomon illustrates this progression, for though he was the greatest king, the beloved of God, and endowed with heavenly wisdom, he failed to rule his own passions, became contaminated and forsaken of God, and dishonored God by choosing to be controlled by lust rather than to partake of the divine nature. After a life of greatness and power he fell from greatness into ruin through uncontrolled passion, and though he may have repented, repentance could not efface the high places and stones that remained as evidence of his crimes. His legacy of evil warns the youth to bring their gifts early to God and to keep adding virtue to faith, and warns people of every age, including the mature who think they stand firm, to watch and pray, keep grace in the heart, and resist inward corruption meeting outward temptation.
Elder Himes illustrates the same course, for he was led away by his own lusts and enticed, and sensual practices turned what might have been his best years into his worst. Desire when yielded to and followed and allowed to grow gives birth to sin, and sin leads to death, bringing moral ruin and destroying years that could have been fruitful. Persistent sin brings moral ruin and risks eternal ruin, with greater light and knowledge increasing guilt when resisted, so repentance and genuine conversion are necessary to turn from that course. Adam and Eve illustrate the loss brought by forbidden curiosity and unsatisfied desires, which led into sin and the loss of their Eden home. Evil, sin, and death were not created by God but result from disobedience, which originated with Satan.
Judas illustrates how cultivated selfishness becomes a devouring passion which nothing but the power of Christ can subdue. Satan ruins the soul by closing the heart to the needs and suffering of others, since practical sympathy is the test of purity and unselfishness of heart, and constant planning to benefit self cultivated selfishness as in him. Though as near to Christ as Judas was, without being made one with Him in sincere sympathy for those for whom He gave His life a person is outside Christ and the sport of temptations. Sin grows from the first small deviation from righteousness, for one transgression and even one neglect to manifest the spirit of Christ opens the way for another and still another until the mind is overmastered by the principles of the enemy. Other cases show lustful passions as a serious obstacle to overcoming and developing Christian character, as with Cornell, whose passions threatened downfall. Yielding to temptation produces concrete sinful action such as embezzling the Lord's goods, and those who claim to be converted must show a change in character and principles rather than continue in conduct condemned by God.
Victory at the Beginning
Evil must be stopped at its start, for cherished desire gives birth to sin and sin fully developed brings death. Evil-speaking begins in evil thoughts, and tolerated impure thoughts and cherished unholy desire contaminate the soul and compromise its integrity. To avoid sin a person must resist it at its beginnings, immediately reject and repel unholy thoughts, hold every emotion and desire under reason and conscience, and take every precaution to shut out whatever leads into sin. Once desire is allowed to grow it brings forth open sin, and that sin then becomes a current that carries the sinner onward toward death with very little power left to resist the clamors of passion, as seen in unchaste evil between a man and a woman which could have been prevented by guarding against the first familiarities that lead into sin.
Dwelling on scenes and thoughts of impurity arouses passion, and when desire is stirred and allowed to grow sin is the result. It is unsafe to linger to contemplate the advantages to be gained by yielding, for sin is blinding and deceiving in its nature and entices with flattering presentations, and means dishonor and disaster to every soul that indulges in it. Venturing onto forbidden ground removes assurance of protection from power, so every avenue by which the tempter may find access must be closed rather than going needlessly where protection is no longer assured.
The warning calls for victory over self, temper, and inclinations, with the human will brought into conformity to God's will and divine power joined to human effort. Temptation itself is not sin; sin comes only when lust is yielded to and conceived, and finished sin brings forth death as a bitter harvest of separation from God, loss of heaven, agony and despair. Even the best who ever lived have been grievously assaulted, so the weakest should not be discouraged merely because they are assailed, but victory comes by keeping grace in the heart, watching and praying, standing fearlessly and firmly for God and the right on the promises of Scripture with truth as armor and sure defense, while not placing oneself needlessly in the way of temptation since contact with a poisoned moral atmosphere can taint the life-blood of the soul before danger is perceived. Uncontrolled passion leading from greatness into ruin warns people of every age, including the mature who think they stand firm, to resist inward corruption meeting outward temptation.
Overcoming requires sincere repentance and forsaking sin in this life, with genuine conversion to turn from the course of yielded desire that conceives sin and, when brought to completion, brings death, a course not caused by God. What might have been best years can become worst years when one is led away by his own lusts and enticed into sensual practices and unholy practices including sexual sin, bringing moral ruin and risking eternal ruin with grave end to continuing in sin. Greater light and knowledge increase guilt when resisted, and God will not save a person while he continues in sin that he knows to be sin, so making light of sin and dwelling only on love encourages fatal self-deception and keeps truth apart from the life so it has no power to convict and convert. Hope is only by faith becoming more than it is now, taking the preparation for eternal life offered in the Word, fastening to Christ, pleading constantly to be kept by His power, and straining every nerve and spirit and muscle to leave the world and attain the perfection of His character, for a moment's carelessness or swerving a single inch from duty can begin a step-by-step growth where one sin leads to a second and prepares a third until the course ends in perdition and irretrievable ruin, a danger falling especially on those who think they stand firm because they have the truth while not having it as it is in Jesus, while as long as evil exists every inducement will be put before the soul to lure it into self-deception that ends in death.
The same progression applies to gratifying appetite for wine and cider, where indulgence leads to stronger cravings, intoxication, loss of reason, and further sins ending in ruin, and one glass of wine may lead to drunkenness just as an indulged vindictive feeling may lead to murder. It applies to unbecoming familiarity and sentimental indulgence between men and women, the sensual flow of affections in the wrong channel, and an unreal life with no depth of character tossed to and fro like waves of the sea instead of cherishing virtue and purity and love and pressing forward to the high calling. The path of selfish and sensual pleasure may appear to promise happiness, but its hidden danger and fearful end are ruin in this life and the life to come, wasting strength and destroying lives, while uncontrolled appetite ruins people and prevents perfecting of character. Conquering appetite strengthens a person to overcome other temptations, yet a single step and even a small departure from principle can prepare the way for further wrongdoing, separate from God, and end in apostasy, for corrupt habits are formed more quickly than habits of righteousness and truth and are difficult to abandon, continual transgression has brought sickness, pain, and death, and temptations to indulge appetite become harder to resist as the end approaches.