The Futility of Sin

Aim: To battle sin in us; but to always embrace Christ's righteousness.

Doctrine: Sin always leads to calamity. The great lie: sin has no consequences. The truth: sin (if not expunged by Christ) leads to ruin.

Exegesis: The bondage of sin's futility: sin forces us to flee God's provision (vv. 27-29), to devise our own salvation (v. 30), and to grieve our bad decisions (v. 31).

Further application: The true saint's candid perspective on sin: ''God, give me a lot of affliction over one sin,'' and ''God, give me grace to trust Jesus always.''

Key phrase: v. 30a ''And when you are plundered, what will you do?...''