Dear Mr. Rabbit:<br><br>When you make the distinction between the will and desires, I think you are dealing with a critical issue, though I would refine what you said below a little:<br><br>"It is possible to remain sinless for the whole of one's life. However, due to human nature, we desire only to do evil. Thus, sinlessness is only hypothetical; man's evil desires prevents him entirely from being sinless." <br><br>The scriptures teach that mans heart is "only evil continually" and "decietful above all things and desperately wicked" so your statement about desires is right on point. However, we are taught that submission to those deires, even if only in the mind, is what is sinful in such passages as "if a man look on a woman with lust after her, he has committed adultery in his heart" and when combined with the James passage on the difference between lust (desire) it seems clear that there is a distinction between sin, will and temptation or desire:<br><br>"James 1:14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust,<br>and enticed.<br>1:15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when<br>it is finished, bringeth forth death."<br><br>Perhaps I am wrong but the apostles distinction between lust, and it's conception seems significant.<br><br>I am not disagreeing with your basic point, which I believe is a critical and important one, rather, I'm trying to say that there does seem to be a distinction between temptation and acting on it, if only in the thought life, which I believe is a greatly overlooked area of sin.<br><br>Job said that he made a "covenant with his eyes" in this regard and this has been a blessing to me, as I believe he meant that he diverted his eyes from those things that were needlessy tempting. <br><br><br><br>Gerry<br><br>
