Romans 7:11 : For sin, finding occasion, through the commandment beguiled me, and through it slew me. In the King James Version this verse reads: "For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me." Notice the difference in the punctuation. The reader of the Bible should know that punctuation marks were not in use when the Bible was written, and that in using them now the translators place them so as to show what seems to them the proper construction of the sentence. The translators of the American Standard Version thought the phrase, "through the commandment," should modify "deceived"--deceived through the commandment the King James translators thought it should modify "taking occasion"--taking occasion by the commandment. In this instance I prefer the King James Version, for I can see how the devil would take occasion through a command of God to lead a person to disobey that command, but I cannot see how he could deceive a person through a command of God. Yet some seriously argue that Paul was deceived through the commandment, and yet we wonder if the person who so argues does not have any misgivings as to the correctness of his contention. There is another peculiarity in the contention of those who so argue. Without seeming to be conscious that they shift their ground a little, the advocates of this position tell us that a command of God stirs up in a sinner a feeling of rebellion against whatever God commands. But if a person is led by deception to disobey God, then he does not disobey through a rebellious spirit. But do God's commands really stir in the sinner a determination not to do what God commands and to do what he forbids? Does anyone really think that the command, "Thou shalt not kill," ever made any one want to commit murder? Did the command, "Thou shalt not steal," ever make any one want to slip out at night and steal? Paul used his own experience as typical of the experiences of all other people. The truth he set forth is illustrated in the case of Eve. Concerning the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil God said to Adam and Eve: "Thou shalt not eat of it." By his lying speech Satan deceived her. He did not deceive her by means of the commandment, but took the commandment as an occasion to approach her, and to deceive her into believing it would be greatly to her advantage to eat the fruit. Death was the penalty for that disobedience. Hence, the devil seized the occasion, or opportunity, presented by that command, and by his artful speech deceived her, and by the command slew her. It certainly was not inherent depravity that caused her to sin. So nearly did her case parallel Paul's that we can say of her substantially what Paul said of himself: Satan, taking occasion through the commandment, deceived Eve, and by it slew her. And so of all others.