who can understand it?” (Jer. 17:9). Jesus declared that “out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander” (Matt. 15:19; cf. Gen. 6:5; 8:21; Rom. 7:18). This is a truth that every sinner must come to grips with. Our problem is not just a matter of how we think or what we do. The real problem is who we are. We are not sinners because we sin; we sin because we are sinners. Israel’s likening of themselves (and all sinners) to sheep is an apt analogy.