"Repent or perish" is the leading theme of this publication that incorporates explanations of the perilous effects of sin - primarily grave, mortal or deadly sins.
The Divine Redeemer is clear in severity while warning to turn from deadly sins or die: "But, unless you repent you will all perish..." (Luke 13:3).
Through sinning, the sinner is maltreating his or her entire nature: violating the will of God engraved in one's conscience, abusing the intellect by acting irrationally, ill-treating the will - being opposed to the perfect will of God, and breaking in defiance immutable divine laws. Therefore, mortal sins are rightly and justifiably called "an infinite evil" since they are perpetrated against the infinite goodness or benevolence of God.
When there is disobedience of divine law, instead of truth, there is falsehood; instead of mercy, there is cruelty or moral apathy; instead of justice, there is injustice; instead of purity, there is impurity, that is, instead of perfections of God, there are accusing opposites of divine perfections - forming monstrous disfigurement of the soul - disfigurement of God's image and likeness - divine image and likeness God granted to each human person. When one is away from God, one is away from divine truth, true love, true freedom, from soundness of judgment and reason, from Sanctifying Grace, and from true self - one is imprisoned in illusory world of one's own making, in slavery of the spirit of evil.
Thus, those who gravely offend God through a mortal sin, and are lacking remorse - refusing to repent commit spiritual self-slaughter, separating themselves willfully and entirely from God, and hence condemning themselves to Hell.
Included materials demonstrate a purposeful wordy warfare with the modern moral ills in a secularized culture, surveying volitional choices that present grave spiritual danger. Through the elucidation of the major consequences of sin, the most urgent need for repentance and continual conversion is recurrently stressed.
Repetitive tactics are used by which the author appears to be sermonizing to self and others, hammering the messages of import from different angles and reentries, yet the overriding effort of the work is not only to expound the ravages of sin, but more importantly, to lead those who are in bondage of sin to full cooperation with the liberating and all-healing power of divine grace.
Dorothy K. Kardas, Psy.D., Th.D.
