Winning the Battle Against Sin: Hope-Filled Lessons from the Bible

by Mitch Pacwa

What is sin, why did it happen, and how can we overcome it? Popular EWTN host and speaker Fr. Mitch Pacwa uses his extensive knowledge of the Scriptures to take us on a tour of the Bible to help us understand sin and why we need Jesus in our lives to defeat it.

Genres: Catholic

184 pages, Paperback

First published April 29, 2013

About the author

Fr. Mitchell "Mitch" Pacwa , S.J., is a Jesuit priest. He is bi-ritual, meaning that he can celebrate liturgy in both the Roman and Maronite rites. He is President and Founder of Ignatius Productions. He has taught at the University of Dallas and Loyola University and is now the Senior Fellow of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology.

Fr. Pacwa earned his Ph.D. in Old Testament from Vanderbilt University. He also holds a Master of Divinity and S.T.B. from the Jesuit School of Theology at Loyola University. He is an accomplished linguist speaking several ancient languages, including Latin, Koine Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Ugaritic, as well as the modern languages of German, Spanish, Polish, Hebrew, Arabic, French, and Italian.

Father Pacwa is author of Catholics and the New Age: How Good People Are Being Drawn into Jungian Psychology the Enneagram and the Age of Aquarius (1992), Forgive Me Father for I Am Frustrated: Growing in Your Faith Even When It Isn’t Easy Being Catholic (1997), published by Servant Books. Holy Land Prayer Book (2004) published by Ignatius Productions and co-authored with Sean Brown, Go In Peace: Your Guide to the Purpose and Power of Confession (2007) published by Ascension Press, and Saint Paul: A Study Guide for Catholics (2008) published by Our Sunday Visitor, Saint Paul on the Power of the Cross (2008)

Reviews

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a hard review to write. I don't know why I grabbed this book off but when I saw it at the religious goods bookstore I had to get it. I had previously read one of Fr. Pacwa's other books and seem to feel the same way I felt after reading this one as I did that one, and that feeling is hard to categorize. Fr. Pacwa's writing style is both meandering and concisely direct. This book has a cumulative effect; it's not until you get into the later chapters that what he says in the early chapters begins to sink in. As I mentioned in an earlier status update, the ten-page discussion of Psalm 51 make this a book worth reading.
I did mark 2 paragraphs that I need to go back and reread. Here is one of those:
The ultimate light that shines in the darkness is "the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ." As St. Paul had said earlier in this letter [2 Corinthians] in verse 3:18, this light is a knowledge that draws the believer into a personal relationship with God and transforms the person.
Fr. Pacwa continues to develop this "hope-filled lesson" on God's gift of transformation for the repentant.

[Mark Swiderski · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very insightful read

Really brings the Inner struggle we face, regarding sin, into focus with great insight using the Scripture and everyday language.

[Katarzyna Balutowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written and easy to follow. It is a Bible study that focuses on the topic of sin. The last two chapters are different in style from the rest of the book which was a bit odd. There was still good material there, but it was harder to follow then the rest of the book. Definitely written for a group Bible study instead of individual study.

[Luke Soto · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved reading this book. it was ahuge lesson on what really matters most. a realtionship with Christ. The lessons on the depth of sin the reason for our fall from christ and why Christ came to save us and lead us to salvation a place where we can have a close relationship with God.

I loved learninging the depths of our redemption and the healing that those words have brought about. I look forward to learning more on this topic and I ask that God may lead you as well into a deeper relationship with him

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will be reading more of Fr. Pacwa's books. In this book, he starts with the sins of Adam and Eve and guides us through the Bible, opening up Scripture and helping us plot our way back to Christ. The last few chapters walk us through meditating on Scripture to help us make straight the path to Jesus and repentance.