just the right angle for incisive speech, he said:

"What is the apostle Paul writing about? Now, if you want to
understand what any given text means, you must know three things, my
friends. First you must know who was writing; second, you must know
to whom he was writing; and third, you must know what he was writing
about." And then he cocked his head at a different angle, and shot
glances around to see how his profound statement was being received.
He looked especially at Robert and Mary, and some of the others
glanced first at them and then at Peter, to see if there was a
prospect of striking fire.

Giving his head a backward jerk, Peter continued:

"The apostle Paul was the writer of this epistle, and he was writing
to the Romans. They were a Gentile church in Rome, and Paul was
writing about how Christians were to live. Now, see here friends, we
are all sinners, every one of us, sinners saved by grace. Paul said in
one place that he was the chief of sinners. I am a sinner, but I thank
God through Jesus Christ the Lord, that Christ died for us, and some
day I expect to land in the glory world. I know there are some who say
that they can't sin, but I am sure I sin and they do, too. No one can
live without sin in this low land of sorrow." And Peter again poised
his head at a quizzical angle, and glanced around to see how his talk
was being taken. He paused a moment, and, before he knew it, Robert
was on his feet, saying:

"I beg to differ with the brother who has just spoken about this
matter of committing sin. Paul says, in the twentieth verse of this
chapter, 'But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound,' and in