It does seem that the program that built the files has added multiple unnecessary spans into it. So that is the issue. I"ll have to get the file remade. Thanks everyone for your help and pointers. You can see it here.
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<p class="block_31"><span class="text_16">Thesis 2:</span><i class="calibre5"> The Law always ends up accusing us.</i></p>
<p class="block_33">*</p>
<p class="block_31"><span class="text_11">The truth is that we do not obey even the best of laws. This side of eter</span>nity, we keep committing sins and, according to the Bible, “if we claim to be without sin,*we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us<span class="text_11">” (1 John 1:8). For instance, God commanded us to “make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit” (Ephesians 4:3). Yet the world-wide church has splintered into more than 40,000 groupings,</span><sup class="text_12"><a title="39" class="noteref" href="../Text/index_split_049.html#note_39"><sup id="back_note_39" class="calibre4">39</sup></a></sup><span class="text_11"> which means that we have probably not made “every effort” (Ephesians 4:3) to maintain unity among us. We get jealous of one another and take offense.</span></p>
<p class="block_31">The required standard of obedience to the laws of God is perfection. Jesus commanded his disciples to “be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). But we cannot reach this standard – at least not consistently – and therefore all laws end up accusing us of falling “short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). There is nothing wrong with the holy laws of God. They serve to guide our behaviour but we cannot keep listening to them without standing condemned and feeling the weight of our flawed selves before God, “for the law will always accuse us because we never satisfy the law of God. As Paul says (Romans 4:15), ‘The law brings wrath.’”<sup class="calibre4"><a title="40" class="noteref" href="../Text/index_split_050.html#note_40"><sup id="back_note_40" class="calibre4">40</sup></a></sup> The Law always ends up accusing us.</p>
<p class="block_33">*</p>
<p class="block_38">Martin Luther: The law shows sin, accuses and terrifies the conscience, declares the wrath of God, and drives to desperation.<sup class="calibre4"><a title="41" class="noteref" href="../Text/index_split_051.html#note_41"><sup id="back_note_41" class="calibre4">41</sup></a></sup></p>
<p class="block_37">*</p>
<p class="block_38">Lutheran heritage: The mere preaching of the law without Christ either produces presumptuous people, who believe that they can fulfill the law by external works, or drives people utterly to despair.<sup class="calibre4"><a title="42" class="noteref" href="../Text/index_split_052.html#note_42"><sup id="back_note_42" class="calibre4">42</sup></a></sup></p>
<p class="block_37">*</p>
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