By John Thiel, mp3

Scripture Reading: Hebrews 9:15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions [that were] under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

Our True Condition

Our meditation is based upon a most remarkable comfort and assurance. The human dilemma in which we all are involved in, is ignorance of their true condition.

Proverbs 4:19 The way of the wicked [is] as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.

Have you ever stumbled over something and you wondered what it was? Because we are not conscious of sometimes something in the pathway and we trip, this is the plight of this world. As Apostle John says in 1 John 5:19 the whole world lieth in wickedness. They know not at what they stumble.

When it says the whole world it actually includes also the people who are God’s professed people. The Apostle Paul deals with this perplexity of humanity, even of those who are the professed people of God.

Romans 3:9 What then? are we better [than they]? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; 10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

Just to re-confirm this reality for people who are the professed people of God. They know not at what they stumble. Does that include the people who are God’s people today? Here are the words of the true witness who knows, our Lord Jesus Christ knows.

Revelation 3:14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; 15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. 17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

You and I in the period of Laodicea, if we want to have hope, we need to acknowledge this fact that I do not have a perfectly true knowledge of myself. I do not even know. While I am thinking I am quite comfortable, rich and increased with spiritual goods, but I don’t really know how miserable and poor and blind and naked I really am.

To be illuminated to a true consciousness of one’s wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked condition, is an unwelcome illumination. It’s not comfortable. People don’t want to know that.

2 Peter 3:2 That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour:

We are to be mindful of what was spoken in the Bible, in the words of the apostles, we are to be mindful of that. But in the last days it is written:

2 Peter 3:5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: 6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:

We want to be willingly ignorant of the circumstances that took place back in Noah’s time which are according to the words of Jesus, the same in the last days. We do not want to know, we are willingly ignorant. God is saying something to the Laodicean people and they say no, I am all right. I’m willingly ignorant. I don’t want to know.

Instead, I want to cover myself with a sense of well-being, with a sense of righteousness.

God’s Process to Save Us

But we must have a knowledge of ourselves, a knowledge that will result in contrition, before we can find pardon and peace. The Pharisee felt no conviction of sin. The Holy Spirit could not work with him. His soul was encased in a self-righteous armor which the arrows of God, barbed and true-aimed by angel hands, failed to penetrate. It is only he who knows himself to be a sinner that Christ can save. COL 158.1

We want to be saved. Only the people who will stop shielding themselves about the sense of their true condition will be able to be saved. If they will stop shielding themselves, if they will open their thoughts to the revelations of God’s light that illuminates their true condition. It is these people that can be saved.

The others who don’t want to know the reality of their condition, they will go on like the Pharisee, covered with armour, protecting my personal comfort zone.

Did you notice here that the soul is encased in a self-righteous armor which the arrows of God, barbed and true-aimed by angel hands, failed to penetrate? We observe here that God is at work to help us understand our true condition. That is what He is saying to the Laodicean church. I counsel thee to buy of me gold, to buy of me eye salve that you may see.

The thing that eye salve will make me see is I am in a deplorable condition! God does not let us go off the hook on discovering our true condition. He has worked a program, a process, by which we may discover for ourselves the inward condition of our being. Sometimes we are just told and we think all right I have to submit to that. No. God’s got a way of showing us our true condition without telling us. We will discover it. He has given and demonstrated this in the process of the Hebrews whom He saved from Egypt, from the bondage. He reminded them as to what He did for them. He wanted to save them, so He saved them from the dilemma of the Egyptian captivity. In the commencement of giving His ten commandments to them He expressed this.

A Covenant Relationship

Exodus 20:1 And God spake all these words, saying, 2 I [am] the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

They had it clear in their memory, what an amazing story that was! We have studied it carefully in the past. We know that it was by a mighty hand of God’s intervention that He pulled them out of this bondage. He gave them the ten commandments. As He gave them these ten commandments, He actually said it very plainly, you are to keep these commandments. He led them into a covenant relationship with Him. What a beautiful thing it is that God led them into a covenant relationship. The covenant which God made with the Hebrews, He makes with every human being who He wants to save out of bondage.

Deuteronomy 26:16 This day the LORD thy God hath commanded thee to do these statutes and judgments: thou shalt therefore keep and do them with all thine heart, and with all thy soul.

He laid it out before them, He read the document and they promised, they said with solemn oath, everything that the Lord has said we will do and be obedient.

Deuteronomy 26:17 Thou hast avouched the LORD this day to be thy God, and to walk in his ways, and to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and to hearken unto his voice: 18 And the LORD hath avouched thee this day to be his peculiar people, as he hath promised thee, and that [thou] shouldest keep all his commandments; 19 And to make thee high above all nations which he hath made, in praise, and in name, and in honour; and that thou mayest be an holy people unto the LORD thy God, as he hath spoken.

Isn’t this an honour? Isn’t this an amazing thing, that God has uplifted these Hebrew people and all who will be redeemed from Egyptian bondage, spiritually speaking?

You have avouched. I want you to think back in your own experience, was there a time where you actually made a vow? What’s it called today? A baptismal vow. Where we vow to God that we will keep His commandments.

In the story of the Hebrews goes the development of this. After solemnly promising that they will keep God’s commandments, what happened? The next event brought them to break their promise.

Hebrews 8:7 For if that first [covenant] had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.

God made a covenant with them. That’s the one we were just reading there, a vow, solemnly promising. A covenant that you will be the great people of the earth. Isn’t it interesting how He comes to the people and He lets them feel that they will be elevated? It’s very pleasing to the natural man. Wow! If I keep those commandments of God I will be elevated!

The motivation that is generated by this covenant is addressed here, but it was a faulty one. What was the fault?

Hebrews 8:8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: 9 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.

The children of Israel, the Hebrews, broke the covenant. When they broke the covenant they were really in appreciation of their unrighteousness. They realised we are truly undone! We are going to be destroyed now.

The horrifying experience of having made solemn promises and of having a glorious prospect of being God’s holy people, they and every human being who comes to this, it’s a devastation to discover that what I promised I am not keeping perfectly. I have failed.

Why Did Jesus Die?

To the human being there is the illumination of those who respond to the saving power of God, the covenant-making God. There is an awakening of an awareness from within that they had no idea was really there. We come to God and we are taken over this process to reveal the true condition to our knowledge. This is for one purpose. That we can appreciate the righteousness and the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

We cannot appreciate Jesus unless we see our true condition. So God makes sure that we will see it and that we will see why Jesus died. Why did He die? Why is He in heaven now? What is He doing?

Hebrews 9:15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions [that were] under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

What is this saying? What did Jesus die for? He died for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament. He had called the Hebrews and us out of Satan’s bondage. He commits to us the commandments of God. Every human being, the natural man who can see God’s mighty hand and can see this is what God wants to do for me, He wants to elevate me to a holy people. The natural man says well, yes, I want that. And he makes solemn promises. Then he breaks them.

What did Jesus die for? For the sins, for the breaking of the commandments that were done after they had promised in the covenant that they had made with Him. Jesus had died for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first covenant, the first testament.

We need to fully understand our position and condition and so God says here is the commandments, you promise. When we fail we are doomed. We are truly doomed. The awareness of my incapacity to even fulfil my promises, as Sr. White was caused to write, our promises are like ropes of sand.

So God has to bring in another covenant. A covenant that is gained by the sacrifice of Jesus dying for having failed to keep that which I knew I should keep, that I had actually committed myself to keep, and I have failed miserably. When I fail miserably like that and I think I am at the death row, the magnanimity of God becomes manifest.

The sacrifice of Jesus is the avenue by which a person who has walked and talked with God and still failed miserably, can truly appreciate that sacrifice. Only he can truly appreciate. What did Jesus die for? For the sins that were done after we walked and talked with Him like the Hebrews did. They walked and talked with Him. Wonderful, powerful manifestations of God for them! So it is with us. He has drawn us with a love and a kindness. We are touched by His amazing power on my behalf. With that I should be so thankful, but I break the commandments. Why did Jesus die for?

John 15:12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

What kind of love did He have?

John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

When Jesus will be in heaven and the people who haven’t been conscious of what He has suffered but will be saved, they will say what are these signs in your hands? What are these terrible wounds in your hands? He said that is what was done to me in the house of my friends.

His friends are the people whom He has sought to redeem. They have promised to keep His commandments, they have promised to do His will, but they failed. Jesus died for that failure. There you see the amazing character of God!

The Second Covenant

As we have been benefited by salvation from spiritual Egypt, we have made a solemn vow and then failed and sinned miserably. There is a covenant for us. It’s the second covenant, which David illustrates. You know very well he was in his youth, he walked with God, he composed and sung those beautiful psalms. He was a servant of God right through to the point where he was anointed as king. He was declared to be a man after God’s own heart. He always sought God for wisdom as to what to do and God walked with him and talked with him.

Then after so many years what did he do? A terrible sin. A person like him would do! Killing after he had committed adultery with Uriah the Hittite’s wife. He then finds himself in a terrible position because she is pregnant and he says, alright, I am going to have to deal with this. So he sends Uriah to war and lets him be killed. A man of God?

As you and I have made experiences with God of similar caliber, have we sometimes sinned? If you haven’t yet, if one day it catches you by surprise, don’t despair.

Isaiah 55:3 Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you,

Which is what?

Isaiah 55:3 …[even] the sure mercies of David. 4 Behold, I have given him [for] a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people.

The people who have been redeemed and have walked with God, have been redeemed from Egyptian captivity. They have walked with God like David did. And David needed the mercies of God, he needed the death of Jesus for the sins that were done after he had already made a close walk with God.

He says to us listen carefully. Consider and incline your ear carefully to my voice here. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, which is the exact covenant I made with king David after he had sinned so dreadfully. If any one of you discovers the seriousness of your condition, where you think this is it, I have completely done it! I have known better and I have done the terrible deed. Jesus died for that transgression, and many more that you discover, that as a follower of Jesus you discover more and more discrepancies in your life that you should have known better.

The Process of Justification

Our journey from sin to righteousness is by a process of the justification that falls upon a soul who has miserably failed God when he should have known better. It’s called justification.

Most people when they discover their wrong, such as king Saul when he was told plainly, what did he do? You have been commanded, said Samuel, to kill all the Amorites and you have left, what can I hear? You were to kill the sheep and everything. What do I hear? Bleating of sheep. What did Saul say? This is for sacrifice in the sanctuary. What did Saul say? But, but, but I did what God said. He was trying to justify himself. In his efforts to justify himself he condemned himself even more.

You and I have discovered our mistakes and evils and sins and we seek to justify ourselves. God says I have made something better for you than that. I have died for those sins. Surrender. Give over.

The process of justification and sanctification is the process to recover us from sin.

There we have the illustration. The sinner, like David, like you and me, who have really ruined our future, is lying at the bottom of the pit. There he is in the pit of sin. He is completely shattered. There comes Jesus. You have broken the law after you have promised not to. Let’s have a glimpse at this amazing story.

Through the imputed righteousness of Christ, the sinner may feel that he is pardoned, and may know that the law no more condemns him, because he is in harmony with all its precepts. It is his privilege to count himself innocent… SD 240.4

The sinner when he has broken the covenant, he has the privilege of regarding himself as innocent.

…when he reads and thinks of the retribution that will fall upon the unbelieving and sinful. By faith he lays hold of the righteousness of Christ. Knowing himself to be a sinner, SD 240.4

He knows it now to the crushing of his soul.

…a transgressor of the holy law of God, SD 240.4

But what does he do?

…he looks to the perfect obedience of Christ, to His death upon Calvary for the sins of the world; SD 240.4

And what did we read? For the sins that are done under the old covenant, under the promise. And what?

…and he has the assurance that he is justified by faith in the merit and sacrifice of Christ. SD 240.4

Here is the most important punch line of this quote.

He realizes that the law was obeyed in his behalf by the Son of God, and that the penalty of transgression cannot fall upon the believing sinner. The active obedience of Christ clothes the believing sinner with the righteousness that meets the demands of the law. SD 240.4

That is the process of being justified. That what it said, he has the assurance that he is justified by faith, not by a knowledge that he has kept the law, but by the faith that Jesus has kept the law on his behalf, and that Jesus died for the breaking of the law in my life.

Immediately as we believe that, there is no more condemnation. There is an absolute freedom from the condemnation of the law, because Jesus kept it for us. We are receiving the righteousness that Jesus kept the law by, not of our own righteousness of keeping the law. We broke it.

This is justification. I have been smitten, I have been hurt, my heart has been overwhelmed by my gross sin that has brought forth the agonizing cry, is there hope for me now? As it was with king David in Psalm 51. You know it so well.

God Wounds Us

It was God that has actually wounded the soul by the revelation of the law that was broken by me after I promised. He causes us to promise Him because He knows exactly that we are going to fail. But to help us understand that I am going to fail, to help us understand our weakness, He has hurt me by saying keep the commandments. He has hurt me, He has wounded me by making me promise to keep that law, knowing that I am going to fail anyway.

Hosea 6:1 Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. 2 After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. 3 Then shall we know, [if] we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter [and] former rain unto the earth.

God Heals Us

Here is the story. I have been bruised and smitten. I am at the bottom of the pit. What did Jesus do? Jesus came to the bottom of the pit. He died my death. He died the death that I was meant to die because I broke my promise to keep His law.

As He is there with me at the bottom of the pit, now, as it says there so plainly, how long was Jesus dead for? After two days, in the third day He rose.

You and I in Christ, who believe in the mercy, and surrender ourselves to the sacrifice that was made for me after I had promised and failed, we live together with Him in His sight.

We Are Lifted Out of the Pit

This is justification. I am lifted by the sacrifice and justification of Jesus. My mind is released, I am lifted up to the top straight away. To the very path of perfection. That is the top of the diagram here. The milestones of justification is when you are lifted out of the pit to the very top of the ladder, because Jesus has done that for me.

I am now walking, rejoicingly, along the path to perfection by faith in justification. I am up there. While in reality of my condition, I am at the bottom of the pit. I know my condition, I am frail and helpless. I am at the bottom of the pit, but by faith, the faith of Jesus, the righteousness of Christ, I am at the top. I am regarded, as I read it here, in this beautiful quote, that I have the assurance. Isn’t that what I read? He has the assurance that he is justified by faith in the merit and sacrifice of Christ. He realizes that the law was obeyed in his behalf by the Son of God, and that the penalty of transgression cannot fall upon the believing sinner.

Climbing the Ladder

I am up there by faith, but my life is not yet in a perfect state. So, as I travel along the path which is at the top, I meet different milestones in my experience which, in all reality, come from my practical life still trying to climb out of that pit.

This is the ladder. Faith, which is written there, the ladder that is written of in Apostle Peter’s account. Faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity (love). These are things that we have to attain to by climbing the ladder, but all the way of trying to climb up this ladder, at the same time, I am justified all the way along.

I come to the step of faith and I have to attain to the faith of Jesus, but I am justified by believing in His merits. Then I come to virtue and I have to reach a virtuous character. That is a step I have to take, but by the justification of Jesus, the milestone is reached by justification.

As I am climbing up out of the pit of my literal physical experience, which is climbing up through sanctification, the justification is an ongoing milestone. I come to the point of knowledge, which we have just touched on here, and my knowledge tells me I am yet intemperate, I am yet impatient. As I travel along in my step by step process I am discovering in my knowledge I am so impatient. What do I need? I need temperance and I haven’t been temperate.

As a person who discovers that he has been intemperate, he thinks what hope have I got, I am intemperate? But the merits of Jesus has lifted me above that, because He was temperate, and I am learning from Him.

I must walk constantly in a knowledge, as I discover my next step, I must acknowledge again the death of Jesus and the resurrection that is found in Him, in the justification of His merits. Every step as I walk along trying to climb out of my mess I am justified, I am a justified believing sinner.

This is to be our ongoing experience until we reach perfection, which is love, charity. All the way along I have it already in Jesus, but now I am learning through sanctification to have it in my life, until I have reached the top of the rung of the ladder, which is charity.

Just to verify all that we want to read the Spirit of Prophecy. When the heart is wounded and touched by the scene of the cross, what happens to it?  I come to a realisation that Jesus still loves me even though I have failed, even though I am discovering this dilemma of my life.

There is help for us only in God. We should not flatter ourselves that we have any strength in wisdom of our own, for our strength is weakness, our judgment foolishness. Christ conquered the foe in our behalf because He pitied our weakness and knew that we would be overcome and would perish if He did not come to our help. TMK 269.4

He knew that we were going to fail, He knew we were going to perish. We have no strength. Don’t even try to flatter ourselves. I am as weak as water. I can’t do anything right. Do you like that fact?

I get it sometimes when people say well, I can’t do anything right anyway. That’s right, I can’t do anything right, everything I do is mistakes. But, as I rest myself in the mercies of justification, and I see myself in my undone condition, my weakness, which He knows I have, my foolishness, He knows. He pities my weakness, He knows that we would be overcome and would perish if He didn’t help.

He clothed His divinity with humanity, and thus was qualified to reach man with His human arm while with His divine arm He grasped the throne of the Infinite. The merits of Christ elevate and ennoble humanity, and through the name and grace of Christ it is possible for man to overcome the degradation caused by the Fall, and through the exalted, divine nature of Christ to be linked to the Infinite. TMK 269.4

Can you see now, if I take hold of justification and I discover another element of my weakness and I rely on the merits of Jesus again, and as I rely on those merits we say what a God! He has mercy on me in my grovelling imperfection, in my impatience, in my lack of knowledge, in my lack of godliness, in my lack of brotherly kindness.

How many times have you experienced you haven’t spoken kindly to the one that annoys you. Is there brotherly kindness there? I am not Christlike! Well that’s all right, I am learning. In the meantime I am comforted that His righteousness and His brotherly kindness is accounted to me. As I keep on discovering those elements my soul is lifted up in noble aspiration. As I gaze upon it, it changes my inward response mechanism. It changes my character. The merits of Christ elevate and ennoble humanity.

The picture is that the sin-sick soul is carried by Jesus up the ladder by the application of His justification. He now lifts us to the next step, because my heart is ennobled, my character becomes altered, by beholding the justification.

How often along the way will we feel our need of justification? You can see it there, all the way along I will need further justification. I will continue to discover greater defects in my life, and I will need justification because I can’t change instantly. It’s the justification of Jesus that will change me step by step.

No outward observances can take the place of simple faith and entire renunciation of self. But no man can empty himself of self. We can only consent for Christ to accomplish the work. COL 159.3

I can’t even change myself, so Christ has to do this. You can see this now in this demonstration.

Then the language of the soul will be, Lord, take my heart; for I cannot give it. It is Thy property. Keep it pure, for I cannot keep it for Thee. COL 159.3

You know the weakness we are in.

Save me in spite of myself, my weak, unchristlike self. Mold me, fashion me, raise me into a pure and holy atmosphere, where the rich current of Thy love can flow through my soul. COL 159.3

How can that love flow through your soul unless you see the justification that the sacrifice and the merits of Jesus, after you have failed so badly? The love begins to flow.

It is not only at the beginning of the Christian life that this renunciation of self is to be made. COL 159.4

Many people think I have done that now it’s going to be all right. No.

At every advance step heavenward it is to be renewed. All our good works are dependent on a power outside of ourselves. COL 159.4

At every step heavenward justification is to be renewed. You cannot separate justification from sanctification. It is an integrated experience. You cannot be sanctified without constantly appreciating the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ on your own soul. To discover that there is another detail of my frail nature. Here it is again, Lord. Here it is again, unto thee I give my heart. I cannot save myself. You must continue to assist me. What do I need to do?

Therefore there needs to be a continual reaching out of the heart after God, a continual, earnest, heartbreaking confession of sin and humbling of the soul before Him. Only by constant renunciation of self and dependence on Christ can we walk safely. COL 159.4

There it is, all in the illustration. O, to appreciate this in living experience! When we fail miserably, which we do until we discover the next step that will lead me to godliness, that will lead me to brotherly kindness, I will show lack of brotherly kindness. As I lack brotherly kindness, Jesus says rely on me. My death, my resurrection is to cover that.

The more you see it every time you fail somewhere, the more you see this beautiful story that Jesus is my personal Saviour. He justifies me, I have His righteousness. He has died because I have promised to do what is right but I am failing, failing, failing and discovering more and more failures. My heart is ennobled as I think of the magnanimity of Him. What a God! What a precious hope do I have! This is the believing sinner’s response.

Frequently we will feel our frailty and failure, but by coming to God as did Abel in contrast to Cain. Cain thought, hah, that is what Saul thought, and that is what many people think. That’s what the Laodiceans say. We are rich and increased, I’m not as bad as that. The Pharisee, no.

All those beautiful messages that are barbed arrows to wake us up, they just bounce off. That’s why in my ministry I have seen this time and time again, it’s just like it was never said. People still continue as though nothing ever was addressed on that matter.

We are to let the truth sink in deep. If we will give such a sacrifice to God then what will happen? God will accept the sacrifice, as He accepted Abel’s. The blood of Jesus was applied and Abel exercised it, whereas Cain and the other party will continue to bring their own works, saying I’ve done my best, Lord, you should accept me. No. That’s not Abel’s sacrifice.

I am glad indeed that our feelings are no evidence that we are not children of God. TMK 241.2

Isn’t that right? I’m down the bottom there with my feelings, but I’m justified. It’s not a good feeling necessarily, but my feelings are no evidence that we are not children of God.

The enemy will tempt you to think that you have done things that have separated you from God, and that He no longer loves you, but our Lord loves us still. TMK 241.2

Even though I have done things, He has died for those things that I have done when I should have known better. Satan will make us feel that we are no longer loved, but our Lord loves us still.

Look away from yourself to the perfection of Christ. We cannot manufacture a righteousness for ourselves. Christ has in His hands the pure robes of righteousness, and He will put them upon us. He will speak sweet words of forgiveness and promise. He presents to our thirsty souls fountains of living water whereby we may be refreshed. He bids us come unto Him with all our burdens, all our griefs, and He says we shall find rest. TMK 241.3

Jesus sees the guilt of the past, and speaks pardon, and we must not dishonor Him by doubting His love. TMK 241.4

Don’t dishonor this beautiful justification. Don’t doubt it. You might feel you are in the bottom of the pit with a lack of progress. You are justified as you believe Him.

This feeling of guiltiness must be laid at the foot of the cross of Calvary. The sense of sinfulness has poisoned the springs of life and of true happiness. Now Jesus says, “Lay it all on Me. I will take your sins; I will give you peace. Banish no longer your self-respect, for I have bought you with the price of My own blood. You are Mine. Your weakened will I will strengthen; TMK 241.4

How does He do it? By applying His blood. He will strengthen and ennoble my will.

…your remorse for sin I will remove.” Then turn your grateful heart, trembling with uncertainty, TMK 241.4

Don’t you feel uncertain? Is this real? Is this really for me?

…to Him and lay hold on the hope set before you. God accepts your broken, contrite heart, and extends to you free pardon. He offers to adopt you into His family, with His grace to help your weakness, and the dear Saviour will lead you on step by step, you placing your hand in His and letting Him guide you. TMK 241.4

Search for the precious promises of God. TMK 241.5

Banish no longer your self-respect. Justification brings self-respect. You have been brought with a price. You are a respectable child of God. Having failed, but you rely on Jesus’ righteousness. As you do so you will, I will, we will make progress because it will ennoble our souls and give us strength. The justification will give me strength to carry on into sanctification.