“I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that day” (2 Tim. 1:12)

People say, “I have taken Christ, and now I look back and trace my life history through the day, or the week, and I cannot see anything but imperfection in what I’ve done. Then the feeling of condemnation comes over me, and I cannot stand free. How can I say, there’s no condemnation for me, when I see these failures?”

This is a subtle deception of Satan to deprive us of acceptance and peace with God. Do we expect to be justified by these deeds? If we do, we make a grand mistake in the beginning. “By the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight” (Rom. 3:20). Says one, “I’m afraid that I may fall.” You need not be afraid. What have you committed unto Him? Your life, and He is able to keep it. When we get over into the kingdom of God, we will not look to the best deeds that we have done, and thank God that we are justified because we have done so well. But our song of joy will be, “To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood” (Rev. 1:5).

And so we know that when we yield ourselves to Him and die to self constantly, He does these things for us that we cannot do for ourselves. Let us look to Him continually! But when we take our eyes from Him and go into sin, He is not responsible for that.

“He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6)

Waggoner, The Everlasting Covenant, p.66