Sometimes we meet persons who speak about the burden of self reprimand and self-contempt tormenting their souls. They admit they love to commit sin and dislike themselves right for that.

If we do not love ourselves because of our sins then it is sure that we cannot love other persons if we are aware of their sinfulness. Likewise, if we cannot accept other people as sinful ones, it means that we cannot accept ourselves such as we really are either. If we are not able to forgive others then we certainly do not forgive ourselves either. In principle: we do not love sinners, but we do love sin. (If we did not love sin, we would not commit it.)

While our sinful nature induces us to commit sin, our unclean conscience induces us to self-condemnation because we want to sin.

If we rely upon ourselves in the forming of the idea of God's character, instead upon God's Word, we will tend to attribute to God the properties of our own sinfulness and self-righteousness. We will create the idea about God who is liberal toward sin and a tyrant toward a sinner (because we are such ourselves). However, God's character is opposite to our innate affinities:

"People love sin, but do not love sinner. Christ does not love sin, but loves sinner." (EGW DA 462)

Among those who have a wrong idea of God's character we will most frequently find two directions. Whereas some stress "I believe that God is love!", others say "I believe that God is severe towards sin and just!" However, we will notice that those persons who believe that God loves them often have a neglected idea of God's justice, whereas those who believe that God is just, often have a neglected idea of God's love.

It is easy to accept the idea of God Who loves a sinner if we neglect God's justice. Likewise, it is also easy to accept the idea of God being just and that He, because of His justice, hates a sinner. Neither of these two ideas of God is difficult to be accepted; neither God who is liberal toward sin, nor God who is a tyrant toward a sinner.

However, to accept God who is both just and full of love for us who are so sinful, is inconceivable for our sinful heart. Such an idea, inspired by Holy Spirit, breaks our heart.

Therefore we must not allow that our idea of God be created by our sinful and self-righteous nature, for through so lowered conception of God's righteousness and distorted understanding, Holy Spirit can not work with us: to make us aware of our spiritual needs and lead us to penitence. Therefore we have to build our idea of God daily and maintain it by the authority of God's word.

How much God's character is more elevated than the idea we have naturally about Him, is shown by the fact that a Christian who is faithful to God, reading the Bible, every day wonders how holy and righteous God loves him, who is so weak and sinful. The reasonable idea of His character based on the authority of the Bible, offers God opportunities to answer to our earnest prayers, to reveal Himself to us in His real grandeur and thus lead us to penitence.

"Or do you presume upon the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience? Do you not know that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?" (Romans 2:4)

Our self-righteousness will never want to forgive us our sins (it has not a plan of salvation), but our Lord will. He has already taken care of the sacrifice. Therefore let us not rely upon ourselves, but upon God. We will find in us only what discourages us and what resists Christ's righteousness.

God invites a sinner by His Holy Spirit. "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him." (John 6:44) Our prayer directed to God by which we ask God to reveal His character is nothing but our answer to the call of God's Spirit to come to Him. When we obey the inspiration then God answers and through His word reveals the character of His own righteousness. Looking at the beauty of His character we comprehend all distortion of ours, repent for our sins and accept by faith the offered gift of salvation.

The idea about an "absolute god" who is at the same time good and evil which the supporters of reincarnation have, cannot give an opportunity to Holy Spirit to reveal to a sinful heart the difference between God's holiness and the dirt of his own character.

"Krishna is the greatest scoundrel for if the baseness does not exist in Krishna how can it exist in the world? He is the source of everything. However, his baseness is so charming that all adore him." (Shri Shrimad "Perfect Questions Perfect Answers")