The greatest difficulty in the Great Controversy is self-knowledge, which shows that we are in a false belief about ourselves. We think we are God, but in truth we are a creature. Let's take a closer look at the two perspectives “I am God” and “I am a creature”. What makes salvation difficult? It is precisely this conviction in man that he is right even though he is wrong. Therefore, outward actions must show that one is acting out of a lie. We look at the story of Nicodemus in John 3:3-4. Could it be that today we are just as preoccupied with all kinds of external theories in order to avoid the realization that we need an inner change? Jesus came, killed the old life in himself, created a completely new one and offers us this new life through faith.
It is crucial to understand what faith means. Most Christians think that the work is an external thing and that we only need to perceive it in order to be saved. They do not realize that it is an inner struggle. We read about this in John 3:16 and Romans 8:3-4. The light came into the darkness to reveal the darkness. In Ephesians 4:22-24, we also look at what it means that what Christ has done outside of us must be accomplished in us through faith. We must live from a new source. The false belief about ourselves “I am God” must be abandoned and replaced with the truth “I am a creature”. Believing against all odds means never giving up faith in the complete victory of overcoming self-deception, even in difficult circumstances, no matter how hopeless it looks. The fifth part of the series “The Great Controversy” deals with what this means in detail.
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