Every individual, by his own act, either puts Christ from him by refusing to cherish His spirit and follow His example, or he enters into a personal union with Christ by self-renunciation, faith, and obedience. We must, each for himself, choose Christ, because He has first chosen us. This union with Christ is to be formed by those who are naturally at enmity with Him. It is a relation of utter dependence, to be entered into by a proud heart. This is close work, and many who profess to be followers of Christ know nothing of it. They nominally accept the Saviour, but not as the sole ruler of their hearts. {5T 46.4}

Enten støder mennesket Kristus fra sig ved at nægte at blive præget af hans ånd og følge hans eksempel, eller også oprettes der en personlig forbindelse med Kristus ved selvfornægtelse, tro og lydighed. Hver enkelt må selv tage stilling til Kristus, fordi han valgte os først. Dette fællesskab med Kristus (47) skal oprettes af dem, der af naturen nærer fjendskab til ham. Det stolte hjerte skal blive fuldkommen afhængigt af ham. Det kræver et nært samarbejde, som mange bekendende kristne ikke kender noget til. De tager formelt imod Kristus, men ikke som hjertets eneste hersker.