<p>8:12 <i>For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will not remember against them</i>- As noted on :11, this forgiveness is the basis upon which those under the new covenant know / have relationship with the Lord. The sins of men will not be remembered under the new covenant; whereas there was a remembrance of sins made each year by the old covenant (10:3). So God's way of dealing with His sinful people with whom He &quot;found fault&quot; (:8) was to instill obedience to His principles into their hearts, and to not remember their sins. This is all the work of the Spirit. The &quot;blessing&quot; promised to Abraham, in the &quot;better promises&quot; which comprise the new covenant (:6), was of not only forgiveness but also in turning away human hearts from sin (Acts 3:25,26). This work of the Spirit is the only way to bring about human salvation, seeing that giving them laws and demanding obedience thereto just didn't work out in practice.</p>