ALONE WITH GOD     

Christian Perfection

    However much we may come short of an absolute standard, God judges us by quite another standard. He judges righteously. He requires all that he should require of us, but no more; he is always reasonable. He knows our situation; he knows what we can do and what we cannot do. Whatever conduct flows from pure love, that conduct is pleasing and acceptable to God. But he who is love and he who knoweth the secrets of man's heart can be pleased neither with the heart nor with the life of one who does not act solely on the principles of love. This is the supreme test of heart and conduct. If his love is truly perfected in us, then will our lives be acceptable and well-pleasing in his sight.

There is a third sense in which the word "perfection" is used. This is entirely distinct from those previously noted. In this sense it relates to a state of maturity. Beginners in the Christian life are represented as being babes, while mature Christians are called men. In Ephesians 4:11-15 Paul uses the term "perfection" in relation to development. Speaking of the perfecting of the saints, he says: "Till we all come ... unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ: that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; but speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ." This perfect manhood to which we ought to attain is the measure of the stature or age of the fullness of Christ, and it is attained, as he says in verse 15, by "growing up in to him."

We begin our Christian life as new-born babes. It is indeed a new existence to us. Old things have passed away and all things have become new. We begin to reach out and explore the kingdom of God. We find on every hand glorious realities in the divine life which now works in us and works out in our lives. God does not expect us to remain always in this immaturity of childhood. He has made provisions for our growing in grace and in the knowledge of Christ so that we may develop our spiritual faculties and our spiritual powers and our spiritual understanding. As it has been said, "the path of the just is as the shining light that shineth more and more unto the perfect day." The light of the morning may be only a faint gleam, but it increases and develops until the glorious sun rises in all his majesty and the day is made perfect. So the Christian life from a small beginning goes forward and upward, increasing in the love and power and grace of God, in Christ-likeness, until at last in the fully developed strength and glory of Christian manhood, we can indeed "shine as lights in the world."

This subject is illustrated in the fifth chapter of Hebrews, verses 12-14. The writer there shows that in attainment those addressed were only as babes, just like beginners, and that they needed to be taught again the first principles of the doctrine of Christ. These first principles he interprets in the sixth chapter as repentance, faith, baptism, laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. Those believers were not such as could eat strong meat; that is, they were not able to understand those deeper and greater truths which only more mature Christians had the capacity to receive and understand. "But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age," that is, those who are full-grown, and he explained such to be "those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil."

Coming to Christian perfection, that is, the perfection of Christian development, is not a thing of a day nor a year. It is a "growing up," a "growing in grace and knowledge." This is a perfection entirely distinct from the perfection of our moral state and of our conduct. The sanctification of our hearts does not give us this Christian maturity. It comes only through the exercise of our senses to discern good and evil, and the putting into practice of those things which we do discern to be good. It is the result of conforming to the laws of spiritual growth and increase. James speaks of it thus: "But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing" (James 1:4). By this he means that in developing patience we develop into a state of maturity. This does not mean a state beyond which we cannot go, but it means the same as maturity does in the physical man. The same principle applies to all our other powers and faculties. They may be developed to such a state of maturity that we can truly be said to be men in God and for God. Spiritual maturity, however, never passes beyond the comparative state. It never becomes absolute; for we may continue to increase so long as we follow after God in this world, and the future world no doubt will see a still further increase.

Some persons seem to remain as babes all through their Christian lives. They must be nourished and cared for. They are unable to stand alone, it seems. They must be guarded and watched and cared for like a child. But this is not God's standard for the Christian. He ought to go farther; he ought to become more mature; he should not be content to be a child all his days. God wants him to be a man of strength and power for himself and to accomplish things worthy of a man.

The word "perfection" is common to the Old Testament as well as to the New, and had a very definite meaning. Some of the worthies of the Old Testament are said to have been perfect men. In Genesis 6:9 we read, "Noah was a just man and perfect in his generation, and Noah walked with God." God has always had a practical standard of perfection, to which men could attain if they would. There have always been men who attained this standard and whom God counted faithful and perfect. "The Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect" (Genesis 17:1). To the whole nation of Israel, God said, "Thou shalt be perfect with the Lord thy God" (Deuteronomy 18:13). This was no unattainable standard, but a practical and readily attainable one. Of Job it is said, "And that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil" (Job 1:1). In verse 8 God himself calls him a perfect and an upright man. When Hezekiah was sick nigh unto death, he had enough confidence in his standing before God and in the life he had lived, to pray thus: "I beseech thee, O Lord, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight" (2 Kings 20:3). David was a man after God's own heart. Speaking to Jeroboam, God said, "Thou hast not been as my servant David, who kept my commandments, and who followed me with all his heart, to do that which was right in mine eyes" (I Kings 14:8). Again, we read, "David did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, and turned not aside from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite" (I Kings 15:5).

Of King Asa it was said, "The heart of Asa was perfect all his days" (2 Chronicles 15:17). The nature of this perfection is defined in chapter 14:2 - "And Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God." This testimony was rep eated in I Kings 15:14 - "Asa's heart was perfect with the Lord all his days." This perfection is defined in verse 11 - "And Asa did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, as did David his father." Old Testament perfection, then, consisted of doing that which was right and just and pleasing in the sight of the Lord. It was quite possible, as we have seen, for men so to live; and not only was it possible, but some of them did live such lives. How many did we are not told, but there were many who pleased the Lord and enjoyed his blessing and approval. Such men as Abraham, Moses, Caleb, Joshua, Samuel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, all the prophets, and many thousands of others were worthy examples, and God accepted and blessed them in their lives and poured out his love upon them. It is quite true that these ancient men could not attain that moral perfection which is made possible for us through the shedding of the blood of Jesus Christ. There had been no provision made for the cleansing of their natures, other than that of the influence of the Spirit of God upon them, and his fear that was in their hearts. This led them to live a life that was commendable in that sight of God.

In every age God has required perfection, and he has given a standard of perfection to which men could attain, not one which was impossible and altogether out of their reach, but one which was reasonable and adapted to their circumstances and age. Our privileges at this time are greater than the privileges given to men in any other age. The gospel age is preeminently the age of the Spirit of God, and when he comes into and takes possession of the soul of man, he can work in it and through it after his own good pleasure in a way never possible before the gospel age. In those ancient days, however, men oftentimes lived lives that would put to shame many professing Christians nowadays and not a few professors of entire sanctification. Inasmuch as God gives to us much now, he requires of us much more than he did of people in former dispensations. But this much more which he requires of us is no harder of attainment by us than what he required of them was by them in their situation. We can, therefore, be "perfect and entire, wanting nothing."

The Bible also speaks of a perfection that is not attainable in this life. Paul says, "Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect" (Philippians 3:12). Sometimes this text is used to oppose the doctrine of Christian perfection. It is held to mean that no one can be perfect in this life, and of course it is true that in the sense here meant no one can be perfect in this life. The thing of which Paul was speaking, however, was not moral perfection. In the preceeding verse he said, "If by any�means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead." He was speaking of that perfection which shall be ours in the future life, and not of anything relating to this life. In another place he says, "For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then I shall know even as also I am known" (I Corinthians 13:9, 10, 12). This glorious perfection lies beyond the vale, and into it we may not enter until this mortal shall have put on immortality. When our bodies are changed to the likeness of "his glorious body" and we are in the glorified state, then shall we have attained this final state of perfection. To it we look forward with bright hopes and joyful anticipations.