The Gospel Day; Or, the Light of ChristianityOrr, Charles Ebert
Religion
The Gospel Day; Or, the Light of Christianity
Orr, Charles Ebert
Christianity
Looking into the Word of the Lord we find that man was chosen to holiness.
Eph. 1:4. That God calls him to holiness. 1 Thes. 4:7. That God designed
that man should serve him in holiness. Luke 1:75. That God chastens man in
order that he might be partaker of his holiness. Heb. 12:10. That God
purposes that man shall be saved from his sin and bear fruit unto
holiness. Rom. 6:22. That God commands him to be holy in all manner of
conduct. 2 Pet. 3:11. God commands him to be holy because he is holy. 1
Pet. 1:15, 16. Looking unto God’s great and holy plan in redeeming man,
and the holiness of heaven, and God sitting on his holy throne, and Christ
the Holy One at his right hand, and the holy angels shouting praises, how
can you entertain a hope of ever entering that glorious land without
holiness?
Perfection.
Many have stumbled at the command to be perfect. That finite man may be
perfect in this sinful world sounds ridiculous to many unregenerated
hearts. This is because they do not understand God nor his power to
deliver man from sin. With the many exhortations and commands to
perfection contained in the Holy Scriptures is it not singular that man
will yet say, “We can not be perfect in this life”? Many people who oppose
the doctrine of Christian perfection do not at all understand it. They
consider it to be an end of all growth, consequently they do not
understand its nature. There is a perfection of celestial beings not to be
experienced by mortal man; but there is a perfection unmistakably taught
in the Scriptures which Christians are privileged to experience and enjoy
in this life.
Christian perfection relates to right desires and actions and purity of
affections. Paul in closing his epistle to the church at Corinth says:
“Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one
mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.”
Surely every one must concede that there is a perfection to which
Christians can attain. When Christians are exhorted to be perfect is it
not folly to say, “They can not be perfect”? Could we not with equal
propriety say, “We can not be of good comfort”? “We can not live in
peace”? “The God of love and peace will not be with us”? etc.
The apostle in writing to the Philippian brethren uses language which
clearly implies that some of them had attained to the experience of
perfection. He says, “Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus
minded.” Phil. 3:15. Some of them certainly were perfect. In verse twelve
he does speak of a perfection to which he had not attained. This he
expected to attain in the glory world. Christian perfection is a life that
accords with the Holy Scriptures. Whosoever receives the correction, and
reproving and the instructions in righteousness contained in the Scripture
will become a perfect Christian. 2 Tim. 3:16.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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