Remember this: the Christian needs two kinds of perfection—the perfection of justification in the person of Jesus, and the perfection of sanctification wrought in us by the Holy Spirit.

Right now, corruption still lives even in the hearts of the regenerate. Experience teaches us this quickly enough. Within us, we still battle lusts and evil imaginations. But I rejoice to know that the day is coming when God will finish what he has begun! He will present my soul not only perfect in Christ, but perfect through the Spirit—without spot or blemish, or any such thing.

Can it be true? This poor sinful heart of mine is to become holy even as God is holy? Can it be that this spirit, which often cries, "O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from the body of this sin and death?"—shall get rid of sin and death? That I shall have no evil things to vex my ears, and no unholy thoughts to disturb my peace?

Oh, happy hour! May it be hastened! When I cross the Jordan, the work of sanctification will be finished; but not till that moment shall I even claim perfection in myself. Then my spirit shall have its last baptism in the Holy Spirit's fire. I think sometimes I long to die, just to receive that last and final purification which shall usher me into heaven. Not an angel more pure than I shall be, for I shall be able to say, in a double sense, "I am clean"—through Jesus' blood, and through the Spirit's work.

Oh, how we should extol the power of the Holy Ghost in thus making us fit to stand before our Father in heaven! Yet let not the hope of perfection hereafter make us content with imperfection now. If it does this, our hope cannot be genuine; for a good hope is a purifying thing, even now. The work of grace must be abiding in us now or it cannot be perfected then.

Let us pray to "be filled with the Spirit," that we may bring forth increasingly the fruits of righteousness.