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Peter’s Counsel to Parents
a life of constant resistance of evil, the Saviour showed that through
cooperation with Divinity, human beings may in this life attain to
perfection of character. This is God’s assurance to us that we, too, may
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obtain complete victory.
Before the believer is held out the wonderful possibility of being
like Christ, obedient to all the principles of the law. But of himself
man is utterly unable to reach this condition. The holiness that God’s
word declares he must have before he can be saved is the result of the
working of divine grace as he bows in submission to the discipline and
restraining influences of the Spirit of truth. Man’s obedience can be
made perfect only by the incense of Christ’s righteousness, which fills
with divine fragrance every act of obedience. The part of the Christian
is to persevere in overcoming every fault. Constantly he is to pray to
the Saviour to heal the disorders of his sin-sick soul. He has not the
wisdom or the strength to overcome; these belong to the Lord, and He
bestows them on those who in humiliation and contrition seek Him for
help.
The work of transformation from unholiness to holiness is a con-
tinuous one. Day by day God labors for man’s sanctification, and
man is to cooperate with Him, putting forth persevering efforts in
the cultivation of right habits. He is to add grace to grace; and as he
thus works on the plan of addition, God works for him on the plan of
multiplication. Our Saviour is always ready to hear and answer the
prayer of the contrite heart, and grace and peace are multiplied to His
faithful ones. Gladly He grants them the blessings they need in their
struggle against the evils that beset them.
There are those who attempt to ascend the ladder of Christian
progress; but as they advance they begin to put their trust in the power
of man, and soon lose sight of Jesus, the Author and Finisher of their
faith. The result is failure—the loss of all that has been gained. Sad
indeed is the condition of those who, becoming weary of the way,
allow the enemy of souls to rob them of the Christian graces that
have been developing in their hearts and lives. “He that lacketh these
things“, declares the apostle, “is blind, and cannot see afar off, and
hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.“