Christians are not
perfect in knowledge.
We are not free from
ignorance, no, nor from mistake.
We are no more to
expect any living man to be infallible, than to be omniscient.
The Christians are
not free from infirmities, such as weakness or slowness of understanding,
irregular quickness or heaviness of imagination.
Other imperfections
that we, the Christians, possess are impropriety of language, ungracefulness of
pronunciation and other thousand nameless defects, either in conversation or behavior.
From such infirmities
as these none are perfectly freed till their spirits return to God.
Neither can we expect
till then to be whole freed from temptation.
In this sense there
is no absolute perfection on earth.
In what sense are the
Christians then perfect?
I am not speaking of
babes in Christ, but of adult Christians.
The fullness of time
is now come, the Holy Ghost is now given, the great salvation of God is now
brought to men by the revelation of Jesus Christ.
The kingdom of heaven
is now set up on earth.
A Christian is so far
perfect, as not to commit sin.
To be continued...
This post is part of the Thursday Devotionals series. And it is the first part of The Full Assurance Of Faith - a reflection on the writings of John Wesley.
