THERE is no stagnation in Christian experience; the heights which have been reached reveal heights still higher. As surely as Christ Himself is learned more deeply by the soul so the longings of the heart to know more of Him deepen. The Holy Spirit, who dwells within the hearts of God’s children, is the energy within, which leads them on to Christ. It is He who forms the divinely-given desires, which cannot cease until the goal of glory is reached, and Christ Himself is seen as He is. In the chapter from which the two words heading this paper are taken we have true Christian experience unfolded. Paul was following after, reaching forth, pressing toward the prize, ever, in faith’s vigor, active and energetic, not as though he had already attained or were already perfected. His future fashioned his present. The fact of his assurance that he should be like Christ in glory, formed him the holy, heavenly man he was upon the earth.
All earthly pretensions, place, and power were cast aside, and were counted as dung for the glorious Christ who is in heaven. He would win Him who had bought him by blood. The prize was the Christ who had saved his soul. The Christ who, in weakness and suffering, had been crucified for him, was in glory and honor the sole object of his affections.
“And,” says the Scripture, “let us, therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded.” The perfect are the full-grown, the established believers, such as know that they are saved, and have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. The poor doubting and fearing spirit, whose life is a constant questioning of the truth of God’s word, and a looking into self for evidences, is not perfect. Clogged with self, and fettered with feelings and fears, he cannot press on to the prize. But the believer, who has true peace with God, and knows the Lord Jesus as the Risen One at God’s right hand, is appealed to, to be as was the apostle.
True holiness is ever “reaching forth unto,” it ever “follows after,” so that we may lay hold of that, for which we are laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Christ has apprehended us for glory, for being with Himself and like Himself up yonder, and as each day He is better learned and more intimately known, the soul reaches on with fresh vigor to Himself where He is.
The Holy Ghost ministering Christ to our hearts is the spring of this activity, and Christ Himself glorified on high the measure of perfection.