There is no human perfection in this world, but there is Christian perfectness of the saints.
Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
Double-minded Christians are them that know to do good, and yet do it not, because they have yet to purify their hearts of the lust of the world.
They have perpetually besetting sin, because their minds are yet at war with the law of sin in their minds.
They have not yet taken the offensive against the law of sin by the sword of the Spirit and law of Christ. They are in a continuing defensive struggle against sin in the mind, which allows lust in the heart, and so commits sins of the body.
(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds)
Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.
The pure heart and clean mind undefiled with any thought of disobedience to Christ cannot sin the body, because no thought of it is allowed no resting place in the mind. Like the birds chased away from the sacrifice of Abraham to God: they have no hold over the heart.
Christian perfection is simply answering the call of the saints to overcome all evil with good, which warfare begins in the heart and the mind, to tear down and cast out and banish every thought of sin and of disobedience to Christ, so that the law of sin in the flesh has no more dominion over the mind, and lust has no place in the heart.
Christian perfecting is to purify our hearts and cleanse our minds of any thought of sin whatsoever, and guard our hearts and minds against them returning, so that we cannot sin, because we have no thought nor desire to do so:
Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
They don't just give lip-service to 'hating' sin, simply because they hate it's results: they destroy sin in the heart and mind, so that they don't do it with the body.
He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
The pure heart and clean mind undefiled by thought and desire of sin cannot sin in the body.
It's no more possible for the perfecting Christian to openly sin, than it is for the devil to tell the truth: they are anathema to one another. There is no truth in the devil, therefore all lies are his, and there is no lust in the heart and lie in the mind of the saints, therefore no sins are theirs to commit.
Such Christians going on to perfection don't sin with the body, because they have learned obedience begins in the heart and the mind: They have learned to tear down any thought of sin and quench every dart of the devil, and to keep it so.
They bring our bodies under and keep them in subjection, by first purifying our hearts and bringing under every thought and desire for sin into the faith and obedience of Christ.
Christians seeking perfection are ever-ready to revenge against any thought of disobedience to Jesus, by destroying it when they see it coming at their minds eye. Their eye is made single, and is kept single, and so their whole heart is full of light: that is when their obedience to Christ is wholly fulfilled in the heart and in the body.
They are no longer cursing their own wretchedness of doublemindedness, because they have learned to bring every thought of the mind into subjection to the law of Christ, so that the law of sin no longer works in their bodies, because it no longer has hold in their minds, so that they can say plainly:
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
The righteousness of the law of Christ is fulfilled in them that fulfill all obedience to Christ: first in the heart of an overcoming mind, then in the body of an obedient saint.
Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
The blessed Christians going on to perfection endure temptation and are tried only in the mind, and by defeating it soundly and casting it out and away from the heart, they cannot be drawn away of lust to sin, because it isn't anything there to draw away from obedience to Christ.
Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
Double-minded Christians are them that know to do good, and yet do it not, because they have yet to purify their hearts of the lust of the world.
They have perpetually besetting sin, because their minds are yet at war with the law of sin in their minds.
They have not yet taken the offensive against the law of sin by the sword of the Spirit and law of Christ. They are in a continuing defensive struggle against sin in the mind, which allows lust in the heart, and so commits sins of the body.
(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds)
Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.
The pure heart and clean mind undefiled with any thought of disobedience to Christ cannot sin the body, because no thought of it is allowed no resting place in the mind. Like the birds chased away from the sacrifice of Abraham to God: they have no hold over the heart.
Christian perfection is simply answering the call of the saints to overcome all evil with good, which warfare begins in the heart and the mind, to tear down and cast out and banish every thought of sin and of disobedience to Christ, so that the law of sin in the flesh has no more dominion over the mind, and lust has no place in the heart.
Christian perfecting is to purify our hearts and cleanse our minds of any thought of sin whatsoever, and guard our hearts and minds against them returning, so that we cannot sin, because we have no thought nor desire to do so:
Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
They don't just give lip-service to 'hating' sin, simply because they hate it's results: they destroy sin in the heart and mind, so that they don't do it with the body.
He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
The pure heart and clean mind undefiled by thought and desire of sin cannot sin in the body.
It's no more possible for the perfecting Christian to openly sin, than it is for the devil to tell the truth: they are anathema to one another. There is no truth in the devil, therefore all lies are his, and there is no lust in the heart and lie in the mind of the saints, therefore no sins are theirs to commit.
Such Christians going on to perfection don't sin with the body, because they have learned obedience begins in the heart and the mind: They have learned to tear down any thought of sin and quench every dart of the devil, and to keep it so.
They bring our bodies under and keep them in subjection, by first purifying our hearts and bringing under every thought and desire for sin into the faith and obedience of Christ.
Christians seeking perfection are ever-ready to revenge against any thought of disobedience to Jesus, by destroying it when they see it coming at their minds eye. Their eye is made single, and is kept single, and so their whole heart is full of light: that is when their obedience to Christ is wholly fulfilled in the heart and in the body.
They are no longer cursing their own wretchedness of doublemindedness, because they have learned to bring every thought of the mind into subjection to the law of Christ, so that the law of sin no longer works in their bodies, because it no longer has hold in their minds, so that they can say plainly:
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
The righteousness of the law of Christ is fulfilled in them that fulfill all obedience to Christ: first in the heart of an overcoming mind, then in the body of an obedient saint.
Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
The blessed Christians going on to perfection endure temptation and are tried only in the mind, and by defeating it soundly and casting it out and away from the heart, they cannot be drawn away of lust to sin, because it isn't anything there to draw away from obedience to Christ.
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