What `grace wherein we stand'! Every believer equally perfect in Christ. The weakest and the strongest, the

babe and the full grown, all are equally and altogether complete in Him. There are no `ifs' here. This is no more

conditional upon our walk and life than is our justification. Results will necessarily follow; but let it always be

remembered that they follow not come before. He that IS righteous (in Christ) doeth righteousness (as a result)'.

Root must come first; fruit should follow.

`We know that when He shall appear, we shall be like him'.

Again we deal with that which is absolute. `We shall be like Him' - perfect love will have reached its goal.

Can we not better understand the reason why the apostle introduces this marvellous subject with the words `Behold,

what manner of love'? What is to be the outcome of this glorious position? `Everyman that hath this hope in Him

purifieth himself, even as He is pure'. According to many, possibly among them some who will read these words,

`certainty' means `licence'. They think it is presumption to `know' that which God hath declared. Scripture does

not veil the fact that there will always be those who `turn the grace of God into lasciviousness', but this by no means

alters the relations established between 1 John 3:2 and 3.

The reasoning of the renewed heart will be `am I as He is, by grace in Christ? Oh, that I may be more like Him

in practice. Am I to be like Him in the future? Oh, for grace to be more like Him now'. Keeping 1 John 4:17 in

mind, we turn to 1 John 2:5, 6. Again we shall read of God's love being perfected; but this time dealing with the

conditional side of sanctification. `But whoso keepeth His Word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby

(in this) know we that we are in Him. He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He

walked'.

Even in this conditional setting, the keeping of the Word is a proof of our being in Him; not that the keeping of

the Word either places us in that blessed sphere, or secures us when we are there.

By comparing 1 John 4:17 with 1 John 2:5,6, it will be seen that God's love to us and our love to God meet

together in the Lord Jesus Christ as their goal; both point forward to likeness to Him. The believer's love to God

urges him to seek more conformity to the image of His Beloved Son; and God's love to His people has fixed its goal

- perfect likeness to Christ in resurrection glory. Be it noticed that this verse does not say, `We ought to be as He

is', but it says, `We ought to walk as He walked'. Many have gone into all kinds of excesses in their endeavour to

`walk as He walked', forgetting that 1 John 1:7 must be included, and that henceforth we know Christ according to

the flesh no longer. 1 John 1:7 speaks of walking in the light. This is how the Lord Jesus always walked whilst

here on earth.

In the very Presence of God, in the light of the Holiest of All - what a position in which to be found! What a

position to abide in! No creature preparation or perfectness can avail there; in fact, any attempt at such only shows

the failure to appreciate the heights of Holiness demanded by that awful Presence. What is our warrant for daring to

walk in that light?

As He is - we are. Is this sinless perfection? No. If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves. If we say we

have not sinned we make God a liar. It is not by covering up our sins, neither is it by imagining ourselves to have

become sinless that we draw near to the Presence of the Lord. It is by reason of the wondrous grace that has made

us `Accepted in the Beloved', that has made us `meet' to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.

With all our imperfections still upon us, with all our sins of omission and commission, we may draw near to walk in

the light. Do we make little of sin? No! God does not, but He has made provision. It is not our walk or our talk

that will ever keep us fit for His Holy Presence, but `if we walk in the light ... the blood of Jesus Christ His Son

cleanseth us from all sin'.

Such is some small fragment of the teaching of these verses. Let us glorify God by believing His Word, and

seeing that in His grace we are, in Christ, as He is, and that as He is we shall be; let us seek by grace to walk as He

walked, to walk in the light, thankfully to confess the glorious efficacy of the Blood that cleanseth, and to exemplify

in some measure the complete sanctification which is ours in Christ Jesus.