death", then, though we shall still have to say, "Not as though I had already attained,

neither were already perfected", we may add, BUT I PURSUE.

The word "perfect" is a cognate of telos, which means the "end". The perfect one has

reached the goal. Therefore, the apostle, when he said that he was not already perfect,

indicated that his course had not yet been finished. To the runner there are two lines of

action, either to lay aside everything that would hinder and run for the prize, or to allow

other things to take a share of his energies and thoughts, and so hinder his progress.

There are many things that a believer may "feel free" to do. It is not our intention to

give a list of the many indulgences that we all make, alas, to our fleshly natures, but to

earnestly point out that they spoil our prospect for the prize. Shall we each one take that

provision for the flesh that we make week by week, and place such conduct over against

Paul's buffeting of his body, his desire for conformity to the Lord's death, his crucifixion

to the world and the flesh. Such comparisons will humble us, and make us feel that

indeed we are far, very far from perfection. What shall be our attitude? Shall we, like

Lot's wife, "look back"? Shall we, like Israel, "turn back to Egypt"? or shall we, like the

apostle, "pursue"? To say that we will follow the apostle's example will be undertaking a

difficult task, he ploughed a lone furrow, he indeed "laid aside every weight", his most

treasured possessions and privileges he estimated as refuse, to him the world and its ways

had passed away; the things that were behind he had forgotten; he voluntary took up a

cross and denied himself; he sought the mind that was in Christ, Who gave up all.

There are some who appear to shield themselves behind the fact that we are "free",

that we are not "under law", that "all is of grace", such are likely soon to drop out from

the running, and there is a solemn word that faithfulness will not allow us to pass over,

and that is, that however longsuffering the Lord may be to the sinner in his sin, He does

not allow the believer continually to fall out and restart with regard to the prize. We shall

have to consider the teaching of other Scriptures to see this important and solemn lesson.

Take the case of Israel on the verge of the land of promise. The faithful witnesses, Caleb

and Joshua, were threatened by the Israelites with stoning, and the Lord said, "I will

smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them". Moses prayed for them, "and the

Lord said, I have pardoned according to thy word". Yet the Lord said of them, "surely

they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers". Let it be noticed that the

pardoning of their sin did not give Israel another opportunity so far as the land was

concerned. On the morrow Israel rose up early and said:--