by John H. Gerstner

But to come back to our point: We must put on holiness. It is not enough to know how it is done, it must be done. It is not enough to know that it must be done, we must do it. Though I have all knowledge to understand all mysteries, and have not love, it profits me nothing. Dr. A. H. Strong, in his Systematic Theology, quotes Dr. Hastings, who told of an occasion when the great French preacher Bourdaloue was probing the conscience of Louis XIV, applying to him the words of St. Paul and intending to paraphrase them: "For the good which I would, I do not; but the evil which I would not, that I do. I find two men in me . . ." The king interrupted the great preacher with the memorable exclamation, "Ah, these two men, I know them well!" To which Bourdaloue answered, "It is already something to know them, Sire; but it is not enough--one of the two must perish!"

But how do we actually put on these virtues which make for Christian perfection? How do we put them forth? How do we exhibit them so that men may see our good works and glorify our Father who is in heaven? Two things are called for: meditation and exercise.

By meditation we practice the presence of Christ. If we would run with patience the race that is set before us, we must look to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our Faith. And if we would look to Jesus we must search His Word (John 5:39). We are transformed by the renewing of our minds, by letting the mind be in us which was in Christ Jesus. We know how association with great and good persons has a profound effect on us. Gamaliel Bradford, the celebrated biographer, said that he "lived" with Robert E. Lee for many years and it made him a better man. He also "lived" with Mark Twain for years and it made him a worse man.

When Saint-Gaudens was given the job of making a statue of Phillips Brooks, he studied the man carefully. The famous sculptor came to realize that in order to understand Brooks, he had to understand Brooks' Christ. So he read the gospels, "lived" with Christ, and at last he gave his life to Christ.

Thomas Chalmers spoke of the expulsive power of a new affection; it also has a propulsive power. "The love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge that if one died for all, then were all dead; and that He died for all that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them, and rose again" (2 Corinthians 5:14-15). So let us practice the presence of God.

And then exercise! How do we put on virtues? By taking every occasion to exercise them. Strain day after day upon a particular muscle and it will begin to swell and rise above the flesh. You do not create the muscle by this effort, but you stimulate and strengthen it. There is too much Christian character lying dormant and latent because there is so much neglect of self-culture in the church.

Church officers and other leaders have a big job. When I pastored, we never held a retreat in our church without some officer learning for the first time how really big his job was, and wanting to resign from it! Those were literal "retreats." But that is not the purpose of a "retreat"; it is rather merely drawing back to see the job so that we may advance to it. You have the gift for your respective ministries. Just exercise it, and you will know that you have it.

The same applies to all Christians. Develop some spiritual muscle. You who are holy, grow in holiness; you who are perfect, "be ye perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:48).

Philippians 3:13-14: "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended; but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." If the Apostle Paul needed spiritual exercise, do you, dear reader, not need it?

*****

This is part twenty-one of John H. Gerstner's small book entitled Theology for Everyman, originally published in 1965 (Moody Press, Chicago). That book was subsequently republished in 1991. It has since fallen out of print and we thought it would be good to revisit this book here on the blog. Over the next couple of months, we'll work our way through the book. Here is where we've been so far: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5 and Chapter 6.