It consists in a more complete possession of Him, in a more constant
approximation to Him, and a more entire appropriation of Him. Christian
progress is not a growing up from Christ as starting-point, but into
Christ as goal. All is contained in the first act by which He is first
received; the remainder is but the working out of that. All our growth
in knowledge and wisdom consists in our knowing what we have when we
receive Christ. We grow in proportion as we learn to see in Him the
centre of all truth, as the Revealer of God, as the Teacher of man, as
the Interpreter of nature, as the meaning and end of history, as the
Lord of life and death. Morals, politics, and philosophy flow from Him.
His lips and His life and death proclaim all truth, human and divine.
As in wisdom so in character, all progress consists in coming closer to
Jesus and receiving more and more of His many-sided grace. He is the
pattern of all excellence, the living ideal of whatsoever things are
pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good
report, virtue incarnate, praise embodied. He is the power by which we
become gradually and growingly moulded into His likeness. Every part of
our nature finds its best stimulus in Jesus for individuals and for
societies. Christ and growth into Him is progress, and the only way by
which men can be presented perfect, is that they shall be presented
'perfect in Christ,' whereunto every man must labour who would that his
labour should not be in vain. That progress must follow the threefold
direction in the text. There must first be the progressive manifestation
in act and life of the Christ already possessed, 'As ye received Christ
Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.' There must also be the completer growth
in the soul of the new life already received. As the leaf grows green
and broad, so a Christlike character must grow not altogether by effort.
And there must be a continual being builded up in Him by constant
additions to the fabric of graces set on that foundation.