In that spiritual life there will be much still to be learned.  There will still be imperfections.  Spiritual life is not perfect; but the predominant characteristic will be spiritual.  When a man has given himself up to the real, living, acting, ruling power of God’s Spirit, he has got into the right position in which he can grow.  You never think of growing out of sickness into health; you may grow out of feebleness into strength, as the little babe can grow to be a strong man; but where there is disease, there must healing come if there is to be a cure effected.  There are Christians who think that they must grow out of the carnal state into the spiritual state.  You never can.  What could help those carnal Corinthians?  To give them milk could not help them, for milk was a proof they were in the wrong state.  To give them meat would not help them, for they were unfit to eat it.  What they needed was the knife of the surgeon.  Paul says that the carnal life must be cut out.  “They that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh.”  When a man understands what that means, and accepts it in the faith of what Christ can do, then one step can bring him from carnal to spiritual.  One simple act of faith in the power of Christ’s death, one act of surrender to the fellowship of Christ’s death as the Holy Spirit can make it ours, will make it ours, will bring deliverance from the power of your efforts.

What brought deliverance to that poor condemned sinner who was most dark and wretched in his unconverted state?  He felt he could do nothing good of himself.  What did he do?  He saw set before him the almighty Saviour and he cast himself into His arms; he trusted himself to that omnipotent love and cried, “Lord, have mercy upon me.”  That was salvation.  It was not for what he did that Christ accepted him.  Oh, believers, if any of us who are conscious that the carnal state predominates have to say:  “It marks me; I am a religious man, an earnest man, a friend of missions; I work for Christ in my church, but, alas! temper and sin and worldliness have still the mastery over my soul,” hear the word of God.  If any will come and say:  “I have struggled, I have prayed, I have wept, and it has not helped me,” then you must do one other thing.  You must see that the living Christ is God’s provision for your holy, spiritual life.  You must believe that that Christ who accepted you once, at conversion, in His wonderful love is now waiting to say to you that you may become a spiritual man, entirely given up to God.  If you will believe that, your fear will vanish and you will say:  “It can be done; if Christ will accept and take charge, it shall be done.”