Necessity of Spiritual Progress

This excerpt is taken from John Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book III, ch.vi. I have edited this in modern English, and though it may not be the best rendition, I pray that the essence of its content (since it pertains to practical Christianity) will go forth to the heart of the reader. Enjoy. Be blessed. Be edified…

Although the very breath of the Christian life should be to desire the perfect Gospel, and though we should attempt to attain that life, I should never insist that others have absolute perfection. Neither should I insist that evangelical perfection be reached by a man before I were to call him a Christian. If that were so, everyone would be excluded from the Church, since no man [save Jesus Christ] is perfect. Many who have made very little progress in their Christian life would be undeservedly rejected. What then?

Let us set this before our eye as the end by which we should constantly aim. Let us regard it as the goal toward which we run. For you cannot divide the matter with God, undertaking part of what His Word commands, and omitting other parts as it pleases us.

For, in the first place, God uniformly recommends integrity as the principal part of His worship. What I mean by integrity is this: real singleness of mind, free from external show and creative pretense.

The double mind opposes the spiritual life. This implies a sincere devotion to God in the pursuit of holiness and justice. Yet, we understand that in this earthly prison of the body, no man has the strength sufficient to hasten his way on his spiritual journey with proper watchfulness. Still, there are so many others that are so oppressed with weakness, that hesitating, and stopping, and even crawling on the ground, they make little progress. Let every one of us go as far as his humble ability enables him; to pursue the journey with the goal in sight once begun.

No one will travel so poorly that he does not daily make at least some degree of progress. Therefore, let us never cease to do all we can so that we may advance daily in the way of the Lord; and let us not despair because of the slender measure of success. However little that success may match our desire, our labor is not lost when today is better than yesterday.

Let us progress in our spiritual journey toward our goal having true singleness of mind, eagerly desiring the goal, not speaking flattering things to ourselves, nor indulging our vices, but making it our constant effort to become better, until we attain to goodness itself. If during the whole course of our life we seek and follow, we shall attain it at the end when we are relieved from the infirmity of the flesh and admitted into the full fellowship with God.