Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor 6

We can certainly shed our excess baggage when interacting with those who are eager to let go of theirs. As people who have been reborn, we're not naive or immature when it comes to spiritual growth, despite what some critics might say. From the moment we're reborn, we receive the perfect, and that's what drives us forward. Our enlightenment is, in fact, our knowledge of God. So, if we've come to know the perfect, we can't be considered imperfect. I'm not afraid to admit that I've experienced this knowledge of God for myself. The Word has shown us that this is the path to freedom. When the Lord was baptized, a voice from heaven declared, 'You are my beloved Son, today I have begotten you' (Matthew 3:17). Let's consider the implications: if Christ was reborn, was he already perfect, or was he somehow imperfect? If he was imperfect, then he would need to learn and grow. But how could God, the all-knowing and all-powerful one, possibly learn anything new? No one is greater than the Word, and no one can teach the one who is the ultimate Teacher. Won't they have to acknowledge, even if reluctantly, that the Word is perfect, coming from the perfect Father, and that he was reborn in a state of perfection, according to the divine plan? And if he was already perfect, why did he need to be baptized? Some might say it was necessary to fulfill a human obligation. But I say, if he was baptized by John, did that make him perfect? Of course, it did. Did he gain some new knowledge or insight through this experience? Not at all. Was he perfected by the baptism alone, and sanctified by the Holy Spirit's descent? That's exactly what happened. The same process applies to us, who have the Lord as our guarantee. When we're baptized, we're enlightened; when we're enlightened, we become children of God; when we become children of God, we're perfected; and when we're perfected, we become immortal. As the Scripture says, 'I have said, you are gods and all sons of the Most High' (Psalm 82:6). This transformative work can be described in many ways: as a gift, as enlightenment, as perfection, or as a bath. Through this bath, we wash away our sins; through this gift, our penalties are forgiven; through this enlightenment, we behold the holy and saving light, and we come to understand the divine. Perfection, to us, means lacking nothing. What more could we possibly need if we've come to know God? It's absurd to think that God's gift could be imperfect; if God is perfect, then the gifts he gives must also be perfect. Just as everything comes into being when God commands it, so too does the fulfillment of his gifts depend on his will. The future is anticipated by the power of his will. Moreover, the removal of evil is the beginning of salvation. Only those who have grasped the essence of life are already perfect, and we, having been separated from death, are already living. Salvation, therefore, means following Christ. As the Scripture says, 'What has come into being in him is life' (John 5:24). Christ himself says, 'Amen, amen, I say to you, the one who hears my word and believes in the one who sent me has eternal life and does not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.' So, to believe and be reborn is to achieve perfection in life; and we can trust that God is always strong and never weak.