EARTHLINESS
[p. 157] EARTHLINESS
There is a difference between being worldly and being earthly. The world is what man according to his ability has made of the earth. The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye and the pride of life are of the world. But the earth, even as God made it, is not now the scene or place of the christian’s blessing. Hence if you are looking to the earth for earthly blessing you are looking for blessing in the wrong place, and you are earthly, and therefore you are not led of the Spirit of God. He carries you to another place and to another range of blessing, namely, to where Christ sits! Hence it is written: “set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth”. (Colossians 3: 2) The pious Jew was entitled to look for blessing on the earth, in his basket and his store; but if you do so you become earthly, you are not spiritual, for you are not led by the Spirit of Christ, and James puts “earthly” as the beginning of a downward course, “earthly, sensual, devilish” (James 3: 15)!
In the Colossians you are stated to be “dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world”. (Colossians 2: 20) You must be dead to the world to get to heaven even now in Spirit. Jordan - death with Christ - is the only road to heaven. You entered the wilderness through the Red Sea; you left it through Jordan. It is not the bondage of Egypt that detains us, but the natural attractiveness of earth and earthly things, the things that suit man instead of the things that suit Christ. The rival to the “heavenly things” is “earthly things”, the high art of Babylon and earthly beauty divert us from what is heavenly. The harm is that we are diverted from Christ, the heavenly One, by Babylon!
Now, deliverance places me at once at home with the One who has effected it. I thank God through Jesus Christ I am delivered from Adam - out of Adam [p. 158] and in Christ, the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus makes me free, that is deliverance. My sins are gone because of Christ’s work. I have deliverance because it is no longer I, but Christ. I do not believe anyone knows deliverance until he abhors himself.