The Wretched Aspects Of Mixture

Turn to the first letter to the Corinthians, and see into what a different realm you enter. You find very little that is heavenly there. 

You find that immediately you begin to move into this letter you are touching the earthlies, mundane, natural things -- and what a mass of such things there is!

There is none of the atmosphere of the heavenlies here. You find yourself down in somewhat sordid things, even amongst the Lord's people. 

Sordid is not too strong a word in some connections. You are having to deal with all the unpleasantness, all the wretched aspects of mixture and spiritual weakness and immaturity, and be occupied with things which you would fain sweep aside and have done with. 

You feel as you move here: 'Oh, that we could get out of this realm of things; divisions, schisms and quarrellings, lawsuits and whatnot! How earthly it is!

It is another realm altogether, and because it is so earthly, because there is such an absence of the heavenly, you are not surprised that the testimony is so poor.

You can find here no trace of registration upon spiritual forces. 

If you read this first letter to the Corinthians from an entirely spiritual standpoint, you have to say that the situation is rather one where the evil forces have gained an advantage than of their having been overthrown. 

You have to admit that the enemy is running roughshod here amongst the saints. 

He seems in some things to be having his way altogether, and carrying things into a realm which it is a shame to speak of even in the world. 

Yes, it is true that the enemy is no defeated foe, so far as these believers are concerned, or so far as the situation in this letter is concerned. 

He is having too much of his own way, simply because they are so much on the earthly level of things.
 
That speaks for itself, does it not? The testimony, for its real value and effectiveness, demands that the Lord's people, the Church, be a heavenly Body. It demands that!

It is clear that these believers at Corinth had come into a very small measure of the power of His resurrection, simply because they had not entered into the meaning of His death, His Cross. 

It is a sad and painful reflection that the Apostle should have to remind them of the opportunity that had been theirs by what he says in the opening section of this letter: "And I, brethren, when I came unto you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom ... I was with you in weakness and in fear, and in much trembling. 

I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified."

That had been Paul's attitude and message and aim when he went to Corinth some considerable time before he wrote the letter. 

Now, his having been amongst them, stressing, emphasizing Jesus Christ and Him crucified, and nothing else, and then much later writing such a letter, exhibits the fact that they had not learned that for which he had been there!
 
If there is a living apprehension of Jesus Christ, and Him crucified, you will not have divisions like this, nor schisms, fornication, and all these things.

They had missed the meaning of the Cross.

They had failed to apprehend the message upon which the Apostle had laid such undivided and such exclusive stress in his presence amongst them.

And if they do not know the meaning of the Cross, how can they know the meaning of the resurrection? 

How can they know the power of the resurrection? 

And if they do not know that, then how can they know the power of that resurrection-life registering the impact of the risen, living Lord upon spiritual forces?

You can never undo divisions among the saints by bringing saints together to discuss their differences, and to ask them to make them up. 

You can never patch up a situation like that, because it is devilish.

The only way in which such things can be dealt with amongst the Lord's people is to get down on your knees and deal with the forces behind. 

The power of the enemy behind that thing has to be broken.

~T. Austin Sparks~