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"That in the dispensation of the fullness of times, He might gather together in one all
things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth" (Eph. 1: 10).
"Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named" (Eph. 3: 15).
"Honour thy father and mother . . . . . that it may be well with thee, and thou mayest
live long on the earth" (Eph. 6: 2, 3).
"And hast made us unto our God, kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth"
(Rev. 5: 10).
USED IN A "BAD" SENSE.
"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt,
and where thieves break through and steal; . . . . . for where your treasure is there will
your heart be also" (Matt. 6: 19).
"For if He were on earth, He should not be a priest" (Heb. 8: 4).
"These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar
off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were
strangers and pilgrims on the earth . . . . . now they desire a better country, that is, an
heavenly" (Heb. 11: 13-16).
When attempting to assess the true value of the term "things on the earth" what we
need to remember is that there are two points of view to be kept in mind, and that an
undue emphasis upon either must lead to erroneous views.
We remember that the earth, because of man's sin, has come under a curse, but we
must remember too, that the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof. Though under a
curse, the earth is not cursed for its own sake, but for the sin of man, and it is a poor
judgment that would conclude that the things of earth must be sinful in themselves when
we are definitely told that these things on the day they were created were "good". Man's
altered condition has rendered it necessary that many a blessing that once was legitimate
must be foregone: that many an innocent pleasure may now take upon itself the character
of vice. Things on the earth include both food and raiment. Both are vital necessities,
both are the gift of God, and both the subject of legitimate prayer and thanksgiving. If
we confine ourselves to such physical things as "bread" and "water" it is evident that
"things on the earth" cannot be ignored, but if we confine ourselves to things that are
above the physical plane it is not so evident.
Should a believer, out of a false interpretation, refuse to participate in the things on the
earth that minister to his physical needs, he would speedily die, and his folly would be
evident to all. Man is called upon to love the Lord his God with heart, soul and mind, as
well as with strength, yet he may starve his mind by a false repudiation of things on the
earth, and utterly fail to render God His due, without that failure being so patent to the
observer.
Paul did not hesitate, in the highly spiritual epistle to the Philippians, to draw attention
to "whatsoever things are lively, or of good report" and urged upon his hearers the duty
of searching for these things, saying, "If there be any virtue" think of these things. The
writer of these lines had known for years that the apostle had urged "prayer for all men"
(I Tim. 2: 1), but it came to him very forcefully one day that the apostle also said:
"giving thanks for all men", and this he had never done. That the apostle is not speaking
of thanking God for believers, the context makes obvious, and the "all men" of verse 1