2. His teaching concerning communion with this spiritual world. — Now, just as man has com- munion with the temporal world and its life, so lie may have communion with this spiritual world and its life, (a) Christ Himself, as man, con- stantly enjoyed such fellowship. The Gospel nar- ratives reveal Him as holding converse with the Father (Mk 1^ et passim ; see art. Communion), with angels (Mk P", cf. Mt 26^^), and with de- parted spirits of holy men (Mk 9^"^'). Indeed, this realization of His communion with the unseen realm formed the basis of His sense of mission (Lk 2*9, Jn 7^" Sifib- 29 1632) and the source from which He derived His strength in suffering (Jn 18^^). (b) And the fellowshiii with the spiritual realm which Christ thus exemplified in His own life upon earth. He enjoined upon His followers also (Jn IS*"'-, cf. 6^^'^^ et passim). While they must live before men their outward life in contact with the visible universe and its affairs, they pos- sess also an inner life which must be lived ' in secret'— in contact with the unseen (Mt G^-^* W^- -").
3. The twofold communion. — Man, therefore, belongs to two worlds, and may have communion with both. But just as, possessing a twofold nature, carnal and spiritual, he knows that the spiritual is the higher, so, enjoying a twofold com- munion, he is to learn that the spiritual fellowship must take precedence, its realization being his supreme duty and the end of his creation. Yet, as in the freedom of his will he is able to cultivate the carnal in him at the expense of the spiritual, so too he is free, as the whole appeal of Christ's teaching presupposes, to choose for himself with which realm, the temporal or tlie spiritual, his fellowship shall be the more real and intense.
II. Christ's teaching upon worldliness. — 1. Christ encouraged no indifference to the claims of the temporal world.— Tliere is an un- worldliness which so emphasizes spiritual realities as to undervalue the material universe and its lawful concerns. This attitude, which, as we have hinted, has found frequent and varied expression among His followers, derives no support from the life or teaching of Christ Himself. The beauty and charm of the visible world appealed to Him
WORLDLINESS
WORLDLINESS
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(Mt 6-®' ^^). Its incidents furnished illustrations for His sermons (Mk 4*, Mt 25^^). He participated in its festivals (Jn 2^^-), and contrasted Himself with one whose asceticism disparaged its good cheer (Mt 11'*- 1**). Again, the claims of this world's lawful authorities always received His ready acknowledgment. Respect for them was scrupulously evinced alike in His advice (Mk 12^'') and in His example (Mt 17^'). Further, in His thought, the Avelfare of men is by no means a merely spiritual matter. On the contrary, the social obligations imposed by His religion form one of His most constant themes. Love towards others is the very test by which His true disciples can be identified (Mt 5^^-^8, cf. IJn 29-" 420 etc.), and that love is to find expression not in vapid sentiment, but in whole-hearted service (Mk lO'*-'"'-, Mt 223«-39, Lk lO^uff-). Indeed, Christ teaches that this love and service to man are the criterion of love and service to God (Mt 25^°- ■*^), while in several suggestive passages He even hints that the earthly life forms in some sense an interpretation of the spiritual life (see Mk 25- 1«- ", Mt ISi"). Christ therefore calls His followers not to neglect the temporal world, much less to despise it, but to recognize that they have a function to fulfil in it by permeating every part of its life with beauty and truth (Mt S^^-is 133^^^ jn 1715). go far, indeed, is He from any underestimation of the present life, that we know of no teacher in any age whose prin- ciples, carried into effect, Avould so ameliorate the material condition of mankind in all its individual aspects and social relationships.
2. Christ uttered no condemnation of worldly possessions. — See art. Wealth.
3. A false antithesis. — It is clear, therefore, that in our study of the Christian doctrine of worldliness we must eliminate what is now seen to be a false antithesis. In view of the unfortunate ambiguity in meaning both of the Greek and of the English word, it is necessary to define closely the sense in Avhich Christianity sets the ' world ' in opposition to its own life and principles. The Christian teacher has to distinguish two forms of contrast. There is the contrast of difference or distinction, and there is the contrast of opposition. It is in the former sense alone, as our Lord's own life and words declare, that the material is set by Christianity over against the spiritual. The con- trast of oj^position established by Christianity is never between the spiritual and the material, but always between the spiritual and the anti- spiritual. The material, it is true, may be made the instrument of the anti-spiritual ; but the two are essentially distinct, and confusion between them, signally absent from the Gospel teaching, must never be condoned in its exponents. It is of the utmost significance in this connexion that our Lord deliberately refused to recognize a contrast of opposition between the powers of the heavenly and those of the earthly realm (Mk 12'3-i7 y jn 6'^^, cf. Ro 13^) : the antithesis He accepted was that of the Heavenly King and ' the prince of this Avorld' (Jn 12^' U^" 16" in each case 6 Hpxoiv rod Kda/xov or 6 toO Kdcxfiov 6.pxu>v). The ' world ' He con- demned is not the material world, in which He Himself took delight, or its claims, which He loyally acknowledged, or (in tiiemselves) its pos- sessions, of which He spoke with guarded modera- tion, but a certain spirit of tiicAvorld fundamentally antagonistic to man's highest life, and the men in whom that spirit has established its abode (cf. the careful definition in 1 Jn 2'^ and that implicit in Jn 12''^). It is between Christ's Kingdom and tiie ' world ' in this sense that tiiere is oi)position, and in this case the opposition is final and complete (Jn 15'*- ^9 16'''— note the terms of the contrast, iv TV KdiTfiv and iv e/uo£— 17'^ 1 Jn 2^^ 3'^ 4*-«).