在圣经里，地表征神所创造的地，海表征撒但所败坏的世界。我们必须晓得，在甚么意义上我们是宝贝，在甚么意义上我们是珠子。就着国度说，我们属于神所创造、基督所赎回的地；就着教会说，我们出自撒但所败坏、神所定罪的世界。象征国度的宝贝，隐藏在地里。所以，宝贝完全与地有关。但象征教会的珠子，与地毫无关系。它是产自海中的东西。从撒但所败坏、神所定罪的海，产生出如此美丽的珠子。
就着教会说，我们是从世界产生的，但我们不再与世界有任何关系。虽然我们是出自海中的珠子，但我们不再在海中。我们已经蒙了重生，成了美丽的珠子。我们在另一个范围，已经与这腐败的世界没有关系。
就着国度说，我们与撒但所败坏的世界无关，但我们与神所创造、基督所赎回的地有关。一面，我们和世界已经了了；另一面，我们正在地上建造一样东西。我们不是在建造巴别塔；我们乃是在建造诸天的国。就如马太六章十节所说，“愿你的国来临，愿你的旨意行在地上，如同行在天上。”神的国不能建立在海中，神的旨意也不能行在撒但所败坏的世界。神的旨意必须行在神所创造的地上，神的国必须建立在基督所赎回的地上。
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The Kingdom and the Church – Matt. 13:44-46
In the Bible the earth signifies the world created by God, and the sea signifies the world corrupted by Satan. We must know in what sense we are the treasure and in what sense we are the pearl. As the kingdom, we are something of the earth created by God and redeemed by Christ; and as the church, we are something out of the world corrupted by Satan and condemned by God. The treasure, the symbol of the kingdom, is concealed within the earth. Hence, it is altogether related to the earth. But the pearl, the symbol of the church, has nothing whatever to do with the earth. It is something produced out of the sea. Out of the Satan-corrupted and God-condemned sea such a beautiful thing as a fine pearl has been produced.
As the church, we have been produced out of the world, but we no longer have anything to do with the world. Although we are the pearl out of the sea, we are no longer in the sea. We have been regenerated to become a beautiful pearl. Being in another realm, we have nothing to do with this rotten world.
As the kingdom we have nothing to do with the Satan-corrupted world, but we are related to the God-created earth and Christ-redeemed earth. On the one hand, we are through with the world; on the other hand, we are building up something on earth. We are not building a tower of Babel; we are building the kingdom of the heavens. As Matthew 6:10 says, “Let Your kingdom come; let Your will be done, as in heaven, so on earth”. God’s kingdom cannot be established in the sea, and God’s will cannot be done in the Satan-corrupted world. God’s will must be done on the God-created earth, and God’s kingdom must be established on the Christ-redeemed earth.