Piercing oneself to the riches & pleasures of this world is a spiritually dangerous proposition. Marriage to Christ means that we know the immeasurable goodness of God our Father; love of the world is divorce of the Son & Father He represents.

What does it really mean to know Christ? It means we have seen the Father when we have witnessed the Son. What does it mean to be pierced in bondage to the world? We no longer know the Son nor the Father.

We know that nothing in heaven or on earth can separate us from the love of Christ - but if we love the world, the knowledge of the Father & the Son is no longer ours. Will He know us if we have denied Him? There is no question; He will deny us if we deny Him.

We press onward in the love of God in mercy, which is our peace which transcends all understanding, because the greatness of the knowledge of divine riches has given us hope of eternal life.

Every measure in which we increase in our embrace of the love of our Redeemer is an advance in the power of the love of our God & His perfect holiness.

Will there not be weeping & gnashing of teeth as men are no longer deemed vessels worthy of the presence of the Creator indwelling?

We have treasure in jars of clay that men would know that it is not from us but from the Father Who loves us, in the Son Who gave up everything so that we could enjoy the incomparable riches of having nothing, yet having all things.

Envy is the sin the world cannot see, because it is the engine of prosperity. Yet we are freed from this cravenness of heart by the fullness of a love indescribable, sacrificial, faithful, & so pure.

This love is a mystery that men who are freed from the blindness of sin & worldly attachments delight in, suffering & enduring all things to remember & linger just one more moment in the Presence where true worship raises us to the heights of heaven.

When we understand the sin of envy in our interactions with the world (which Paul said he likewise didn't know until he knew the Law) we can be on guard against envy within our hearts & also watch what's really happening with others in the song & dance of vanity.

The envy Paul mentions in the body of Christ is the envy of the steadfast & inseparable love of G-d we have in Christ. We see the Gentiles causing the Jews to stumble with envy because they have been granted this love supreme.

The wrong (but quite common) interpretation, then, is to call this a materialistic envy, as though lands & houses were a genetic inheritance instead of one bound to covenant. This is clear because the sin of causing another brother to stumble is forbidden.

The world is the one that tempts w/a false promise & the bait & switch of satisfaction through material indulgence. Christ makes no such product; the gospel is never for sale.

The offer is Himself, & there is no purchase by the recipient, only oneself being purchased & redeemed in unbreakable covenant.

What about the material blessings that Paul requests of those who have receive spiritual blessings from others? It seems contradictory, as though you can buy your way into heaven or something with things you supply.

Stewardship is the clear pattern laid out for us by Christ, & this of the spiritual gifts first & foremost - the other things are actually to be added unto us, not pursued as a primary objective. It is not sensible to think that spiritual things can be purchased w/material goods.

Simon the Sorcerer was cursed for trying to buy the power of the gospel. Again, it really is not a matter of money; money has no governance over the kingdom of heaven. Sound stewardship of material things is a test of character, sure, but that's a different story.

This thread shows some of what the process of moving from a moral compromise from spiritual fellowship to material sense of holiness in an ethnic form costs - it is not the type of compromise w/an easy or cheap type of exchange, & is fraught w/pitfalls. https://twitter.com/144ksongpatch/status/1307165077334761472