"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:
Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it." (Matthew 13v 44-46)
In another way we should be correct to say Christ is the pearl. There are three things we need to the pearl , they are :
1. It is one thing to see the pearl
2. It is another thing to see it is costly
3.It is also another thing to buy it
Seeing the pearl
Christ the pearl is seen first in two ways : there are those that see HIM in a historic way, and believe in HIS death, resurrection and ascension yet they lack a revelation and not born of the spirit to see what that work means in there individual work or salvation. Such is the testimony of many in Christendom and if those people are not submitted to be control by the moral law of God until the day star rise in there hearts and the invitation to the new covenant open , they are sure to be more perverse and wicked than the heathen because the death of Christ in the cross will only be seen as an excuse to there sins and wickedness not knowing the true meaning of "Christ died for the sins of the world ".
Seeing its Cost
There are another short of seeing and this one is Through revelation yet this seeing also is in two.Both see the new covenant and in measure born of the spirit. All of this two group will have a mutual agreement that the dead , resurrection and ascension of Christ have and internal meaning which most do it work in us. Yet the differences is one of the group will recognize it is costly while to the other group there nothing costly about it , but being accepted by him no matter in what state you are.
To those that see not the cost , they are easily offended by any mention of works and a perversion of the grace of God .And worst thing about it is they belief no matter what they do , if they work in the flesh or spirit, obey or disobey HIM , fall or stand all this is God will and they are forever accepted by HIM and no matter in what state they are, either in sin or without sin. This is a great perversion of Christ work and alas that woeful day what will be there hope when even every idle word will be accounted of not to say there open rebellion despite the spirit of Grace." If God spare not the angel that sin but cast them to hell .......and overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah " saith the apostle , we will add what will be the hope of this people on that final day.
"For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast [them] down to hell, and delivered [them] into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;
And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth [person], a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;
And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned [them] with an overthrow, making [them] an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;" (2Peter 2v4-6)
Most of this group have wrong doctrinal concepts that influence there Lives , it maybe eternal security, "our position in Christ" or a perversion of the meaning of predestination etc.
There are another short that see not only the right implication of the dead and resurrection of Christ and what it mean in us but they know that the pearl is costly, which must be a separation from a Life of centered on self , to the transforming and keeping power of the grace of God.
First they have a revelation of the will of Christ in destroying all of self and they are prepared to lay self from degree to degree according the measure of the several internal dispensations they undergo in order to buy the pearl of great price.
When they are in sorrow, temptations, afflictions , rejection, loneliness , etc they have an internal knowledge that this is the cost . And knowing without the cost they cannot buy the pearl , they accept all this discomfort and affliction in the natural as the "money" to buy the pearl. They are not amaze at trials or contradictions because they know that which bring discomfort is self within and to buy the pearl they must sell all , which is an end of self. The pearl is only fully given when there is no self , but oh the roughness of the way, in prayers and fasting . endless trial and afflictions ,temptations, separation from the world and its rotten fashion into the Love of God etc is the only Cost for the pearl. To refuse this is to reject the pearl of great price . Amen