Scripture Reading: Galatians 5:17, 24 Proverbs 17:3 Jeremiah 48:11 Philippians 1:20-21 When a Christian enters the path of the inner life and is led deeper by the Lord, there is an end result that is characterized by inner purity. This spiritual experience can only be achieved after years of pursuing, letting God work, and learning day and night, but it is the most pleasing thing before God. I remember once I ate a ponkan, the flavor of which seemed so sweet I had never tasted it before, so I couldn't help but ask a store where it was purchased. This small example shows us that there are many varieties of fruits, but it is not the size and color of the outside that counts, it is the taste inside that counts, whether it is tart or sweet; likewise, one day when we have finished our journey in this world and have entered into glory, and have become the firstfruits of God's creation (James 1:18), and are letting God enjoy us, He will be most satisfied with the purity that is in us. This message is to show us that the ultimate goal of our inner life is the purity of our inner being. Now we will briefly look at the process of how the saints achieve inner purity by walking this inner path.   I. After man's fall, his natural life became self life In the beginning, after the Lord God had created the heavens and the earth in six days, He created man and woman in His own image. At that time, the natural life did not have a sinful nature in it. Therefore, it was the human spirit that governed the soul, and the soul governed the body. So the Lord God set up a garden in Eden in the east, and put the man who had been created there, to repair and to guard the garden. In this way, day by day, the relationship between man and God was established in intimate fellowship. Because the spirit governs the soul over the body, the spirits of God and man are in communion. However, because the devil lured the patriarchs through the serpent and ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the toxin of Satan entered into man. As a result, the order of things in man was reversed, and the "spirit" of man's communion with God was put aside, and the soul rose up to dominate the body. In other words, the mind, emotions, and will of man dominated the body. This is how it has evolved until today, when all human beings are "I", "I", "I". This "I" is the soul. In Chinese, the soul is said to be combined with the spirit, but in the Bible, the spirit and the soul are separate. When the spirit is set aside and the soul is in charge, man acts according to his mind, emotions, and will. The whole person is disconnected from God, and the spirit becomes chaos and darkness. Since God's dealings with man are through the Spirit, we can only know God. Now the "Spirit" has lost its position, so man's life is dominated by the soul over the body, and he has become a man of the flesh. Therefore, Genesis 6:3 reads, "And the Lord said, 'My Spirit shall not abide with man forever, for he is indeed flesh.'" In this way, the human spirit loses its function and the soul comes out to dominate the body, which is called "flesh" in the Bible. This fleshly life is called the life of self. Matthew 16:24 reads, "Then Jesus said to His disciples, 'If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.'" This means that a person's physical life is also called "self" life. However, when a person believes in Jesus, his spirit comes to life, and the spirit has to do its best to be the Lord, but the soul in the person also wants to be the Lord, so the spirit and the soul are at war with each other. Therefore, Galatians 5:17 says, "For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish." Speaking of experience, today's TV programs in Taiwan are very exciting, especially the serial dramas. For example, if you are sitting in front of the TV and you are watching TV, the Holy Spirit reminds you that you have little time to read the Bible lately, and the flesh says, "Now is the right time to watch the program," and you choose to watch the TV, this is a picture of the flesh and the Holy Spirit fighting against each other so that you can't do what you want to do. I am not saying that we should never watch television. As a citizen, we should be concerned about the current situation in the country and abroad, and we can watch world news reports and weather reports, but the question is where is our heart? There is one thing that we must not overlook lightly, and we must pay attention to, and that is the conflict between the flesh and the Holy Spirit. This flesh is also called "self". The life of the soul is also the life of "self". No wonder the Lord Jesus, when He was on earth, said to those who followed Him, "If anyone wants to follow Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me". This is because the life of the "self", i.e. the "soul", is an enemy of God.   II. The life of "self" is centered on one's own interests. We are all members of Adam's fallen race, and since the fall of our fathers, the "self" life has always been centered on self-interest. But God's eternal plan is to establish Christ as the center of the universe. He is not only the center of all mankind, but also the center of salvation. But our "self" life is centered on our own interests. Therefore, God's work is to transfer man's interests to Christ, so that Christ can be the center. There are at least three major manifestations of man's "self" being centered on his own interests: Gaining honor There is no man who does not want to be honored. Of course, a country needs a president to govern, and a place needs a mayor to manage the provinces, counties, and cities. Therefore, once the election day arrives, in order to win the precious votes from the voters, some candidates even kneel down and beg the public to do so, but in fact, there is no lack of candidates who are really working for the rights of the country and the people, but there are only a few of them, why? Why? It is because being an important official in the country is worth a hundred times more, and it is a great honor to be a dignified person! We can see that one of the manifestations of the "self" life is to gain honor, to seek fame, to strive for respectability, and to be vain. This is the same thing even after believing in Jesus. Isn't it? Christians should be intent on pleasing the Lord and satisfying His heart in their ministry. Unfortunately, as we go from one ministry to the next, over time, it has become a matter of serving the Lord in the ministry of the Lord. It has evolved into grabbing credit and competing for glory in the ministry, which is a manifestation of "self". Grasping for Authority Another manifestation of "self" is grasping for power. That is to say, to strive for position and power. This is hidden in the "self" of man. It is no wonder that when people get along with each other, there will be disputes, gangs, and selfishness ...... resulting in you fighting for power and me seizing profits, causing the whole world society to be in turmoil and insecurity. The church is no exception. Today, some brothers and sisters in the church, in order to get elected as elders and deacons, secretly use every means to canvass for votes by caging or cozying up to the community to elect board members, council members, and chairpersons, which is really unique. On the surface, they serve as elders and deacons, and are faithful to the Lord with great diligence and hard work, but their hidden "selves" are secretly competing for status and grasping for power. May the Lord be gracious and merciful and give us light! However, do not listen to the Word wrongly and think that Christians are all mediocre and incompetent. We hope that some Christians will take up political positions or important positions in society, or even the presidency of a Christian who fears the Lord, which is much better than the position of an unbeliever.  Striving for Profit Striving for profit means selfishness. Who is not selfish? Even Christians who have been redeemed by the blood of the Lord are no exception. Whenever they want to serve, they always consider what is at stake and weigh the gains and losses first, and they do not really say from the bottom of their hearts, "O Lord! I am willing to lay it all down if it is not Your will; but rather, Lord, I am willing to lay it all down if it is not Your will or mine! I will submit to Your will if it is in accordance with my wishes, but if it is against my interests, I will think twice about it. In this way, considering one's own interests and weighing one's own honor, disgrace, and dignity as a prerequisite is a manifestation of striving for interests. We can see that a Christian who serves with spiritual fervor and performs well in the church is no different from an unbeliever if he does not follow the path of the inner life, and if his "own" life is not directed. It is not difficult to see how terribly the "self" life is hidden in people. III. The "self" life in ministry violates God's sovereignty Not only that, but the "self" life often violates God's sovereignty in ministry. Christ is the head of the Church, as Hebrews 3:6 tells us, "Christ as a Son over HIs own house." Therefore, every saint should unconditionally surrender to the Lord, and let Him rule and lead us. Violating God by means of "one's own" life However, when it comes to ministry, one's "own" life will sneak in and invade one's life. Therefore, people have to use their knowledge and intelligence to fulfill God's will, instead of looking up to the Lord and relying on Him. Unbeknownst to them, in the universe, when God's will passes through the earth, man's knowledge, intelligence, and methods are obstacles and interruptions to God's will. Thank the Lord! Because of the Lord's mercy, the Church of God has laid a foundation on the spiritual path in the past few years. Therefore, every time before a ministry is promoted, we always spend a considerable amount of time bowing down before the Lord, praying, seeking, and recognizing that there is nothing that man can do. Violating God with the power of one's own life Anyone who prays little must be a person who is full of his own abilities and methods, and when he comes to the promotion of ministry, he relies on his own abilities and power to fulfill God's will. Therefore, the apostle Paul said in Galatians 3:1-3, "O ignorant Galatians! The crucifixion of Jesus Christ has been painted before your eyes, and who has bewitched you? ...... For if you were initiated by the Holy Spirit, how much more are you being made perfect by the flesh? Are you so ignorant? It is clear that there is a vision of "self" that seeks to fulfill the will of God through the flesh. Like the saints in the Galatian church, they did believe in Jesus by the Holy Spirit, and it was the Holy Spirit that moved them to confess their sins, repent, believe in the Lord, and be saved by grace. But soon they went back to their old ways and kept the law. Relying on the Holy Spirit instead of talent and power to accomplish things In ministry, if we do not rely on the Holy Spirit, but apply what we have learned in society to church ministry, that is to say, we violate God with the power of our own life. That is why we have been reminded here again and again that we should always emphasize prayer, showing that we should not rely on human talents, power, or methods, so as not to infringe on God's sovereignty. Speaking from experience, whether in life, work, or ministry, when you encounter difficulties, do you first seek the Lord? Or do you look to man for help to cope? May the Lord be gracious to us and remind us that By doing so, we are reminded that the life of "self" is an infringement of God's sovereignty and does not allow God to lead us directly.   IV. God puts an end to "self" through the cross Since "self" has been infringing on God's sovereignty, and this "self" is centered on self-interest, how does God save and solve the problem of "self"? He put an end to man's "self" through the cross. Romans 6:6 reads, "knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin." It means that when the Lord Jesus was crucified, He cried out, "It is finished". It means that the cross has put an end to all that we are as human beings. In other words, when Jesus was crucified, we were all crucified and finished together in the cross of Christ. As a matter of objective fact, Jesus Christ not only bore all the sins of all mankind on the cross, but also we, our "selves", were crucified with Him. "Self" was also crucified with Him, and in this way "self" was finished. Just as this book in my hand is Jesus Christ, you, I, and he are this piece of paper, and when this piece of paper is in the book, it is as if you, I, and he are in Christ. When this book is thrown into the water, this piece of paper is thrown into the water with the book, which means that Jesus Christ was crucified, and we are crucified with Him, and when the Lord Jesus died, we all died. This is also the metaphor of God ending man's "self" through the cross. But in terms of experience, we, on the human side, must accept the work of God's hand, just as Jesus was crucified, and all our sins were taken on by Him. But in terms of experience, you and I must believe in order to receive this blessing. On the contrary, if you refuse and do not believe, you will still go to hell. It is not the case that after Jesus' crucifixion and completion of salvation, all people will go to heaven. The subjective experience is whether or not you believe in Christ's salvation. Let's say I am sued for a $5 million debt, and a brother who loves the Lord goes to court on my behalf and pays off the $5 million, then the judge summons me and declares, "Someone has paid off your debt for you, now please sign the certificate, and if I don't sign, it means that I don't accept. It is true that someone has paid off a five million dollar debt for me, but if I refuse, I still have to keep on paying the five million dollar debt. Galatians 5:24 says, "And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." This means that the crucifixion of Jesus Christ has ended our "self" life, but I still have to believe and accept this objective fact. However, I still have to believe and accept this objective fact, and then subjectively, I have to accept Christ's work of curing "self", i.e. the purification of the cross.   V. God removes the impurities of self life through the purification of the cross Jeremiah 48:11 tells us, "Moab has been at ease from his youth; He has settled on his dregs, and has not been emptied from vessel to vessel, nor has he gone into captivity. Therefore his taste remained in him, and his scent has not changed." The historical source of "Moab" is the descendants of Abraham's nephew, Lot, who had committed incest with his daughter (Gen. 19:36-37), which is an indication of the physical body. How can we solve the problem of our natural "self" which, like Moab, is adulterated with the flesh? The prophets of old spoke of Moab as the dregs of wine that needed to be cleansed, which means that our "self" is adulterated and must be cleansed. In ancient times, wine was made by hand. Grapes were picked and pressed in a winepress to crush the grapes, and after the juice flowed out, the grapes were placed in bottles and then poured from one vessel into another. So pouring and pouring, each time to pour, there will be some residue left in the bottom of the vessel. And so they clarified and filtered it until the dregs were pure wine, and then they sealed the bottle. The prophet's analogy of Moab being carnal and not having gone through the purification process of the cross is like the impurities of unclarified wine. From this, we can see that the "self" in us must be purified by God's cross and the impurities of our "self" must be removed. Therefore, if God is merciful and gracious to us, in order to make our lives pure, sooner or later He will do the work of refining and purifying in you and me. There are three main experiences of God's purifying work. Refining Faith to Purity How does God purify the dross of our lives? First of all, He purifies our faith so that we can become pure. Temporary grieved in the midst of various trials In 1 Peter 1:6-7, we read, "In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ," It says here that we are in the midst of trials and tribulations today, just as the apostle Peter was in his old age, when the saints of the church suffered many hardships. As we understand this truth and see the history of the saints of old, we should learn to endure all kinds of trials, whether it is the attack of the evil one, the pressure of the family, the rejection of the colleagues, the misunderstanding of the believers, the financial loss, and so on, God always makes us feel as if the trouble comes one after another in different ways, and the sufferings come in a swarm, so that we may be sorrowful for a while. A brother was introduced by an unbeliever to buy a piece of land at a comparable price, but later the price of the land increased many times, causing the agent to change his mind, so that he had to appeal to the court. After the court's judgment, the brother had already won the case and was able to obtain the land rights, but the litigation was delayed again and again, and the brother was saddened, and seemed to be in the midst of a lot of trials and tribulations. Thank the Lord! The couple was blessed by the Lord's grace in this matter, and had not complained against the Lord for several years, and firmly believed that the Lord had a good will in it. After fellowshipping with the brothers, we experienced the Lord's words, "Though now for a little while, you have been grieved by various trials while, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire". They are convinced that the Lord will make a way for them. Faith being tested is more precious than gold that is tested by fire and still perishes There are many kinds of gold, including 20% gold, 50% gold, 90% gold, and some people want to buy pure gold. Ordinary metals are half gold and half copper, but gold must be refined by fire before it becomes pure gold. The faith of a saint is more precious than gold that has been refined by fire. In order for saints to have true faith and pure faith, God allows all kinds of adversities and difficulties to come to us, so that we can be like the saints of old, who did not panic and rely on people, things, and objects other than the Lord in the midst of unsatisfactory and frustrating circumstances, but instead, in the midst of severe trials, relied on the Lord to be strong in our hearts, and were able to be patient until we came out of the trials, and experienced the sweetness and the bitterness of the trials. The brother we mentioned just now, the litigation case of the land he purchased has been delayed for several years, and is still pending today. After fellowship with the brothers in the church, he received the help of God's word again, and saw in his spirit that Christians are just travelers in the world, and that what we hope for is a spiritual, heavenly and heavenly foundation, which is imperishable, incorruptible, and cannot decay, and which will last forever. We hope in the precious Jesus Christ, who is spiritual, spiritual and heavenly, imperishable, undefiled, incorruptible, and enduring forever. In this respect the brother is like the apostle Paul who said, "But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ" (Phil. 3:7-8) Therefore, instead of being anxious, he was filled with joy and went on with his ministry. Having experienced firsthand that faith, when tested, is more precious than gold that can be broken. In the old days, the two to three million people of Israel traveled out of Egypt through the Red Sea, through the wilderness, and finally into Canaan. This journey lasted forty years, and geographically speaking, it would have taken only eleven days to travel from Egypt, through Mount Sinai and Galilee to the border of Canaan (Deut. 1:2). However, because of their unbelief (faith not being tested), they failed again and again, so the Lord caused them to delay in the wilderness, circling around and around, for 38 years, and it took them a total of 40 years from the time of their exodus from Egypt to the time of their entry into Canaan. The word "forty" in the Bible refers to the number of trials. During the forty years of wandering in the wilderness, the Israelites had been wearing out and refining their impure fleshly "self". Their wavering faith was refined and strengthened through trial after trial. Therefore, Caleb and Joshua led those under twenty years of age to enter the land of Canaan. This historical fact shows us that God wants pure faith, so He must purify the impure part. Let's look at Abraham, the progenitor of faith, and see from his life history how God purified his faith to achieve purity. He was first led out of Ur of the Chaldees by the Lord, and the Lord appeared to him, and promised him, "Then He brought him outside and said, 'Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.' And He said to him, 'So shall your descendants be.' And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness." (Gen. 15:5-6). However, as year after year passed by, Sarah was still not pregnant. She was so anxious and impatient that she suggested to Abraham that she should lie with her daughter Hagar and give birth to Ishmael. After this, God was greatly displeased, and hid it from Abraham. Not only that, but because of the consequences of the birth of man's fleshly "self," to this day the descendants of Ishmael, that is, the Arabians, have always been at enmity with the Israelites, and the Israelites (the descendants of Isaac) have always suffered from the descendants of Ishmael. From this historical fact, we can see that Abraham thought that by having a son with Hagar, he could fulfill the will of God. Instead, the descendants of Ishmael have been enemies of Israel for all eternity. Meanwhile, after the birth of Ishmael, the Lord did not appear to Abraham for 13 years. In the past, God often communicated with Abraham, and Abraham was called God's friend. However, since he slept with his daughter Hagar, and used the "self" method to fulfill God's will, there were thirteen years in the Bible, and there was no more record of Abraham's deeds. In other words, these thirteen years were wasted and wasted. Although the Bible does not record this explicitly, one can imagine that Abraham must have felt great spiritual remorse during these thirteen years. When he was ninety-nine years old, and Sarah had ceased to bear children, God appeared to him and said, "Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac." (Gen. 17:19) And it came to pass, when Abraham was a hundred years old, that the Lord showed favor to Sarah according to his word; and Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son, and called his name Ishmael, in the day which God had told her. This event enabled Abraham to experience for himself that God is an almighty God, who is able to change nothing into something, and to raise the dead. After Abraham's faith was tested, his "own" ways were gone, his "own" power was gone, and he relied on the Lord alone in pure faith. Further, God put Abraham in a deeper and more extreme test, i.e. when Isaac grew up, the Lord called Abraham and asked him to say, "Take now your son, your only son, Isaac whom you love,...and offer him there as a burnt offering" (Gen. 22:2) Thank God! Abraham's faith was tested again and again, and it became mature and pure. He firmly believed that he was old and Sarah's fertility had been cut off, but the Lord is almighty, and He is able to raise the dead and turn nothing into something. Now he was convinced that the Lord would raise Isaac from the dead after he had offered him to the Lord. Hebrews 11:19 specifically says, "(Abraham) concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead," So he did not hesitate, but went forward, as God had commanded him, and brought Isaac, his only beloved, to the altar on Mount Moriah, where God had directed him to go, and when he had the sword in his hand to kill Isaac, the angel of the LORD called out, and stopped Abraham, saying, "Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” (Gen. 22:12) From the spiritual journey of Abraham's life, we see again and again that God had been testing his faith. First, God called him to leave his native land, tribe and father's house, and to go to the place that God showed him, and then he obeyed the command by faith until the final trial. Refine love to attain purity Not only must our faith be tested to be pure, but also our love must be tested to be pure. How many Christians today love the Lord because of the benefits they receive from Him, just like a merchant who buys and sells? If the Lord hears my prayers, then I praise Him, if He blesses my business, then I worship and thank Him, if He promotes me to a higher position, then I love Him more and serve Him more. On the other hand, when the Lord's trial comes, and I can't make any money, I don't get promoted, and my circumstances are not favorable, then I will praise Hallelujah and stop loving and serving the Lord. This shows how impure people's love for the Lord is! Therefore, God often comes to the saints through trials in order to test whether our love for the Lord is true and pure. There was a young sister who loved the Lord and was very happy to be introduced to the Lord for marriage, so she was more serious and active in prayer, fellowship, and visiting in the meetings than before. Suddenly, the man felt that he was not compatible and distanced himself from her, and her whole spiritual life collapsed. Not only did she not hear any prayers in the meetings, but she lost her energy for fellowship and visiting, and she had no burden to serve, and she even grumbled against the Lord. I am not saying that we are stronger than our sister, but the facts show us how adulterated and impure the love of Christians for the Lord is. However, there are some very good sisters who have been introduced to each other and have reached a point where they are in love with each other and are ready to talk about marriage, but then the man leaves without saying goodbye for some unknown reason, which is a blow to the sister, but this sister even submits to it. She deeply felt that the Lord is reliable, that He has loved me and sacrificed His life for me, and that I should live for Him, and that she should continue to love the Lord and serve Him. Because she recognized that she did not love the Lord for the sake of her marriage partner, her heart of love for the Lord became purer than ever after she had been tested and deprived of love. As 1 Peter 1:8 says, "Though you have not seen him, yet you love him. And now, though you do not see him, yet because you believe in him you have great joy that is inexpressible and full of glory. This time I went to a church on the west coast of the United States to release the message of the Lord's love. For two or three moments during the message, I couldn't help but weep. I couldn't hold back my tears, and the audience was also moved to tears. After the message, I returned. After two weeks of this, on this Sunday, it was not only pouring rain but also hail in the area. But I was glad to receive a call from a brother who thought who would be willing to come to the meeting on Sunday morning in the pouring rain and hail? Thank the Lord! He didn't realize that the message of the Lord's love had really gone out that Sunday, and not only did the number of people not decrease, but a few more came in. He thought it would be good if half of the regular attendees could come today. But he didn't realize that there were a few more. Oh! What can separate us from the love of Christ? Is it a storm? Is it hail? It is clear that our pure love for the Lord is born of trials and tribulations. No wonder! Madame Guyon once said, roughly meaning: Even if the Lord were to cast me into hell, I would still love Him and praise and worship my God. This is pure love. In the course of following the Lord, the Lord will allow us to face the hardships of the fire, and I hope that we can accept them by the Lord's grace, knowing that all these things are the refining of our love for the Lord, so that it will become pure. Refining the impurities of the motive of the heart The "motive of the heart" is in the deepest part of the human being. If there is an intention or hope other than the Lord's, it is not really for the Lord alone, and the Lord purifies and removes it through difficult trials. Proverbs 17:3: "The pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests the hearts." Silver is a precious, it must be refined into pure silver in a pot. Gold is more precious than silver, so it needs to be refined into pure gold in a furnace that is several times hotter. The heart of man is most deceitful and adulterated, so the Lord Himself refines the hearts. David was born a shepherd and eventually ascended to the throne as king of Israel. He had gone through many long periods of trial and tribulation in his life history. He also felt that he had become quite spiritual. He once wrote a psalm, "Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully." (Psalm 24:3-4) It is implied that David was a man with a clean heart and clean hands who could climb the mountain of the Lord. Unexpectedly, while he was on the throne and in the height of his popularity, he stayed in Jerusalem while his men were away at war, rising at sunset and walking leisurely on the flat roof, when Satan caused his eyes to rest on Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, who was bathing; and he summoned her to the palace to sleep with him. Soon after the crime, Bathsheba sent word that she was pregnant. Upon learning of this, David tried to shirk his responsibility and quickly ordered Uriah to be recalled from the battlefield. But Uriah, thinking that her comrades were still sleeping on the battlefield, stayed at the entrance of the palace for the night instead of going home. Knowing that this plan would not work, David ordered Uriah to return to the line of battle and sent a letter to Joab, the commander-in-chief, imploring him to send Uriah to the front line to die in battle. The Lord then sent the prophet Nathan to condemn David. David immediately went before God in sincere sorrow and repentance. He wrote his confession into Psalm 51. He sincerely repented of his sins and begged God, "Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. ......I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me....... Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow....... Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me......A broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise." Thank the Lord! He is the God of forgiveness, and after He forgave David, He disciplined him in love, thereby purifying David's heart and motives into purity.   VI. Purity of the inner life The last point is the light that God desires for believers who walk in the way of the inner life, that is, the purity of the inner life. Christ as Lord rules over the spirit, soul, and body Because Christ is Lord in us, naturally Christ is Lord over our spirit, soul, and body. In this way Christ lives in us and is the life of the whole man, which is naturally what Philippians 1:20, 21 says: "so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain." Christ fills the whole being, revealing His holiness and glory Further, Christ fills our whole being, that is, our spirit, through our soul, including our mind, emotions, and will. At that time, the mind of Jesus Christ is our mind, and the liking of the Lord Jesus is our liking. As the psalm says, O let me think how Thou didst leave Untasted every pure delight we also put aside pure delights, and do not seek our own pleasure, but make Christ's rules our own. To be filled with Christ in this way is to be completely united with the Lord, not only in Christ's resurrection, but also in Christ's victory, and to live out Christ's life and character, and to exude Christ's pure life. As the psalm says, Live Thyself, Lord Jesus, through me, For my very life art Thou; <--  Back to "The Pathway of Inner Being" Next Chapter -->

Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:30, Galatians 2:20, 4:19, Ephesians 3:17, 4:13, Philippians 1:20 Our series of messages have been in the context of fellowship with the "Pathway of Inner Being". The pathway of the inner life is the hidden experience of spiritual life. The ultimate goal is to achieve complete union with Christ. For a normal Christian, from the day of salvation by grace, begins to enter into a relationship with Christ. Naturally and invisibly, he or she enters into the threshold of union with Christ, and thus enters into the path of inner life throughout his or her life. Then their spiritual life not only grows continuously, but also becomes more and more united with God, and the more united they become, the deeper they become, until they are completely united with Christ, that is, they reach the fullness of Christ, the fullness of the whole man. At that time, Christ and I will never be separated from each other. Just as a drop of water is lost in the sea, so also does the apostle say in Philippians 1:20-21: "...so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ," This indicates a state of complete union with Christ. However, there are two things that we must pay special attention to and not overlook in this journey of inner life. The first is to know Christ. The second is union with Christ. For the more we know Christ, not only do we enter into union with Him, but we also have access to all His riches. This is what it mean in Colossians 2:9-10 we are told, "For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power." The process of union with Christ, from initial to full union, can be summarized in three stages: Stage One In Christ Christ in me Stage Two Abiding in Christ Christ abiding in me Stage Three Christ grows and is formed in me Christ is manifested in me In Christ We have just read 1 Corinthians 1:30, which says, "But of Him you are in Christ Jesus" . This means that all human beings in the world, throughout the ages, handed down from generation to generation, are all in Adam. Let's say my last name is Jeng, and my son's last name is also Jeng. As soon as he came out of his mother's womb, he was in a family with the surname of "Jeng", and he was in the lineage of the "Jeng" family. Since the beginning of mankind's history until today, we have been in Adam's lineage. Until the day we believed in Jesus and accepted Christ as our Savior, God put us in Christ or moved us to Christ. It is not to run into Christ, for no man can run into Christ by himself, but when we call on the name of Jesus Christ, God moves us from Adam into Christ. In Romans 11:19-20, when the Apostle Paul talked about this experience, he quoted the analogy of a tree receiving a branch, that is, God receives us as a branch into Christ. He said that we (the Gentiles) were originally branches of the wild olive tree, and the Jews (God's elect) were branches of the olive tree, but because they rejected the Son of God and did not accept Christ as their Savior, they were rejected by God. They were rejected by God because they rejected the Son of God and did not accept Christ as their Savior, just as the branches of the olive tree were cut off. Now you and I, Gentile Christians, the wild olive tree branches, are taken up and we are united with Christ. Like the vine and its branches, we are united to Christ. Christ in me Romans 8:1 says, "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus," . This signifies that when we believe in the Lord Jesus, God not only puts us in Christ, but He also looks at us as if we have never sinned, meaning that He justifies us and pleases us. In other words, God not only forgives our sins, but also brings Christ into us, which is called Christ in me. 2 Corinthians 13:5 says, "Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?" This means that we have asked for the name of Jesus Christ, and God has recognized us as belonging to Christ forever, and will not forsake us, but will justify and accept us (Romans 5:18). From this we can see that when we believe in Jesus, Christ comes into us through the Holy Spirit. Obviously, Christ is in you and in me, one side of me is in Christ and the other side is Christ in me, and this experience happens at the same time. The riches of our Lord Jesus Christ are limitless, like an endless ocean. You and I are like a small bottle. When we believe in Jesus Christ, on the one hand, God puts this small bottle in the big ocean; on the other hand, the sea water pours into the bottle until it is full of water, and both of these things happen at the same time.  3. Abiding in Christ We have said that "In Christ" is a spiritual fact, referring to the divine status that we have attained by believing in the Lord Jesus, the fact that God has done it for us so that we can be united with Christ. Now we move on to the experience of "Abiding in Christ". John 15:5 is a key to the treasury of the Bible, which, once opened, reveals the riches of God's glory. The Lord Jesus Himself said, "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him..." This speaks of entering into the experience of union with Christ. But in fact, we often run away from Christ again, so we have to keep practicing and enter into a continuous abiding in Christ and union with Him. For example, in today's society there are some young people who have been caught by the government and put in a reformatory because they have often committed crimes. As a matter of fact, this young man is incarcerated in a reformatory and no longer lives at home. However, if his name is Huang, even though he has run away from his family and is incarcerated in a reformatory and no longer lives at home, his family name does not change because of this!   Similarly, after you and I believe in Jesus and are saved, God moves us to Christ and we become Christians. So wherever we go, we are Christians. We are Christians no matter where we go. We are Christians if our behavior is good, but we are still Christians even if our behavior is bad, and we are Christians even if we win or lose. For example, the young man surnamed Huang, who is supposed to live in the Huang family, is still a son of the Huang family, even though he has run away from home to do evil. But even though he is a son of the Huang family, he cannot live in the Huang family and enjoy all the riches of the Huang family. The day we believe in Jesus, we come to Christ, live in Christ, experience the sweetness of fellowship when we pray and draw near to the Lord, sometimes enjoy the richness of the Lord's words in reading the Bible, or enjoy the Lord's grace with all the saints in the church, bask in the depth of the Lord's love, and live the highest Christian life. However, some Christians, unable to withstand the temptations of the world, go out to socialize with their friends, and gradually stop praying, then stop reading the Bible, and stop meeting; although they are called Christians, they have in fact gone out of Christ. Therefore, the third experience of the Christian must be built up to maintain "abiding in Christ". This is because abiding in Christ is like a branch connected to the vine, allowing the life, sap, and nourishment of the vine to be passed on to the branches, which then thrive and bear much fruit. Therefore, a person who abides in Christ must receive the abundant life of the Lord and be able to provide for the life of the Lord, exuding His riches and manifesting His glory. The Old Testament records that Moses went up the mountain for forty days and forty nights to draw near to the Lord, just as the Christians of the New Testament era have the experience of abiding in Christ. On that occasion when Moses went up to the mountain to draw near to the Lord, the Bible specifically says, "When Moses came down from Mount Sinai....did not know his ski n shone while he talked with Him" (Exodus 34:29). Likewise, the Christian who enters into intimate fellowship with the Lord, without realizing it, will shine with the glory of the Lord. Oh! There is no one so close to us as the Lord, for Christ is in us. As the psalm says, Within the Veil: be this, belov’d, thy portion, Within the secret of thy Lord to dwell; Beholding Him, until thy face His glory, Thy life His love, thy lips His praise shall tell Back in my youth, I used to draw near to the Lord with a group of companions who pursued the Lord with a pure heart. At first, when I was learning to draw near to the Lord, twenty minutes seemed to be enough, but the closer I got to the Lord and the more I was brought into fellowship with Him, the time was increased to half an hour or even an hour. Oh! The closer I get to the Lord, the sweeter I feel; the closer I get to the Lord, the more I am attracted by His glory. The closer I get to the Lord, the more my heart longs for Him, and I wish to be immersed in Him, to be one with Him forever. Christ abides in me If we abide in Christ, Christ abides in us. The experience of "abiding in Christ is not the same as Christ abiding in us. We have already mentioned the experience of abiding in Christ, but now we will look at the process of Christ's abiding in us. Christ living in me "Christ lives in me" refers to the fact that Christ governs me in me, that is, as Galatians 2:20 says, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me." It means that I, the sinner, have been crucified with Christ, and I am no longer the master; it is no longer I, the sinner, who live, but Christ who lives in me. It is Christ who is the master, who leads me, who dominates me, who governs me. When a Christian is in this experience, he can be considered to have grown considerably, for it is Christ who is the life in him. Christ is our life Colossians 3:4 says, "Christ is our life" . But are we really letting Christ be our life in our experience? A person who lets Christ be his life is one who lets Christ take the lead. For the nature of Christ's life is of a divine nature, and the characteristics of God's nature are experienced naturally, not artificially created or cultivated through hard work, but by accepting the characteristics of His own life. It is the acceptance of the characteristics of His own life. It is like a pig on a farm, an animal whose odor is smelled before you can see it. The characteristic of a pig's life is that it likes to roll around in the sludge and manure. On the other hand, if you put a sheep in a pigpen, it will immediately struggle and will not be able to rest; for sheep are clean animals, and the characteristic of their life is that they like to be clean. In the same way, Christians, because Christ is our life, are called to live a life of holiness. Christ is our wisdom Further, 1 Corinthians 1:30 reads, "But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption." It is stated that we can be in Christ today because we believe that God put us in Christ when we were born again and saved; at the same time, Christ came into us and became our life. When we experience Christ as our life, one of the main elements is to experience Christ as our wisdom. This means experiencing Christ as our method and guide in life, work, and ministry. One Thursday night in the witnessing meeting, a young sister shared that over the past few years, she had not dared to accept being assigned to speak on topics about the truth, she only dared to share her testimonies. Because whenever she was assigned to share, she would be in a state of fear and panic, and even though she tried to prepare for fellowship in a different ways, she still had no clue and was unable to get the hang of the situation. This year, however, she decided to go to Taipei for the summer conference, and a co-worker arranged for her to do some sharing. At first, she repeatedly refused, but the sister encouraged her to practice so that she could make progress, and she finally reluctantly agreed. So she prepared very seriously on Monday, and during her visitation, she repeatedly asked several sisters for advice, hoping to get help from them. However, she was still in a state of panic and her mind was so worried that she didn't know how to interweave her testimonies. Until Friday she decided to give up, but her co-worker said, "If you give up now and arrange for someone else, that person won't have enough time to prepare. So she had to accept it, and she went to the Lord to pray and look up. Thank God, that night, the Holy Spirit suddenly gave her words and many points to share, and she was suddenly anointed and assured in her spirit. The following Saturday, the sisters were concerned and asked her if she was ready. She said she was not ready, but that the Lord's word had come. Sure enough, on Sunday, she stood up boldly, and when she opened her mouth, she experienced a river of living water flowing out of her belly. On the other hand, she was spiritually released and anointed in a way that she had never been before. She truly experienced Christ as our wisdom. Christ is or righteousness We have just read 1 Corinthians 1:30 which says that it is God's work that we are in Christ. On the other hand, "But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became.... righteousness...." This means that God has made Christ to live in us, to be our righteousness, and He will guide us to act in righteousness and enable us to live out our righteousness. For example, in the United States, a country with a high level of culture and education, almost all citizens obey the laws of the land, especially traffic discipline. Whenever a vehicle arrives at an intersection, although there is no police or traffic light to direct the driver, the driver will automatically stop at the intersection, and then give way to each other and wait for the first person to go through before driving through the intersection. Thank God! Christ dwells in us, He is the Righteous One who naturally calls us to act or live out righteousness. There is a testimony that talks about a military dormitory. There was a devout Christian who, every day before going to bed, would kneel down before the Lord and pray. The soldiers in his room used to deliberately make fun of him, making him cry. One night when a storm was raging, his fellow soldiers came back from duty, soaked to the skin and their boots were covered with mud. When they saw this Christian kneeling in front of his bed and praying, they deliberately put their boots, which were covered with mud, next to his head. They saw the Christian kneeling in front of his bed, so they deliberately put their boots, covered with mud, next to his head. The Christian ignored them and continued to pray, so they were bored and went to bed. Miraculously, the next morning, when the soldiers in the same room got up, they found that their boots were not only free of mud, but also polished and neatly placed in front of their beds, and their hearts were moved with guilt, and they repented and returned to the Lord. This is an example of Christ's indwelling righteousness. Christ is our Sanctification The life of Christ in us is characterized by the holiness of God. That is why 1 Corinthians 1:30 says, "But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us .... sanctification..." The qualities of Christ's life in us make us naturally holy. In other words, the secret of holiness is not that we try to be holy, but that He is holy. When we allow Christ to live in us, we live a holy life, free from sin and unholiness. Another Thursday night fellowship. A young adult testified that he had recently taken up a higher position in a new company. Many of his organization's subordinates are unbelievers. Although they have received higher education, they often speak in obscene and delusional language, especially after work, when they open their gossip boxes, they talk about men and women, and always bring in obscene and dirty language. At first, it was very hard for him to hear this, but since he had just been appointed to a new company, he smiled and catered to the colleagues in order to please them, so every time he went back home, he was in great pain inside, and his conscience often scolded him, "You are a Christian, why do you mix with people who do not believe in Jesus? Thanks to God's mercy, the brother quickly avoided his coworkers when they chatted and gossiped, and maintained a life of holiness, which is the experience of Christ's holiness in us. Christ is our Redeemer I Corinthians 1:30 not only speaks of Christ as our wisdom, righteousness, and sanctification, but finally it speaks of Christ as our redemption, which means that Christ is the life in us, and that He will fill our souls, and through our souls, we will attain to the experience of the body. Of course, this will not happen until Christ returns and our bodies are transformed to resemble His glorious body. This means that our bodies will be resurrected and transformed to reveal Christ and be raptured in the Glory.  Christ makes His home in us Regarding the experience of Christ's dwelling in us, Ephesians 3:17 reads, "That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith." This means that Christ lives and reigns in us and governs us freely. The phrase "Christ has made His home in us" means that Christ has made our hearts and minds His dwelling place, or His home. It means that He wants to be the Lord, not as a guest, but as a host. A host is one who has the right of ownership, the right to control, and use of all things in the home. A guest is a visitor who has no right to use and move the furniture around as he pleases. This shows that Christ treats us as His own home, which means that He manages and uses us as He pleases. Therefore, when we give Christ full sovereignty over us, we allow Him to live in our hearts and minds and to freely rule over us and use us. In this way we experience Christ living in us. Christ grows and is formed in me The spiritual experience is getting deeper and deeper because Christ is not just going to live in us; He is going to grow and be formed in us. How Christ grows and is formed in us, there are two important experiences to be mentioned: Through the cross, Christ is formed (structured) within Galatians 4:19 reads, "My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you." It is stated that the step for Christ to be formed and grow up in us is through "labor in birth". "Labor in birth" describe the experience of a woman in labor. When a woman goes into labor, she suffers severe pains that increase until the baby is born. No wonder some young women who have just conceived their first child and are nervous when approaching the time of labor, they are anxious, and worried about whether or not the labor will be difficult, and so they go around asking questions about the labor process. The apostle's use of "labor in birth" to describe the painful experience of the cross is really appropriate. When we are born again and saved, the life of Christ comes into us, and this life will gradually grow and take shape in you and me, and will expand to our whole being, including every part of our mind, emotion, and will. When a hen lays an egg, it is an egg on the outside, but there is the life of a chick inside. If the egg has to be incubated, and the life of the chicken will grow until the chick is fully formed, and then the chick will break out of the shell. In terms of experience, when Christians are born again and saved, God puts Christ (life) in us. God then arranges all kinds of people, events and things to interact with each other, causing our souls to be tormented, even beaten and broken, so that the life of Christ can gradually grow and be formed in us. If we are merciful to the Lord and go through the experience of accepting the cross again and again, then the life of Christ will continue to grow and take shape in us. In ancient times, most of the cloth was woven on a loom. First, the thread was put on the loom, and then it was woven vertically, horizontally, and vertically to form a large piece of cloth. If it was not woven vertically and horizontally, it would not be able to become a large piece of cloth, and these are two different directions.   Once I asked a ticket vendor at the Taipei bus station if a certain bus number was passing by, and he seemed like he didn't hear, so I asked him again, and he answered me in a displeased tone, saying, "You have eyes to see for yourself! I thank the Lord that I walked away in peace and silence in Christ. If I had not had Christ in me, I would have blamed this man for being so uneducated, and for being so unreasonable when he was asked with courtesy. Oh! If we are attentive in our lives, we must find that there are many encounters, crosses of different sizes, to be experienced every day. If we receive it once, the life of Christ will be organized once, and if we receive it again and again, it will be like the weaving of a loom, which will soon become a large piece of cloth, and Christ will be formed in us. Psalm 45:13 says, "The royal daughter is all glorious within the palace; her clothing is woven with gold." Here, the embroidered garments are used to depict the fact that the more we accept the cross, the more Christ is formed in us. Naturally, this kind of Christian has allowed Christ to grow and be formed in him. Seriously, there are a few keys to spiritual experience that must be firmly grasped. The first is to abide in Christ— and continually remain in Him. Because when the cross comes, the natural man will not be able to accept it, and the human flesh will not be able to submit to it, so how can one accept it? By the power and grace of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, if one does not abide in Christ, when the cross comes, he will either refuse or run away. Therefore, we must practice and build up a life of abiding in Christ. The second step is the secret of fruitfulness mentioned in John 15:5. Jesus said, "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit." But before this statement, there is a statement that you need to pay attention to: " Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. " (John 15:2) A person who abides in Christ is a fruitful branch. The "pruning" refers to the ensuing cross. When the vinedresser sees a bunch of grapes growing, he prunes the fruit-bearing branches so that new branches will spring up and bear new fruit. Experientially speaking, there are parts of us that are carnal, hard, and old, and the gardener (Jesus Christ) came and pruned me of my talkativeness, you of your hardness and strength, and him of his loitering and idleness. In short, the Lord raises up the circumstances, the difficulties, and the blows that come. For the cross is the means by which Christ is formed in us. No wonder the Apostle Paul tells us, "We must go through many difficulties to enter the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22). How much of the image of Christ we have in us is based on how much we accept the cross. But how much we accept the cross is based on whether or not we continue to "abide in Christ". May the Lord be gracious to us in the remaining years of our lives, and may we treasure the experience of abiding in Christ. As the psalm says, Enter the veil and go without the camp, Taste heaven’s sweetness, thus the earth forsake; If by the Holiest I am satisfied, How can I of earth’s vanities partake? Recognize the Son of God and grow to manhood in it A Christian's experience of union with Christ begins with seeing the Son of God, i.e., knowing Christ, the Son of God, inwardly. This knowledge is not a reasoned concept, or a head knowledge. It is a spiritual seeing and knowing. That is why Paul prayed in Ephesians 1:17, "That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him" This means that the inner spirit receives the revelation of the Holy Spirit and sees that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and immediately we enter into union with Christ, which is the initial experience. The Apostle Paul said in Galatians 1:16, "It pleased God...to reveal His Son in me ......." This means that when we are born again, we receive the revelation of the Son of God in our spirit. At this time, Christ is born as a baby in you and me, and then the Holy Spirit leads us to gradually have a wider and deeper understanding of the Son of God. The more we know Christ, the more we gain His fullness, and naturally, the more our spiritual life grows. As our knowledge of the Son of God grows, our experience of Christ grows, and naturally the life of Christ is not only fully organized in us, but we also reach full maturity in the life of Christ. So Ephesians 4:13 tells us, "Till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." The meaning is that when the knowledge of the Son of God is perfected, the spiritual life experience reaches its highest peak, that is, the life of Christ pervades all the parts of the person, including the mind, emotions and will in the soul and spirit, all of which are filled with the life of Christ. Christ is manifested in me The last point is that when spiritual life reaches its peak, not only does the stature of Christ grow and take shape in you, but the life (nature) of Christ is also manifested in us. This is what the Apostle Paul said in Philippians 1:20, "Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death." Human life consists of two words, "life and death". "Life" started after we leave the womb of our mother, we live in the human society. "Death is the end of life. When we finish our journey in life, the impression (image) that we leave behind is whether or not it is Christ. If so, it shows that the spiritual life of the Christian has reached a spiritual peak, and that the person has been closely and deeply united with Christ. It is indeed difficult to explain "union with Christ". Thank the Lord! Brother Nee once told the story of a blacksmith who was making iron. He put a piece of black iron into a hot furnace and burned it until it turned red, then he took it out, and his apprentice rolled a piece of paper on the iron to start the fire, and the fire started to burn, and Brother Nee was very amazed that the iron actually produced fire. Later, he realized that this piece of iron was different from ordinary iron; it had been burned in a furnace, and now it was both iron and fire. In other words, the fire was in the iron and the iron was in the fire, and it had the weight of iron and the shape of fire. God's ultimate work is for us to be united with Christ as iron is with fire, so that not only is everything in iron, but also everything that is fire is in iron. May the Lord bless His own words, so that we may see that the ultimate spiritual peak of the Christian life experience is to be filled with Christ and to manifest Christ in complete union with Him. Therefore, we are encouraged to be kept by the Lord in the remaining years of our lives, and to continue to move forward on this path of life until we enter into a complete union with Christ, where God and man will never be separated again. --- E N D --- <-- Back to "The Pathway of Inner Being"

鄭兄長三十年於菲、台、美事奉中 如農夫舉鋤揮汗，忍辱含辛 不遺餘力地栽種、灌溉、施肥、修剪 終於在這屬靈園地 看到含苞開花結實 今年2020 鄭兄長安息主懷屆十八年了，他在世時為提供有心追求主的兄姊們在小組裏，得以深入扎根的屬靈追求，曾將他主日講台釋放信息中摘取七篇，略加整修，彙集編印，出版兩輯『拾取麥穗』。這十年來由於主屢次藉兄姊們的索求，於是今再摘取七篇，彙編出版第三至九輯。願主祝福主僕從神所領受豐碩的經歷、靈感與亮光；深信必使我們在屬靈生命與經歷上，受益匪淺。阿們！ 惜乎！鄭兄長已於2002年10月22日安息主懷, 內容未克經他過目修正，難免有遺漏之憾！敬希諸屬靈前輩與讀者們見諒是幸 。 拾取麥穗（一） 拾取麥穗（六） 拾取麥穗（二） 拾取麥穗（七） 拾取麥穗（三） 拾取麥穗（八） 拾取麥穗（四） 拾取麥穗（九） 拾取麥穗（五）

加拉太書與羅馬書講因信稱義同時闡釋生命路線 （一） 屬靈人的表現（原則） 1. 愛的服事（供應生命） (1-2) (1) 你們屬靈的人，就當用溫柔的心把他挽回過來 (1) a. 溫柔 ----- 充滿愛 b. 挽回 ----- 愛的服事 (2) 各人的重擔要互相擔當 (2) ----- 愛的服事 2. 儆醒 (1) 謹慎 ----- 當自己小心 (1) (2) 自守 ----- 恐怕也被引誘 (1) 3. 行在光中（接受光照認識自己）(3-4) (1) 自己還以為有，就是自欺了 (3) (2) 應當察驗自己的行為 (4) ----- 自守 4. 順從聖靈 (8-10) (1) 順着聖靈撒種的 (8) (2) 有機會就當向眾人行善，向信徒更當這樣 (10) 5. 誇基督的十字架 (14) (1) 以十字架為榮耀 (2) 就我而論世界已經釘在十字架上 (3) 就世界而論，我已經釘在十字架上 6. 作新造的人 (15) (1) 乃重在裏面 ----- 受割禮不受割禮都無關緊要 (2) 成為新造 ----- 要緊的，就是作新造的人 (3) 因十字架的工作成為新造 (14-15) 7. 作基督的囚奴 (17) (1) 不受基督以外人事物影響 ----- 從今以後,人都不要攪擾我 (2) 作基督的囚奴 -----因為我身上帶著耶穌的印記 （二） 屬肉體的表現（原則） 1. 大意（輕意隨便） ----- 有人偶然被過犯所勝 (1) 2. 自欺 ----- 無有,自己還以為有 (3) 3. 順着情慾（肉體） ----- 順着情慾（肉體）撒種的，必從情慾（肉體）收敗壞 (8) 4. 愛體面 ----- 希圖外貌體面 (12) 5. 拒絕十字架 ----- 是怕自己為基督的十字架受逼迫 (12) （ 三） 屬肉體與屬靈的不同後果 1. 人種的是甚麼，收的也是甚麼 (7) ［種瓜收瓜, 種豆收豆］ 2. 順着情慾撒種（肉體）的,必從情慾（肉體）收敗壞 (8) 3. 順着聖靈撒種的,必從聖靈收永生 (8) 4. 行善到了時候就要收成 (9) << 第五章 << 回 綱 目 >>

1-15節 基督叫人得自由 （一） 基督叫我們得自由 1. 基督成功救贖釋放我們 ----- 基督釋放了我們 (1) 2. 脫離律法的轄制 ----- 叫我們得以自由 (1) ［林肯釋放黑奴］ （二） 要站立得穩 1. 不靠肉體 ----- 靠着聖靈 (5) 2. 憑信心 ----- 與基督聯合 （三） 不要再受律法轄制 受割禮,守一條律法是欠着行全律法的債 靠律法稱義的,是與基督隔絕 (4) 靠律法稱義的,是從恩典中墜落 (4) （四） 十字架廢除律法轄制 1. 十字架已廢掉肉身的割禮 ----- 我若仍舊傳割禮，為甚麼還受逼迫呢？(11) 2. 接受十字架就遭逼迫 ----- 我若仍舊傳割禮,那十字架討厭的地方就沒有了(11) （五） 十字架廢除律法轄制 (13-15) 1. 重生的改變 ----- 你們蒙召是要得自由 (13) 2. 自由身的要獻給主 ----- 只是不可將你們的自由，當作放縱情慾的機會 (13) ［黑奴得自由仍歸主人］ 3. 成全律法活出生命 ----- 你們蒙召得自由,總要用愛心互相服事 (13) 4. 愛就活出律法以上的標準 ----- 全律法都包在「愛人如己」這一句話之內 (14) 16-26節 聖靈裏的得勝與豐富 （一） 要順從聖靈 (16-18) 1. 脫離律法的轄制 ----- 順着聖靈而行，就不放縱肉體的情慾 (16) 2. 屬肉體與屬靈是兩範疇（界限） ----- 聖靈和情慾（肉體）相爭 (17) 3. 自由不受捆綁 ----- 被聖靈引導,就不在律ｘ法以下 (18) （二） 聖靈的光照顯明肉體 (19-21) 1. 肉體十五種記號 ----- 姦淫、污穢、邪蕩、拜偶像、邪術、仇恨、爭競、忌恨、惱怒、結黨、紛爭、異端、嫉妒（有古卷加：兇殺二字）、醉酒、荒宴 (20-21) 2. 屬肉體無法受主管理 ----- 情慾的事都是顯而易見的，就如姦淫……行這樣事的人,必不能承受神的國 (19-21) （三） 聖靈的果子 (22-23) 1. 聖靈所結的果子 ----- 聖靈所結的果子，就是仁愛 (22) 2. 聖靈所結仁愛的果子包括八種 ----- 就是仁愛、喜樂、和平、忍耐、恩慈、良善、信實、溫柔、節制 (20-21) （四） 靠聖靈治死肉體 (24) 1. 同釘的事實 ----- 凡屬基督耶穌的人，是已經把肉體同釘在十字架上了 (24) 2. 靠聖靈治死肉體主觀的經歷 ----- 凡屬基督耶穌的人，是已經連肉體的邪情私慾，同釘在十字架上了 (24) （五） 靠聖靈行事 (25-26) 1. 靠聖靈活着 ----- 靠聖靈得生 (25) 2. 順服聖靈的聲音 ----- 靠聖靈行事 (25) 加拉太書五章與羅馬書八章之對比： (馬丁路得根據此兩本書信傳因信稱義堪稱姊妹書) << 第四章 << 回 綱 目 >> 第六章 >>

1-11節 聖徒是神的兒子不再作奴僕 （一） 舊約時代是在律法下作奴僕 1. 舊約時代 ----- 孩童的時候 (1) 2. 在律法下作奴僕 ----- 師傅和管家的手下 (2) （二） 新約時代是在恩典下作兒子 1. 到新約時代 ----- 時候滿足 (4) 2. 基督在律法下完成律法 ----- 生在律法以下 (4) 3. 成功救贖 ----- 把律法以下的人贖出來 (5) 4. 長大成人承受產業 ----- 叫我們得着兒子的名分 (5) ［12歲得兒子名分］ （三） 兒子不再回去作奴僕 (8-11) 新約時代作神兒子脫離在律法下為奴僕 聖徒不再回去守律法 （四） 生命的道路和律法的道路 1. 兒子名分 ----- 生命長大成人（孩童------得兒子名分） ---- 生命的道路 2. 師傅和管家看管下 ----- 作奴僕 ---- 律法的道路 12-20節 藉十字架使基督增加成形 （一） 傳啟示的基督（福音） (一11-12) （二） 基督被接受 1. 因相信基督 「接待我如同神的使者」 (14) 2. 肯為基督受辱 「受試煉沒有輕看我，也沒有厭棄我」 (14) 3. 肯為基督付代價 「情願把自己的眼睛剜出來給我」 (15) （三） 藉 十 字架使基督成形 1. 背十字架付代價傳基督 「 我頭一次傳福音給你們,是因為身體有疾病」 (13) 2. 有人背後毁謗為難 「我將真理告訴你們，就成了你們的仇敵嗎？」(16) 3. 仇敵的詭計為難使徒 「那些人熱心待你們，卻不是好意，是要離間你們」 (17) (1) 經過苦難（十字架）帶進生命 (2) 自己死卻叫人活 ［林後四7-11］ 21-31節 新舊兩約之對比： 補 充 （一） 十字架與律法 ----- 神兒子生在律法以下，要把律法以下的人贖出來 (4-5) （二） 十字架與長進 ----- 神的兒子要把律法以下的人贖出來，叫我們得著兒子的名分 (4-5) （三） 十字架與自由 ----- 從此以後，你不是奴僕，乃是兒子了 (7) （四） 十字架與基督的成形 1. 勞苦事奉 　　 ----- 我頭一次傳福音給你們，是因為身體有疾病(13) 2. 受誤會 ------ 我將真理告訴你們,就成了你們的仇敵嗎？(16) 3. 被毁謗 ----- 那些人熱心待你們，卻不是好意，是要離間你們 (17) 4. 經歷十字架 ----- 我小子啊,我為你們再受生產之苦 (14) 5. 長久忍耐 ----- 受生產之苦，直等到基督成形在你們心裏 (19) 6. 基督長大組織 ----- 基督成形在你們心裏 (19) 7. 十字架的原則 (1) 犧牲自己叫別人得利益 (2) 由死亡得生命 8. 為補滿基督患難的缺欠 ----- 我為你們心裏作難 (20) （五） 屬肉體與屬靈 ------ 屬肉體的逼迫屬靈的 ----- 那按著血氣生的，逼迫了那按著聖靈生的 (29) （六） 十字架與肉體 ------ 審判肉體不給肉體地位 ----- 把使女和他兒子趕出去 (30) << 第三章 << 回 綱 目 >> 第五章 >>

1-10節 保羅作外邦使徒的印證 ---- 保羅的職分受肯定 （ 取得眾聖徒~加拉太教會~的信任） （一） 啟示支配行動 (1-2) 「過了十四年，我同巴拿巴又上耶路撒冷去，並帶著提多同去。我是奉啟示上去的.....」 (1-2) 「十四年」後、仍受（奉）啟示支配 作使徒的明證是活在啟示中受神支配 （二） 堅守福音真理 (3-6) 「但與我同去的提多，雖是希利尼人，也沒有勉強他受割禮；」 (3) 1. 享受基督的自由 「有偷着引進來的假弟兄，私下窺探我們在基督耶穌裏的自由」 (4) 2. 拒絕假弟兄的律法主義 「我們就是一刻的工夫也沒有容讓順服他們」 (5) 3. 不作律法的奴僕 「假弟兄…要叫我們作奴僕。」(5) 4. 不與宗教勢力妥恊 (6) 「至於那些有名望的，不論他是何等人，都與我無干。」 (6) （三） 受主託付作外邦使徒 (7-9) 1. 受主託為外邦人作使徒 「主託我傳福音給那未受割禮的人」(7) 2. 受聖靈膏作使徒 「那感動彼得叫他為受割禮之人作使徒的，也感動我，叫我為外邦人作使徒；」(8) 3. 使徒受主差遣事奉，也根據聖靈感動 4. 靠恩典盡託付 「所賜給我的恩典....叫我們往外邦人那裏去...」 (9) （四） 得教會柱石的印證 (8-9) 1. 彼得受託付作使徒後,作教會的柱石 ----- 彼得為受割禮之人作使徒的，得稱為教會柱石 (7-8) 2. 保羅得印證作外邦使徒 「那稱為教會柱石的雅各、磯法、約翰，就向我和巴拿巴用右手行相交之禮，叫我們往外邦 人那裏去。」(8) 3. 使徒重大的託付（事奉）須得印證 （五） 記念窮人 (10) 記念窮人是降卑同情愛人的心腸 更是事奉主應有基本的性格（品德） 11-19節 堅守真道不妥協 （一） 彼得巴拿巴也隨夥裝假 (11-13) 1. 彼得畏逼迫而裝假. 「磯法...和外邦人一同吃飯....他因怕奉割禮的人，就退去與外邦人隔開了。」 (11-12) 2. 巴拿巴也裝假 「甚至連巴拿巴也隨夥裝假。」(13) 3. 人的天然生命有一特性是裝假 （二） 保羅堅守真理不妥協 (14) 1. 堅守福音真理不怕得罪人 「磯法到了安提阿；因他有可責之處，我就當面抵擋他。」 (11) 2. 堅守福音真理不向人情妥協 ----- 彼得有可責之處，保羅就當面抵擋他；連巴拿巴也在內 (11,13) 3. 堅守福音真理不因受逼迫而妥協 「從雅各那裏來的人未到以先，他和外邦人一同吃飯，及至他們來到，他因怕奉割禮的人，就退去與外邦人隔開了。」(12) （三） 福音真理是因信稱義 (16) 稱義不是因行律法 (16) 乃因信基督稱義，因為凡有血氣的，沒有一人因行律法稱義 (16) （四） 福音真理是向律法死而向神活 (19) 我因律法，就向律法死 (19) 叫我可以向神活着 (19) 20-21節 基督在我裏面活（四個我） （一） 我 ---------「 已經」與基督同釘十字架 （二） 我 ---------「 現在」活著的不再是我（守住算自己死的地位） （三） 我 --------- 現在活著的不再是我，乃是「基督在我裏面活著」 （四） 我 --------- 我如今在肉身活著，是「因信神的兒子而活」 < 第一章 << 回 綱 目 >> 第三章 >>

問安與祝頌 (1-5) （一） 著者 1. 使徒 ---------- 保羅 (1) 不是出於人 (1) (2) 是神和基督所差遣 (1) (3) 故我們事奉的根源必須是出於神和基督 2. 和一切與我同在的眾弟兄 (2) (1) 保羅與眾聖徒站在一起 (2) 同工要與眾弟兄姊妹打成一片 （二） 受者 ---------- 加拉太的各教會 (2) 關心各地教會 不落在屬靈狹窄裏 不僅關心本地各教會也關懷外埠各教會 （三） 願恩惠、平安從父神與我們的主耶穌基督歸與你們 (3) 交通結果帶給人恩典平安 可見屬靈交通是出於神的，就帶給人恩典和生命 （四） 基督照父神旨意為我們的罪捨己 (4) 顯示使徒充滿基督的靈一再提起基督 明言基督救贖的工作，是受父神旨意支配 祂為我們的罪並救我們脫離這罪惡的世代，都是照「父神的旨意」 （五） 榮耀歸於神 (5) 事奉的結果是神得榮耀 神得榮耀是神僕人的願望 6-10 加拉太各教會的危機（難處） （一） 保羅所傳基督的福音 恩典的福音 ----- 藉着基督之恩召 (6) 因信稱義 （二） 加拉太的各教會「去從別的福音」 守律法、受割禮 (6) 靠行律法得救 （三） 神不許福音真理受更改 (3) 若傳福音與我們所傳給的不同，就應當被咒詛 (7-9) 兩次提「咒詛」明言神不許更改基督的福音 ［摩西第二次打磐石不得進迦南］ （四） 是要得神的心非討人的喜歡 (10) 我要得人的心呢？還是要得神的心呢？ 若是討人的喜歡，我就不是基督的僕人了 作主僕人基夲的態度是討神喜悅 ［大衛凡事討神喜悅成為合神心意的人］ 11-17 啟示的事奉 （一） 三種的事奉 1. 人意的事奉 (1) 出於人的意思 (11) (2) 是從人領受的 (11) (3) 是人教導的 (11) 2. 宗教的事奉 (1) 在猶太教中所行 (13) (2) 祖宗的遺傳 (14) (3) 律法、制度、儀式、外表 --> 宗教 (4) 遺傳、傳统更是宗教的代表 3. 啟示的事奉 (1) 是從耶穌基督啟示來的 (14) (2) 事奉的根源必須是出於啟示 (3) 保羅的事奉是啟示的事奉 （二） 基督（神兒子）的啟示 1. 必須有基督的啟示 (1) 神樂意將他兒子啟示在我心裏 (16) ----- 事奉的異象 (2) 有一次（或一段時期）確定得着基督的異象 (3) 從靈裹看見基督是救恩（一切） ［西緬抱嬰孩耶穌看見救恩］ 2. 基督的啟示（異象）產生託付（使命） (1) 叫我把衪傳在外邦人中 (16) ----- 得基督的啟示就受託付（傳揚祂） (2) 異象產生使命 ［以賽亞看見主後受差遣］ 3. 傳啟示的基督 (1) 神樂意將他兒子啟示在我心裏，叫我把衪傳在外邦人中 (16) ----- 把基督的啟示傳給人 (2) 事奉乃是把啟示的基督帶給人 　　　 ［腓利把啟示的基督帶給太監］ (3) 聖徒的使命（託付）是把啟示的基督帶給人 （三） 執事成形的基礎 1. 揀選 ----- 乃是藉着耶穌基督 (1)，(弗一4) 2. 分別 ----- 那把我從母腹裏分別出來 (15) 3. 得基督的啟示（異象） ----- 神樂意將他兒子啟示在我心裏 (16) 4. 消化異象 (1) 往亞拉伯去，後又回到大馬色過了三年 (17-18) ----- 把基督的啟示消化 (2) 查考舊約聖經，確定並擴大基督的啟示 18-17 消化（組織）基督異象的事奉之後果 (一) 帶進交通 ----- 與使徒交通 「上耶路撒冷去見磯法，和他同住了十五天；至於別的使徒，除了主的兄弟雅各，我都沒有看見。」 (18-19) (二) 帶進合一 ----- 猶太與外邦合一的見證 「上耶路撒冷去見磯法，和他同住了十五天；還有主的兄弟雅各。」 (18-19) (三) 產生屬靈影響力 ----- 基督福音的炸力 「聽說那從前逼迫我們的，現在傳揚他原先所殘害的真道，他們就為我的緣故，歸榮耀給神。」 (23-24) << 上頁 << 回 綱 目 >> 第二章 >>

1-3節 異象與方法 （一） 基督是異象 (1-2) 「耶穌基督釘十字架，已經活畫在你們眼前，誰又迷惑了你們呢？」(1) 1. 基督是異象 ----- 耶穌基督釘十字架，已經活畫在你們眼前 2. 基督是目標 ----- 無知的加拉太人哪…. 誰又迷惑了你們呢？ （二） 聖靈是方法 (3) 「你們既靠聖靈入門，如今還靠肉身成全嗎？」(3) 1. 聖靈執行救恩 ----- 靠聖靈入門 (3) 2. 聖靈是方法 ----- 靠聖靈成全 (3) （三） 領受救恩的三步驟 (1-3) 1. 得「釘十字架基督」的啟示 ----- 耶穌基督釘十字架，已經活畫在你們眼前 (1) 2. 相信 ----- 聽信福音 (2) 3. 得聖靈 ----- 你們受了聖靈，是因聽信福音 (2) 4-14節 亞伯拉罕作信心的祖宗 （一） 亞伯拉罕因信稱義 (6) 「亞伯拉罕信神，這就算為他的義。」 （二） 亞伯拉罕作信心的祖宗 (7) 「那以信為本的人，就是亞伯拉罕的子孫。」 （三） 因信作亞伯拉罕後裔和他一同得福 (8-9) 「 『 萬國都必因你得。 』 可見那以信為本的人和有信心的亞伯拉罕一同得福。」(7-8) （四） 因信基督得聖靈 (14) 「這便叫亞伯拉罕的福，因基督耶穌可以臨到外邦人，使我們因信得著所應許的聖靈。」(14) 15-22節 神賜基督是出於神永遠的旨意 「所應許的原是向亞伯拉罕和他子孫說的。神並不是說『眾子孫』，指著許多人，乃是說『你那一個子孫』，指著一個人，就是基督。 (16)」 23-25節 律法引進基督是出於神永遠的旨意 （一） 神預先所立的約,不能被律法廢掉,叫應許歸於虛空 (17) （二） 律法原是為過犯添上的 (19) （三） 律法是訓蒙的師傅 (24) （四） 律法是引我們到基督那裏,使我們因信稱義 (24) 2-26節 信心的果效 因聽信福音而受聖靈 (2、4) 因信行異能 (5) 因信稱義 (8、24) 以信為本的人和有信心的亞伯拉罕一同得福 (9) 義人必因信得生 (11) 因信耶穌基督得應許的福 (22) 因信基督耶穌都是神的兒子 (26) 27-29節 住在基督裏活出基督 （一） 受洗歸入基督 ----- 與基督聯合 住在基督裏 活出基督 （二） 在基督裏活出身體合一的見證 「並不分猶太人、希利尼人、自主的、為奴的、或男或女，因為你們在基督耶穌裏都成為一了。」(28) 憑信心與靠行律法的對比： << 第二章 << 回 綱 目 >> 第四章 >>

介 言 資料採自 「羅馬書生命經歷查讀淺譯」 ．係一九七七年十月，亦即四十年前主僕鄭兄長開辦第一屆同工事奉訓練中心時，予受訓學員們授課所用課程之一；他分章、分段、逐節淺譯細解，勾玄提要，將本書精義以生命經歷查法分析；今將此筆錄本修整，彙編成冊，以幫助有心深入屬靈追求者，作為讀經時伴讀參考；謹以介言為代序。 由於主僕鄭兄長二零零二年十月二十二日被主接去，遺留的稿件已無法經過主僕的過目修正，惟保存原稿真貌，未敢稍加修飾，謬誤之處，在所難免，尚祈屬靈前輩與讀者們見諒是幸 。另盼讀者能尊重版權，若未經許可切勿翻印，由衷至禱！ 綱　要 神的福音 ─ 救恩 羅馬書生命讀經 一、 導言（一 1至 17） (一) 著者、書題與受者 (一 1-7） (二) 著者對受者的關懷 (一 8-15） (三) 書題的講解 ( 一 16-17） 二、 救恩的需要（一 18 至 三 20） (一) 人類的罪惡（一 18-32） (1) 不虔（一 18-23） (2) 淫亂（一 24-27） (3) 不義（一 28-32） (二) 神照各人所行施行審判（二 1-16） (三) 猶太人在神審判之下（二 17 至 三 8） (1) 猶太人的誇口（二 17-20） (2) 猶太人被審判（二 21 至 三 8） (四) 普世人都在神審判之下（三 9-20） 三(上)、 救恩的過程１（三 21 至 六23） (一) 因信稱義（三 21-31） (二) 因信稱義的表樣（四 1-25） (1) 亞伯拉罕因信稱義（四 1-16） (2) 亞伯拉罕為信心的祖宗（四 17-25） (三) 因信稱義的福分（五 1-11） (四) 在亞當裏與在基督裏（五 12-21） (五) 十字架同死的事實（六 1-7） (六) 十字架同死的經歷（六 8-11） (七) 成聖（六 12-23） 三(下)、 救恩的過程２（七1至八30） (八) 在肉體裏的失敗（七 1-25） (1) 要按靈的新樣事奉（七 1-6） (2) 律法使人知罪（七 7-13） (3) 罪律的轄制（七 14-25） (九) 聖靈裏的得勝（八 1-13） (1) 生命之靈的律釋放（八 1-2） (2) 隨從靈的得勝（八 3-13） (十) 兒子的名份（八 14-25） (1) 神的後嗣（八 14-17） (2) 兒子的名分（八 18-25） (十一) 模成神兒子的形像（八 26-30） (1) 聖靈的代求（八 26-27） (2) 模成神兒子的形像（八 28-29） (十二) 得榮耀（八 30） 四、救恩的維繫 ---- 不能隔絕的愛（八 31-39） (一) 父神的愛（八 31-34） (二) 基督的愛（八 35-39） 五、救恩的預定（九1至十一36） (一) 神主宰權柄的揀選（九 1-29） (1) 亞伯拉罕的真後裔（九 1-13） (2) 在乎神的憐憫（九 14-18） (3) 窯匠作器皿（九 19-24） (4) 外邦人蒙愛與以色列人的餘種（九 25-29） (二) 以色列人在恩典外面的緣故（九30至十21） (1) 以色列人追求律法的義而失敗 (九 30-33) (2) 求告主名必得救（十 1-15） (3) 以色列人的不信（十 16-21） (三) 神的揀選不改變（十一 1-36） (1) 少數以色列人得恩典（十一 1-10） (2) 以色列人與外邦人互相效力（十一 11-24） (3) 神的選召不後悔（十一 25-32） (4) 神豐富的智慧（十一 33-36） 六、救恩的見證（十二1 至 十五13） (一) 基督身體的見證（十二 1-21） (1) 奉獻（十二1-2） (2) 基督身體的事奉（十二 3-8） (3) 基督身體的生活（十二 9-16） (4) 以愛勝惡（十二 17-21） (二) 服在上的權柄（十三 1-7） (三) 彼此相愛（十三 8-10） (四) 披戴基督（十三 11-14） (五) 關懷軟弱的信徒（十四 1至十五13） (1) 不要論斷軟弱的弟兄（十四 1-12） (2) 不叫軟弱弟兄跌倒（十四 13-23） (3) 效法基督不求自己喜悅（十五 1-13） 七、結語（十五 14 至 十六 27） (一) 著者的職事與行程（十五 14-33） (1) 著者的職事（十五 14-21） (2) 著者的行程（十五 22-33） (二) 介言、問候與勸勉（十六 1-27） (1) 介言（十六 1-2） (2) 著者的問候（十六 3-16） (3) 勸勉（十六 17-19） (4) 同工的問候（十六 20-24） (5) 祝頌（十六 25-27） 下載各章內容： 第一章 第二章 第三章 第四章 第五章 第六章 第七章 第八章 第九章 第十章 第十一章 第十二章 第十三章 第十四章 第十五章 第十六章

（羅馬書第八章31-39節） 羅馬書的綱要先有導言，接着提起救恩的需要，然後說明救恩的過程，再來說到救恩的維繫，意即神所預備這莫大的救恩，我們要如何活在救恩中領受, 並達到最終之目的。維繫的途徑，乃是神不能隔絕的愛，這愛是任何人事物環境, 無論是自然或超然所不能隔絕，好叫我們在愛中享用救恩。 (一) 父神的愛（八31－34） 關於不能隔絕的愛，本章提起兩面的愛，先是說父神的愛, 後說基督的愛。 既是這樣，還有什麼說的呢？神若幫助我們，誰能敵擋我們呢？(八31) 前面已看過神所預備的救恩是高超、尊貴、榮耀，我們有何可說呢？因神若幫助我們，誰能抵擋我們呢？ 意即神所預備的救恩，是如此完全；神對我們墮落的人所設立拯救的方法，是那樣完美，我們有這位全智全能的神作後盾，有何能敵對呢？ 神既不愛惜自己的兒子，為我們眾人捨了，豈不也把萬物和祂一同白白的賜給我們嗎？(八32) 神至極的愛，為我們捨棄祂獨生愛子，衪豈不更要把萬有和祂自己一同白白的賜給我們 嗎？神毫無保留將一切連同祂自己都賜給我們，這愛真是令人難於領會、測度、述說！ 誰能控告神所揀選的人呢？有神稱他們為義了。(八33) 誰能控訴神所揀選的人呢？沒有。因有神己稱他們為義了。 誰能定他們的罪呢？有基督耶穌已經死了，而且從死裏復活，現今在神的右邊，也替我們祈求。(八34) 本節另一繙譯「誰能定他們的罪呢？是那已經死而且被復活起來，現今在神的右邊，也為我們代求的基督耶穌嗎？」 換言之，什麼人能定我們的罪？是基督耶穌嗎？因只有祂有審判的權柄。不是的，祂既然為我們死，成功救贖，神又使祂復活。現今在神的右邊，還替我們祈求。所以斷不定我們的罪，這是父神為我們捨棄祂兒子的大愛呀！ 耶穌既為我們成功救贖，父神又使祂從死裏復活，現今坐在神右邊替或我們代求。由此斷不定我們的罪，這是父神的大愛。 (二) 基督的愛（八35--39） 不僅是父神充滿了大愛，子神耶穌基督也充滿了大愛。 誰能使我們與基督的愛隔絕呢？難道是患難嗎？是困苦嗎？是逼迫嗎？是飢餓嗎？是赤身露體嗎？是危險嗎？是刀劍嗎？(八35) 提起基督的大愛，是任何人、事、物所不能隔絕的。保羅進一步具體地形容說：有什麼 能叫我們與基督的愛隔絕呢？是患難、困苦、逼迫、飢餓、赤身露體、危險、刀劍？這 一切都不能使我們與基督的愛隔絕，因這愛實在太大了 ! 如經上所記：『我們為你的緣故終日被殺；人看我們如將宰的羊。』(八36) 保羅經歷到為主的緣故，終日經歷十字架如將宰的羊 。 然而，靠著我們的主，在這一切事上已經得勝有餘了。(八37) 可是靠着愛我們的主耶穌基督，就在這一切事上已經得勝有餘。可見靠着主耶穌基督就 得以忍受十字架的苦難，因基督的愛長潤高深。 因為我深信無論是死，是生，是天使，是掌權的，是有能的，是現在的事，是將來的事，(八38) 這基督的愛，無論是生是死，或是天使，或屬靈氣的活物，甚至鬼魔；是現在的事，或 將來的事，都不能抵擋。 是高處的，是低處的，是別的受造之物，都不能叫我們與神的愛隔絕；這愛是我們的主耶穌基督裏的。(八39) 甚至最高處的，或低處的，越過時空及其他受造之物，都不能使我們與神的愛隔絕，這愛是在主耶穌基督裏。 我們既然有父神和耶穌基督不能隔絕的愛，吸引我們，激勵我們，包圍着我們，如同慈繩愛索引我們走上救恩的道路，得以歡歡喜喜的奔跑屬天的路程。 << 上一頁 <回 綱 要> 下一頁 >>

（羅馬書第七章1節至第八章30節） （八）在肉體裏的失敗（七1 至 25） 我們所提救恩的過程，從稱義至得榮，共七大點，其中特別講到十字架同死的事實，與經歷並成聖之途徑，照理應更進一步講到得勝和得榮；但是經歷告訴我們，人自從墮落之後，就成為屬肉體的人，這肉體是屬靈長進最大的阻礙，倘若不認識肉體之本質和它轄制人的權勢，那麼在屬靈生命的路程將要受莫大的虧損 ! 因此聖靈藉本書第七章詳細說明在肉體裏的失敗。本章提起三個要點： (1) 要按靈的新樣事奉 (七1-6） 弟兄們，我現在對明白律法的人說，你們豈不曉得律法管人是在活著的時候嗎？(七1) 保羅首先提起律法的問題，因為肉體之特點， 是要遵守律法結果是失敗，本節說律法的 管轄是在人活着，意即人若死了, 律法對人就失去功效。 就如女人有了丈夫，丈夫還活著，就被律法約束，丈夫若死了，就脫離了丈夫的律法。(七2) 如同女人有了丈夫，丈夫活着之時，女人就要被律法約束，但是丈夫若死了，她就脫離 了丈夫的律法。 所以丈夫活著，她若歸於別人，便叫淫婦；丈夫若死了，她就脫離了丈夫的律法，雖然歸於別人，也不是淫婦。(七3) 因此丈夫若活着，她若歸於別人 , 便叫淫婦。倘若丈夫死了，她就脫離丈夫的律法，其 時她雖歸給別人，也不算是淫婦。 我的弟兄們，這樣說來，你們藉著基督的身體，在律法上也是死了，叫你們歸於別人，就是歸於那從死裏復活的，叫我們結果子給神。(七4) 如此說來，我們在基督裏與基督聯合的，當基督釘死的時候, 我們也與祂一同死了，自然在律法上也是死了，既然我們向律法是死了，律法也就不再約束我們。 所以我們就可以歸給復活的基督，從神看是合法的，並且因與基督聯合的緣故，祂作了我們的生命，就結出果子給神享受。 因為我們屬肉體的時候，那因律法而生的惡慾就在我們肢體中發動，以致結成死亡的果子。(七5) 因為當一個人活在亞當裏屬肉體的時候 , 就會傾向要執守律法，結果非但不能遵守律法，反而顯明肉體之無能，並惡慾（情慾）就在肢體中，以致發動犯出許多死來， 帶來死亡的果子。 因為罪的工價就是死，所以我們切勿憑肉體，乃要遵守律法 ，以免失敗犯罪，落入屬靈軟弱死亡中。 但我們既然在捆我們的律法上死了，現今就脫離了律法，叫我們服事主，要按著心靈的新樣，不按著儀文的舊樣。(七6) 我們如果活在基督裏，就已經與基督同死；既然得以在綑綁我的律法上死了，也就脫離 了律法 。從此我們服事主，是按照靈的新樣事奉；換言之，在基督裏脫離律法的人，在 事奉上就不照律法的儀文事奉，乃是隨聖靈的引導，照着神的旨意事奉，是用生命的新 樣服事主。 (2) 律法使人知罪（七 7-13） 我們已看過在基督裏面的人，是已經脫離了律法的綑綁，是以靈的新樣事奉神，那麼律法對我們有何用呢？本小段告訴我們律法最大的用處，是使人知罪。 這樣，我們可說什麼呢？律法是罪嗎？斷乎不是！只是非因律法，我就不知何為罪。非律法說：『不可起貪心。』我就不知何為貪心。(七7) 既然律法對於我們並沒有什麼益處，那麼律法是罪嗎？保羅的答覆說 ：也不是，只是因 為沒有律法，我就不知道什麼是罪。例如非律法說：「不可起貪心。」我就不知道什麼 是起貪心，乃因律法記載不可貪心，我才知自己貪心是犯了罪。 然而罪趁着機會，就藉着誡命叫諸般人的貪心在我裏頭發動；因為沒有律法，罪是死的。(七8) 當誡命記說 : 不可貪心之時，罪（或罪性）就在我裏頭發動，叫我生起貪心來，因為沒 有律法之時，在我裏頭的罪是的狀態是死的, 沒有動態。 我以前沒有律法是活着的；但是誡命來到，罪又活了，我就死了。(七9) 當沒有律法來到之前，我是好像活在神面前，但是誡命來到，我裏頭的罪就發動活躍起 來，叫我犯罪；結果就進入屬靈的死亡。 那本來叫人活的誡命，反倒叫我死；(七10) 就着誡命（律法）的性質而言, 是屬神的，本該叫人活出合神的性情，但是誡命來到, 卻 反倒叫我死。 因為罪趁著機會，就藉著誡命引誘我，並且殺了我。(七11) 因為誡命來到之時，在我裏頭的罪，就趁着機會引誘我，叫我觸犯了誡命，作出許多罪 來自陷死亡。 這樣看來，律法是聖潔的，誡命也是聖潔、公義、良善的。(七12) 如此看來，律法本身是聖潔的，誡命也是聖潔、公義、良善的；因誡命是出於神所賜 的，源頭是出於神。既然聖潔、公義、良善是神的性情，所以說律法誡命原是聖潔、公 義、良善的。 既然如此，那良善的是叫我死嗎？斷乎不是！叫我死的乃是罪。但罪藉著那良善的叫我死，就顯出真是罪，叫罪因着誡命更顯出是惡極了。(七13) 既是如此，誡命律法都叫我死，這樣是那良善叫我死嗎？保羅回答絕對不是，因為叫我死的乃是罪，是罪（罪性）藉着那良善（律法誡命）的來到，在我裏面發動起來，使我活出許多罪行叫我死。 可見是罪（罪性）叫我死而顯出「它」是罪，藉着誡命顯出罪（罪性）是可惡至極！ (3) 罪律的轄制（七14－25） 七章末一段 , 聖靈啟示保羅使我們明白在肉體裏的失敗，乃是從罪律的轄制而來，所以 他就詳細解釋罪非但在神面前是不義的行為，它是活的，是一個律轄制人，叫人掙扎枉然，苦不堪言 ! 我們原曉得律法是屬乎靈的，但我是屬乎肉體的，是已經賣給罪了。(七14) 保羅為叫我們明瞭一個人只要活在肉體裏，就有罪律轄制他，叫他失敗，並非律法本身叫人失敗，所以他說, 律法是屬乎靈，在靈裏順服神，活出神的生命，其性質與律法是一致的。 但就墮落的人而言，我是屬乎肉體的（創六３原文），是已經賣給罪，對罪（罪性）我絲毫沒有自由。 因為我所作的，我自己不明白；我所願意的，我並不作；我所恨惡的，我倒去作。(七15) 就實際而言，不是照我自己意思作的，所以我不明白，使我所願意的倒不去作，我所恨 惡的反倒去作。 若我所作的，是我所不願意的，我就應承律法是善的。(七16) 假如我所作的 , 是我所不願意的，我就應該承認律法是良善的律法，本身是好的，並非 是不對的。 既是這樣，就不是我作的，乃是住在我裏頭的罪作的。(七17) 既然我所作的是我所不願意的，那就不是我作的，乃是住在我裏頭的罪作的, 是我裏面 的罪（罪性）作王，發動支配我去作，我所不願意的。 我也知道在我裏頭，就是我肉體之中，沒有良善；因為立志為善由得我，只是行出來由不得我。(七18) 因此我知道在我裏頭，就是肉體之中，沒有良善，所以立志為善由得我，只是行出來由 不得我。一天多次立志要作好，結果所行出來卻是相反，這是我的本相。 故此，我所願意的善，我反不作；我所不願意的惡，我倒去作。(七19) 於是我所喜歡的善應該作的，我反不作，我所不該作的惡事反倒去作。 若我去作所不願意作的，就不是我作的，乃是住在我裏頭的罪作的。(七20) 倘若我去作所不願意作的，就不是我作的，乃是住在裏頭的罪去作的，換言之 , 憑我自己立志要行善，但結果卻作出我所不願意的惡。 可見這不是我作的，乃是罪住在我裏面作主人，使我受它支配，作出不該作的事。 我覺得有個律，就是我願意為善的時候，便有惡與我同在。(七21) 在此我才發現有個 「律」 在我裏面，就是我願意為善之時，便有惡與我同在。 意即我何時何地立志為善之時，便有惡與我同在，這惡是如形影相隨纏住我。 因為按著我裏面的意思，我是喜歡神的律；(七22) 因按着我裏面良善的部份，該是喜歡神的律法，要討神喜歡。 但我覺得肢體中另有個律，和我心中的律交戰，把我擄去，叫我附從那肢體中犯罪的律。(七23) 如今發現原來在我肢體中，另有一個律和我良善的律交戰，結果就把我擄去，叫我服從肢體中犯罪的律 換言之，我裏面有兩個律，一個是要立志為善，另有一個律，即肢體中犯罪的律，這個罪律勝過我為善的律，叫我犯罪，作出我所不願意的事。 我真是苦啊！誰能救我脫離這取死的身體呢？(七24) 使我親身體驗到掙扎的痛苦，所以喊着說：我真是苦呀！誰能救我脫離這取死的身體 呢？因為罪的律叫我犯罪，結果是死亡，誰能救我呢，此乃普世一般基督徒之屬靈光 景。 感謝神！靠著我們的主耶穌基督就能脫離了。這樣看來，我以內心順服神的律；我肉體卻順服罪的律了。(七25) 在此保羅得聖靈的啟示，看見了 「基督是唯一的拯救」。 於是他說：感謝神，靠 着 我們的主耶穌基督就能脫離了，意即靠 着 基督就能脫離罪律的轄制，而過 着 得勝的生活。 由此可見，我們裏面的善良，是願意遵守神的律法，然而肉體卻順服罪的律，因罪是個權勢，是從撒但而來。 可見人如果活在肉體裏，就受罪律的轄制，過 着 失敗的生活 ; 唯順從聖靈才能順服神的律，並 勝過罪律的轄制，過着得勝的生活。 （九）在聖靈裏的得勝（八1-13） 羅馬書第六章結束後，理當接着是第八章，因為第六章所說十字架同死的事實，或與基督的聯合之客觀事實，在第六章已講得很透徹，但就着主觀經歷而言，乃是在聖靈裏，才得以進入經羅馬書第八章就是講到在聖靈裏的得勝，可說羅馬書八章的屬靈經歷，是達到高峰的一章，所以本章不僅是羅馬書中最重要，最高峰的一章，也是全本新約聖經重要著名的一章。 羅馬書六章和八章是不可分開的兩章，聖經如果只有六章與基督聯合的事實而沒有八章的話，那就僅有客觀的事實而沒有主觀的經歷，因此我們要留心第八章之內容。 (1) 生命之靈的律的釋放（八1-2） 　　在羅馬書第七章是講到在肉體裏的失敗，是因為罪律的轄制 ; 第八章開頭，就提起生命之靈的律的釋放，叫我們過得勝的生活。 如今，那些在基督耶穌裏的，就不定罪了。(八1) 保羅在第七章的結束，說到感謝神靠着基督就能脫離罪律的轄制。所以第八章的開頭，他就解釋在基督裏怎樣能脫離罪律的轄制，而得到釋放。 首先「如今，那些在基督裏的，就不定罪了」，乃是說到一面我們得到因信稱義，後就是脫離了罪, 自然就不定罪了。 因為賜生命聖靈的律，在基督耶穌裏釋放了我，使我脫離罪和死的律了。(八2) 所以保羅說到脫離了罪，不活在罪中，乃因生命之靈的律釋放了我，叫我脫離了罪和死的律。在此我們必須詳細解釋得勝之途徑。 這一節聖經說到律的事，死是一個 「律」 。 「律」 即固定不變的動作。 「罪的律」 即罪一直轄制人，叫人作罪的奴僕。 「死的律」 因人活在肉體裏時，肢體中罪的律就轄制人，叫人犯罪，勝不過罪惡，使人靈軟弱，甚至麻木失去功用，導致與神隔絕。 因為罪和死乃是個律，所以人的立志努力掙扎，都勝不過罪律，結果就在失敗中生活。 神拯救的方法，乃是 「以律勝律」或「以律制 律」， 即用生命之靈的律，來勝過罪和死的律，由於神的生命是無窮的大能（來七16）並且這生命是個律，又是剛強得勝，不犯罪的大能。 當這生命藉着聖靈進到我們靈裏的時候，我們稱它作 「生命之靈」。 這生命之靈有個律，叫 「生命之靈的律」， 因為是大能的生命和聖靈。 自然這生命之靈的律，就勝過罪和死的律。故此當我們在基督裏，活在生命之靈的律裏面時，就勝過罪和死的律。 於是保羅說 : 生命之靈的律，在基督裏釋放了我，使我脫離罪和死的律，好比氫氣球上升勝過地心吸力一般。 (2) 隨從靈的得勝（八3-13） 　　保羅先提起生命之靈的律之釋放後，接着就說到隨從靈的得勝。意即一個基督徒，他如果跟隨聖靈活在聖靈裏，就能過着得勝之生活 律法既因肉體軟弱，有所不能行的，神就差遣自己的兒子，成為罪身的形狀，作了贖罪祭，在肉體中定了罪案，(八3) 保羅要引起我們看重隨從靈之重要性，於是先提起人的肉體，因軟弱無法遵守律法，在律法之前都是失敗，也都在神定罪之下。 因此神差遣祂兒子耶穌基督道成肉身取了罪身的形狀，作了贖罪祭，且親身擔當我們的罪，在肉體中結束了罪，為叫我們脫離罪的權勢。 使律法的義成就在我們這不隨從肉體，只隨從聖靈的人身上。(八4) 這樣基督的救贖，便滿足了神的要求，使律法的義，因我們信主耶穌的與基督聯合，而活在聖靈裏。 「律法的義」 即合乎神的手續和定規，而得神稱義， 結果使我們釋放過得勝的生活。 因為隨從肉體的人，體貼肉體的事；隨從聖靈的人，體貼聖靈的事。(八5) 因為隨從肉體的，就體貼肉體的事，他所思念也是屬肉體的事。 但是隨從聖靈的，是體貼聖靈，思念聖靈的事。 體貼肉體的，就是死；體貼聖靈的，乃是生命、平安。(八6) 體貼肉體之結果，就是死。體貼聖靈的，乃是生命和平安。比方貪愛世界的人，當他去看電影或放縱不親近主，靈就軟弱死亡、虛空、黑暗。 或者被人誤會、藐視、侮辱時，你若越想講理由就會越生氣，結果是痛苦，空虛，因體貼肉體就是死。 反之，一個人喜歡禱告、讀經、親近主，他的靈必剛強，且充滿了喜樂和飽足。因為體貼聖靈就是生命平安。 即當你被人誤會、辱罵、難為；回到主面前時，奇妙地你非但不生氣，反而會赦免人；因體貼聖靈，生命必增長，肉體就消失。 原來體貼肉體的，就是與神為仇；因為不服神的律法，也是不能服。(八7) 凡體貼肉體的，因為肉體是不服神的律法，也不能順服神的律法，所以便與神為敵。 而且屬肉體的人不能得神的喜歡。(八8) 況且凡屬肉體的，不能蒙神的喜悅。因肉體所豫表的亞瑪力人，耶和華說：我要將亞瑪 力人的名號，從天下全然塗抹（出七14）。 如果神的靈住在你們心裏，你們就不屬肉體，乃屬聖靈了。人若沒有基督的靈，就不是屬基督的。(八9) 當我們信主耶穌的時候，神的靈就住在我們裏面，從此我們就不在肉體裏，乃在靈裏。 凡沒有基督的靈住在裏面的，就不屬基督。因還沒有重生得救，故沒有聖靈的印記。 基督若你們心裏，身體就因罪而死，心靈卻因義而活。(八10) 假如基督在我們心裏，卻因肉體的軟弱，常失敗犯罪，身體也會因罪而死。 然而我們的靈，卻因義而活，意即凡靈接受基督的救贖，活在與主交通，靈裏就會新鮮剛強。 然而，叫耶穌從死裏復活者的靈若住在你們心裏，那叫基督耶穌從死裏復活的，也必藉著住在你們心裏的聖靈，使你們必死的身體又活過來。(八11) 然而叫耶穌從死裏復活者的靈，即聖靈若住在我們的心裏，那位叫基督從死裏復活的，也同樣必藉着復活的靈，必叫你我必死的身體復活過來。 比方一個人還未信主之前，他的靈是死的，與神隔絕，自然就不能領會神的事。 但一信主得救，靈使他活過來，奇妙地，靈自然與主通了，心眼被開啓能領會聖經，耳朵也被開通能聽主的話，心思開竅就曉得屬靈神的事，即所謂必死的身體活過來。 有的一向體弱多病，但是當被聖靈充滿之後，疾病軟弱全脫落，這也是經歷復活的靈，叫必死的身體活過來之例證。 弟兄們，這樣看來，我們並不是欠肉體的債，去順從肉體活著。(八12) 如此看來，我們並非肉體的債戶，須還肉體的債，也無需體貼順從肉體。 你們若順從肉體活著，必要死；若靠著聖靈治死身體的惡行，必要活著。(八13) 我們如果順從肉體活着，結果是死亡。相反的，如果靠着聖靈治死身體的惡行，靈便活過來。 由此可見，聖靈執行十字架的死，即當主耶穌釘死在十字架上，我們已經與祂同釘，這是既成的客觀事實。 但我們還得靠着聖靈治死身體的惡行，才是十字架主觀的經歷。 換言之，我們如果活在聖靈裏，自然聖靈就會將十字架的死執行在肉體上面，使我們的靈剛強地活在神面前。由這段記載中給我們看見，隨從靈的得勝的三個重點： (1) 「隨從靈」 意即要留心聽聖靈的聲音，順服恩膏的教訓。 (2) 要體貼靈（思念靈）意即要活在與主交通中，思念靈，在靈中與主相交。 (3) 「靠着靈」 意即不靠才能、勢力、聰明行事為人，乃是凡事依靠聖靈生活工作、事 奉。 （十） 兒子的名分（八14-25） 「救恩之過程」 乃是說到聖靈裏的得勝，至此可說相當高峰，因已進入得勝的生活。但神對人的目的，尚非在此，祂乃是要把人帶到生命成熟，直至活出神兒子的形像。於是接着就提起兒子的名分。 「兒子的名分」 之意思是神叫凡蒙恩得救的，不但成為神的兒女，還要叫我們屬靈生命長大成人，得以承受祂的產業。意即我們重生之時是嬰孩，及至經過一段小子的生活，逐漸長大成人，而得以在兒子的地位上，承受神的產業。 (1) 神的後嗣 (八14-17) 因為凡被神的靈引導的，都是神的兒子。(八14) 當一個人蒙恩得救，得到神的靈之後，就有權柄作神的兒子 神的靈在聖徒裏面，是要引導我們過神兒子的生活，故凡被神的靈引導的，都是神的兒子。 你們所受的，不是奴僕的心，仍舊害怕；所受的，乃是兒子的心，因此我們呼叫：『阿爸！父！』(八15) 我們得救時，所得到的靈，不是奴僕的靈，仍舊懼怕，因為奴僕是在主人手下，總是恐 慌不安過日，我們所得的，乃是兒子的靈，所以我們稱呼神為「阿爸父」，自然又親　切！ 聖靈與我們的心同證我們是神的兒女；(八16) 就是住在我們裏頭的聖靈，與我們的靈同作見證，我們真是神的兒女。難怪我們越呼叫 阿爸父，心裏越踏實甘甜。 既是兒女，便是後嗣，就是神的後嗣，和基督同作後嗣。如果我們和祂一同受苦，也必和祂一同得榮耀。(八17) 我們既然是神的兒女，便為祂的後嗣，且是與祂的長子耶穌基督同作後嗣，將來一同承受屬天的基業。 如果我們與基督一同受苦，也必和祂一同得榮耀，因是與基督同作神的後嗣。 (2) 兒子的名分 (八18-25) 論到兒子的名分，它所注重是我們站在神兒子的地位，而承受將來永不朽壞的屬天基業。 我想現在的苦楚, 若比起將來要顯於我們的榮耀，就不足介意了。(八18) 保羅告訴我們，現在我們所受的苦楚, 若比起將來要顯於我們的榮耀, 就算不得了什麼。 受造之物切望等候神的眾子顯出來。(八19) 就是一切受造之物,也都切望等候神的眾子顯出來，因救贖最終，是神的眾子要與基督一同進入榮耀。 那時一切受造之物, 也在救贖的新造裏, 同享榮耀。 因為受造之物服在虛空之下，不是自己願意，乃是因那叫如他此的。(八20) 因為罪的結果, 是死亡臨到世界, 就此一切受造之物都服在虛空之下，此並非自己願意, 乃是罪帶來的後果。 但受造之物仍然指望脫離敗壞的轄制，得享神兒女自由的榮耀。(八21) 但是受造之物仍在指望中，即要在將來脫離敗壞之轄制，而享受新造裏的自由榮耀。 如同神的兒女在榮耀中，享受自由的榮耀一般。 我們知道一切受造之物一同歎息、勞苦，直到如今。 (八22) 在榮耀的日子未來之前，一切受造之物，都在歎息勞苦虛空之下。 不但如此，就是我們這有聖靈初結果子的, 也是自己心裏歎息，等候得著兒子的名分，乃是我們的身體得贖。(八23) 不僅如此，就是我們這班蒙了救贖，作神兒女的，雖有聖靈在我們裏面，卻仍歎息切候得着神兒子的名分，就是我們身體要得贖。 救恩不僅是救我們的靈與魂；當主耶穌再來時，也要叫我們從死裏復活，身體改變得贖。 那些未嚐死味得見主再來的信徒，也要改變身體一同得贖，這是救恩的高峰。 身體得贖即新造的身體，如同保羅在哥林多前書十五章所說：必朽壞的變成不朽壞，羞恥變成榮耀，軟弱變成剛強，血氣變成靈性，屬土的形狀, 變成屬天的形狀。 我們得救是在乎盼望；只是所見的盼望不是盼望，誰還盼望他所見的呢？(八24) 關於身體的得救乃在乎盼望，這盼望並非盼望眼所見的，乃盼望肉眼所不見的。 但我們若盼望那所不見的，就必忍耐等候。(八25) 我們所盼望既是將來，是現今所不見的, 就得忍耐等候，直到榮耀的早晨來臨。 （十一）模成神兒子的形像（八26－30） 救恩之過程到最高峰, 即活出神兒子的形像, 為達此目的，今天聖靈在我們身上的工作, 就是一直作模成的工作, 即將你我模成神兒子的形像。 　　 (1) 聖靈的代求 (八26－27） 況我們的軟弱有聖靈幫助，我們本不曉得當怎樣禱告，只是聖靈親自用說不出來的歎息替我們禱告。(八26) 神為要把你我模成神兒子的形像, 衪便差遣聖靈帶領我們盡禱告的使命, 但由於我們的軟弱, 未克盡禱告的責任。 因此聖靈就幫助我們，親自用說不出來的歎息，替你我禱告，這是奇妙的事。 鑒察人心的，曉得聖靈的意思，因為聖靈照著神的旨意替聖徒祈求。(八27) 因為聖靈的代禱是根據神的旨意，因主是人心的神，祂知道聖靈代禱的意思而為我們成 就。 (2) 萬事互相效力 (八28－29） 聖靈如何把我們這班基督徒模成神兒子的形像呢？即興起人事物來把我們模成神兒子的形像 。 我們曉得萬事都互相效力，叫愛神的人得益處，就是按他旨意被召的人。(八28) 因此保羅告訴我們，應當曉得萬事都互相效力，為叫屬神的人得益處，這裏說到我們如果蒙神憐憫，萬事萬物互相效力，為叫我們得益處。 凡得益處者，乃是按着神旨意被召的人。意即神呼召我們，祂有其神聖的旨意，為達成此目 的，祂興起並安排各種人事物環境互相效力。 既是如此，當我們遇見不如意的事，切勿埋怨，怨天尤人，當確知這將帶給我們很大的益處。 因為祂預先所知道的人，就預先定下效法祂兒子的模樣，使祂兒子在許多弟兄中作長子。(八29) 因根據神的預知，祂就進一步的豫定我們，要把我們模成神兒子的形像，所以萬事萬物互相的效力所給我們的益處，最終之目的乃是要把我們模成神兒子的形像，這是聖靈榮耀的工作。 我們必須珍重寶愛並接受，好叫我們早日被模成神兒子的形像，如此耶穌基督就在你我眾子間作長子。 模成神兒子的形像 耶穌是模型 神把我們擺進這模型裏 聖靈安排萬事（人，事，物，環境）效力 把我們模成神兒子的形像 （十二）得榮耀 (八30) 救恩的過程終極之目標, 乃是得榮耀，即靈，魂，體得救進入榮耀。 預先所定下的人又召他們來，所召來的人又稱他們為義，所稱為義的人又叫他們得榮耀。(八30) 神對救恩的過程有幾個階段： 1. 預知 (羅八29) 2. 預定 (羅八29) 3. 揀選 (羅九11) 4. 呼召 (羅八30) 第一階段 羅八28： 「預定」 這是根據祂的先見，衪預先知我們人生的結局，然後就照着祂的旨意預定我們。 第二階段 羅八30： 「呼召」 神為救贖人，差遣祂兒子耶穌基督並呼召人歸向祂。遂升天後，便藉着聖靈呼召人，歷世歷代這呼召沒有停止過。這呼召一面是藉聖靈，另一面是藉着福音呼召人接受祂的救恩。 第三階段 羅八30： 「稱義（聖別）」 凡是答應主的呼召接受救恩的，神就分別為聖稱他為義；接着神就帶他活出義，使他過着得勝的生活。 第四階段 羅九11: 「得榮」 迨至耶穌再來時，凡屬祂的人要從死裏復活，身體得贖成為榮耀的身體，進入永世的榮耀，承受榮耀的基業，過榮耀的生活，至此全備救恩完成了。 < 上一頁 <回 綱 要> 下一頁 >>