Living in Christ Church Session 17《教会论与教会生活》 第17讲

主讲:林慈信牧师_校对:刘加立、爱的天空&ZJY(CGY)_文字:傅昱川

第五章,the church and the Kingdom,教会与国度。第四段,the Kingdom present and future,天国已临,天国未临。上帝的国是已经来临了,和上帝的国是将来才要来到的。

上一讲我们读到,If Jesus the King has come,耶稣君王若已经来到,where is His Kingdom? 祂的国度在哪里呢?平安、公义、审判的国度在哪里呢?The answer to these questions is that,这些问题的答复乃是:the peace and justice of the rule of Christ,基督的统治之下的和平和公义,is now found in His Kingdom of grace,现在是在祂恩典的国度里。And will one day be revealed in a Kingdom of glory, 有一天呢,会在祂的荣耀的国度里显明。现在是恩典的国度,将来是荣耀的国度。Kingdom of grace,Kingdom of Kingdom of glory。

To understand the Kingdom, we must keep our eye on the King. 若要明白国度,我们必须专注看这位君王。Jesus did come to this earth,是的,耶稣曾经来过这个世界,and the power of the Kingdom was present where Jesus was,耶稣到哪里,天国的大能就在哪里。Jesus again came at Pentecost in the power of the Spirit. 耶稣再一次地藉着圣灵的大能,在五旬节再一次降临了。 Where the Spirit works to save, the Kingdom is present. 圣灵在什么地方拯救,耶稣的国就在哪里。罗14:17 节:“因为上帝的国不在乎吃喝,只在乎公义和平并圣灵中的喜乐。”

Jesus will come yet again in the Parousia,耶稣当祂第二次来的时候,祂会再来,to usher in the kingdom in power glory,以大能、以荣耀带来祂的国度。The Kingdom has come because Jesus has come in the flesh and in the Spirit. 国度已经来临,因为耶稣曾经来过;肉身来过,在圣灵中也来过。And the Kingdom is coming because Jesus is coming. 而天国会再来,因为耶稣会再来。

The French modern mystic biblical critic Albert Rosssi said that Jesus came to bring the kingdom but what He left was the church. 一位自由派的法国的《圣经》批判学者这样说,耶稣来是要把天国带来,但是祂留下的,但是祂留下的是教会。Dispensational Bible teachers from the Scofield Bible,时代论的圣经老师们就跟着尼可夫的圣经会这样肯定说,often affirmed that Jesus offered the Kingdom to the Jewish nation,耶稣向犹太人民族带来国度,but when they rejected it, He set up the church,但是,当犹太人拒绝耶稣的时候,耶稣就设立了教会。

They see the church not the form of the Kingdom,时代论者并没有看到教会是天国的一个的形式,nor a substitute for the Kingdom,也不是天国的取代品,but as an alternate plan of God,乃是上帝的另外一个的计划。a plan that created a great parenthesis in the history of redemption,这个计划就在救赎历史里,就造成一个大的括弧,一个过渡的一个拐弯的路。When the kingdom and the church are set over against one another, both are misunderstood. 当我们把天国和教会对立起来的时候,我们既误解天国,也误解教会。

To understand how they are related,我们若要明白天国与教会是如何相关的话,we must go back to John’s question: 我们必须回到施洗约翰所问的问题:Why did Jesus not bring in the judgment? 耶稣为什么不带来审判呢?How could he deliver the poor and the oppressed without judging the oppressor? 耶稣如何能够搭救穷人跟受压迫的人,假如祂不审判压迫者呢?The answer is that,答案是:Jesus did not come for to bring the judgment but to bear the judgment,耶稣第一次来,不是要带来审判,乃是要承担审判。He did not come to strike down the wicked with the spirit of retribution,祂来,并不是要以报应来击打邪恶者,but to receive the thrust of the spear in his own side,乃是祂自己在肋旁要亲自受伤、受刺。

What if Jesus had summoned twelve legions of angels? 假如耶稣呼唤所有的天使天军来,又会如何呢?What if He had come to bring the last judgment,假如耶稣第一次来,就把末后的审判带来,又会怎么样呢,to right all wrongs, 为所有的人伸冤,to punish all sin? 审判惩罚所有的罪?Malachi foresaw the problem,玛拉基预先看到这个问题之所在的。玛拉基书3:2 节:“祂来的日子,谁能当得起呢?祂所显现的时候,谁能立得住呢?”Malachi feared the coming of the Lord as a refiner’s fire,玛拉基惧怕耶和华来到的日子, 那是炼金者的火。But would the fire of the Lord’s coming only to refine? 但是,耶和华来临之火,只是做炼净的工作吗?Who will give not consume every sinner people before the holiness of God, who was a consuming fire,祂岂不同时会灭绝每一位站在上帝的圣洁面前的罪人吗?因我们的上帝是烈火啊! (希伯来书12:29节)

If Jesus had brought the day of judgement in His first coming,耶稣假如第一次来的时候,就把审判之日带来的话,Every sinner would have been sentenced to eternal death. 每一位罪人都会被定罪,进到永死里。罗马书:3:10节,还有23节:“没有义人,连一个也没有。世人都犯了罪,亏缺了上帝的荣耀的。”

To deliver those given to Him of the Father,耶稣若是要拯救那些父所赐给祂的人,Jesus must provide His righteousness for them and bear their judgment,耶稣必须为他们提供祂(耶稣)的义和承担他们罪人的审判。耶稣的义要给他们,他们的审判,耶稣要承担。Jesus came to go to the cross,耶稣来,是要上十字架, to give his life a ransom for many。马太福音20:28节:“正如人子来,不是要受人的服侍,乃是要服侍人,并且要舍命,作多人的赎价。“To be the shepherd of the remnant flock two people God, 耶稣若要做余民羊群的牧羊人, 真的神的子民的牧羊人的话呢,Jesus must give his life for the sheep,耶稣必须要为羊舍命(约翰福音10:11节)。

Further,不但如此,to deliver His people from the enemies and oppressors,耶稣若要拯救祂的子民脱离仇敌和压迫者的话,Jesus had to deal with the ultimate enemy, Satan,耶稣必须要处理撒旦——这位最后的敌人。Jesus overcame Satan in his wilderness temptation,是的,耶稣在旷野的试探中已经胜过撒旦,and destroyed his power for everyone on the across,耶稣也在十字架上完全地,永远地粉碎了撒旦的权柄的。

我们来看一些经文,路加福音11:21~22节:“壮士披挂整齐,看守自己的住宅,他所有的都平安无事;但有一个比他更壮的来,胜过他,就夺去他所倚靠的盔甲兵器,又分了他的赃。“

约翰福音12:31节:“现在这世界受审判,这世界的王要被赶出去。“约翰福音16:11节,我从第8节开始读:“他既来了,就要叫世人为罪、为义、为审判,自己责备自己。为罪,是因他们不信我;为义,是因我往父那里去,你们就不再见我;为审判,是因这世界的王受了审判。“歌罗西书2:15节:“既将一切执政的、掌权的掳来,明显给众人看,就仗着十字架夸胜。“

The warfare of Christ’s Kingdom is not against flesh and blood,基督国度的征战,不是血肉之战,but against the principalities and powers of darkness,乃是与黑暗权势的征战的。以弗所书6:12节:因我们并不是与属血气的争战,乃是与那些执政的、掌权的、管辖这幽暗世界的,以及天空属灵气的恶魔争战。Saul of Tarsus was flesh and blood enemy of the church of Jesus Christ,大数的扫罗是一个属血气的,耶稣基督教会的敌人,Christ conquered him,基督胜过了他,not by killing him,不是透过杀他,but by converting him,乃是使他回转、归正。And so triumphing over Satan by claiming the Prosecutor Saul to become the Apostle Saul. 这样子就胜过撒旦,主耶稣让那个逼迫者扫罗被取过来,成为使徒保罗。

Jesus did not bring in the day of judgement in His first coming,耶稣第一次来, 并没有带来审判之日,because God’s day for that day had not come,因为上帝所指定的日子还没有来到。Not only must Christ make an atonement for the sins of His people, 基督不单单要为祂的子民做成赎罪大工,He must be Priest among the Nations,and believed on in the world。提摩太前书3:16节,耶稣基督必须要这样子的被宣告:“大哉,敬虔的奥秘,无人不以为然!就是上帝在肉身显现,被圣灵称义,被天使看见,被传于外邦,被世人信服,被接在荣耀里。“

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God withholds the day of judgement that man and woman may repent. 上帝延迟审判之日,好叫人们悔改。

Judgment will not come until the full number of the people of God have been gathered in. 审判不会来的,直到上帝子民的全数进入了。While God withholds judgement,当上帝延迟审判的时候,the history of the world must continue,世界历史必须持续下去。God’s goodness is shown in providing structures of human government. 上帝提供了人间的政府的制度来显明祂的良善。He raises up rulers, who are to restrain crime with the power of the sword. 祂兴起了统治者,他们要配剑,来约束罪行,and encouraged the civic righteousness,政府也要鼓励公民行出正直、良善的事(罗马书13:1~7节)。

The nations of the world are not in the position of Israel,世界上的列国,并不站在以色列的位置上,nor are their rulers hieratic kings,世界上的统治者也不是神治的这种国家的君王,不是的,made to be enforcers of the law of Moses,世界上的君王并没有要执行摩西的律法。The calling of Israel is continued however,但是,上帝向以色列的呼召是持续下去的,not in the nation,不是在列邦中,but in the church, 乃是在教会中。我再重复一次,教会现在承担了上帝在以色列身上的呼召。

It is in the church that the power of Christ kingly rule is to be shown to the world. 耶稣基督作为君王的统治的大能,是在教会里向世界显明的。The church is the community of the Kingdom. 教会就是上帝国度的群体。In the midst of the world it is a city on a hill that cannot be hit. 教会在世界的中间,是落座在山上的城,不能隐藏的。What this means for the church in it’s relation with the world we must next consider. 那么,教会作为山上的城,与世界的关系是什么呢?这个意义何在呢?这个是我们下一章要考虑的。

那我们温习一下这一章,第五章讲到:教会的使命并不是夺权,或者是从事革命。

上帝从旧约开始,就显明祂自己是万有的王、诸神偶像的王,特别是以色列的君王。但是,以色列犯罪抵挡 神,敬拜偶像,上帝作王失败了吗?没有。上帝要来拯救,祂亲自来施行拯救,这样子再一次地恢复、更新祂的王权。但是,主耶稣来到、作王的时候,祂宣讲王权、天国来了、祂行神迹,但是没有施行审判、没有把施洗约翰搭救出来。为什么?因为祂来,第一次来,不是要施行审判,是要来承担审判。这样子就让约翰受不了的,因为约翰不明白。

毕竟耶稣所宣讲的天国国度,是分两次来的。第一次是恩典的国度,第二次是荣耀和审判的国度。是的,教会是天国的记号,就不像时代论所说的,“因为耶稣把天国提供给犹太人,犹太人拒绝了祂,因此,上帝就带来了一个另类的计划。”不是的!耶稣基督已经显明了天国的记号,但是,祂最重要的记号在第一次来的时候,是赎罪;第二次来,就要施行审判了。那在这个过渡时期,教会是天国的最重要的记号,这是下一章要讲的。

第五章温习问题:

第一条,Review Questions:What is the broadest sense, in which we may speak of the Kingdom of God? 上帝的国最广义是指的什么呢?Is this the sense in which it is used in the Gospels? 福音书讲的天国是这个广义性的吗?If not, what does the Kingdom of God or Kingdom of heaven mean in the gospel? 假如不是的话,天国或者上帝的国,在四福音书里是指的什么呢?

第二,Does the Kingdom of God described the realm over which God is King or the rule He exercises? 上帝的国是指上帝作王的领域、地域呢?还是祂所执行的、行使的王权呢?

第三条,Christ the King came to earth and is coming again,君王基督曾经来到世上,也会再来的,what does that mean for the coming of the Kingdom? 这两次的来,对天国的来的意义是什么?Where is the Kingdom now? 天国现在在哪里呢?

第四条,Why did not Christ bring the judgment of God’s kingly rule during His earthly ministry? 当主耶稣在地上传福音的时候,为什么就不把上帝的君王统治的审判同时带来呢?

讨论问题四条。Discussion Questions:

 一、 第一条,In what sense did the Kingdom of God come with the coming of Jesus? 耶稣第一次来,从什么意义上来说上帝的国已经来了?,In what sense will the Kingdom of God come with the second coming? 从什么意义上来说,耶稣基督第二次来的时候,天国将要来呢?

二、第二条, Israel was community of God’s Kingdom in the Old Testament, 在旧约时期,以色列就是上帝国度的群体,Is the church the community of God in the New Testament? 那么,教会在新约时期是不是就是新约时期上帝国度的群体呢?If so, what differences are there between the way God kingly powers is shown in Israel and in the church? 假如教会就是新约时期上帝国度的群体的话,那么上帝的君王的大能,在以色列旧约时期是怎么样彰显,而在新约又是怎么样不同地彰显的呢?

第三条问题,Is the church a substitute for the Kingdom of Christ? 教会是不是基督国度的取代品呢?or manifestation of His Kingdom? 还是说, 教会是基督彰显祂的国度的其中一个很重要的途径呢?(参考歌罗西书1:12~13节:又感谢父,叫我们能与众圣徒在光明中同得基业。13节,他救了我们脱离黑暗的权势,把我们迁到他爱子的国里 )。

第四条(最后一条),Is the church unique as the Kingdom institute of Christ? 教会作为基督国度的秩序,作为基督国度的组织或者制度,是独特的吗?or are other forms of society equally expressions of the kingdom? 那么,还有其他社会上的群体,是否同样地来表明祂的国度的呢?What about the state? 国家、政府是吗?The church is forbidden the sword to bringing the Kingdom. 上帝禁止教会配剑来将天国带来。Made the state useful sword bringing the Kingdom. 政府可以配剑吗? 可以配剑来把天国带来吗?Consider thoughtfully and prayerfully the differences these questions. 请注意用祷告的心来回答,谨慎地回答,你要看到这些问题所提出的一些区别是很重要的。

第五章结束。

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