43. 聖靈使人成圣The Holy Spirit as Sanctifier
作者: 史鮑爾 (R.C. Sproul) 譯者: 姚錦榮
摘自《神學入門》《Essential Truths of the
Christian Faith》P115 ,更新傳道會出版http://www.crmnj.org/
神呼召每一個人要能反映出祂圣潔的本性：「那召你們的既是圣潔，你們在一切所行的事上也要圣潔。因為經上記著說：『你們要圣潔，因為我是圣潔的。』」（彼前1：15-16）但我們的問題是，我們并不圣潔。那為何圣經卻稱我們為圣徒呢？圣徒一詞的含意就是圣潔的人。正因為我們本身不圣潔，所以才需要被作成圣潔；而在我們身上工作，使我們成為圣潔的，就是圣靈——即三位一體中的第三位，祂并不比父神和子神更圣潔，而祂之所以被稱為圣靈，并不是因其位格使然（雖然祂的確是圣潔的），而是因祂所做的工作——祂使我們成圣。
圣靈重要的工作是要使我們成為圣徒；圣靈能幫助我們成圣，祂的角色是使人成圣者（sanctifier）。所謂成圣，就是使人成為圣潔，或成為公義。成圣是一種過程，從我們作基督徒之初便開始了，而且這個過程會一直延續下去，直到我們離世，那時信徒才最終地、完滿地和永久地成為公義的。
改革宗信仰非常強調，人的重生只能單靠圣靈。我們不能幫圣靈做什么事；我們也完全不同意重生需要人與神合作努力才能達成的講法。但是成圣便不同了，信徒的成圣是一項合作經營，我們必須與圣靈合作，才能在成圣中長大。使徒保羅在寫給腓立比信徒的書信中，正表達了這種想法：「這樣看來，我親愛的弟兄，你們既是常順服的，不但我在你們那里，就是我如今不在你們那里，更是順服的，就當恐懼戰兢，作成你們得救的工夫。因為你們立志行事，都是神在你們心里運行，為要成就他的美意。」（腓2：12-13）
這合作的呼召乃是一個工作的呼召，我們必須殷勤地去完成。存恐懼戰兢的心，并不表示我們的心里害怕，而是存著敬畏的心去努力。令我們感欣慰的是，并不是我們單獨在努力，我們也不是只靠自己的力量，而是神在我們里面工作，使我們能夠成圣。
圣靈住在信徒心里，且在信徒里面工作，使信徒能活出更為公義的生活，有更公義的心思。但我們也需小心，不要把圣靈的內住混淆為個人的神性化。圣靈的確會住在信徒里面，并在信徒里面工作，但是圣靈不會變為那位信徒。圣靈的工作是使人成圣，而不是去製造神性化的個體。當圣靈住在我們里面時，祂不會成為人，而我們也不會成為神。圣靈不會毀壞我們人的成分；成圣是指我們變得帶有神的性情，但絕不會成為神的實存。
總結
1.神呼召我們反出祂的聖潔。
2.要成為聖潔，我們便需接受自己以外而來的聖潔。
3.聖靈之所以被稱為聖靈，是因為祂的工作是使我們成聖。
4.成聖是一個終生的過程。
5.成聖是信徒和聖靈合作的工作。
6. 聖靈內住並不是要使我們神性化。
思考經文：
約15：26；林後3：17-18；加4：6；腓2：12-13；彼前1：15-16
The
Holy Spirit as Sanctifier
God
calls every person to mirror and reflect His holy character: "As He who
called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is
written, 'Be holy, for I am holy'" (1 Peter 1:15-16). Our problem is that
in ourselves we are not holy; we are unholy. Yet the Bible refers to us as
"saints." The term saint means "one who is holy." Since
holiness is not found in ourselves, we must be made holy. The One who works to
make us holy, to conform us to the image of Christ, is the Holy Spirit. As the
Third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit is no more holy than the Father
and the Son. Yet we do not speak of the Holy Father, the Holy Son, and the Holy
Spirit. That the Spirit of God is called the Holy Spirit is not so much because
of His person (which is indeed holy) but because of His work, to make us holy.
It is
the special work of the Holy Spirit to make us saints. He consecrates us. The
Holy Spirit fulfills the role of the sanctifier. To be sanctified is to be made
holy, or righteous. Sanctification is a process that begins the moment we
become Christians. The process continues until death when the believer is made
finally, fully, and forevermore righteous.
The
Reformed faith is distinctive in its emphasis on the working of the Holy Spirit
alone in regeneration. We do not assist the Holy Spirit in our rebirth. We
reject outright any notion of cooperative effort in the rebirth of the
believer. Sanctification, however, is a different matter. Our sanctification is
a cooperative venture. We must work with the Holy Spirit to grow in
sanctification. The apostle Paul expressed this idea in his letter to the
church at Phillipi:
Therefore,
my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much
more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it
is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
(Philippians 2:12-13)
The
call to cooperation is one that involves work. We are to work in earnest. To
work with fear and trembling does not suggest a spirit of terror but of
reverence coupled with effort. We are consoled by the knowledge that we are not
left to do this work alone or by our own efforts. God is working within us to
accomplish our sanctification.
The
Holy Spirit indwells the believer, working to bring about a more righteous life
and heart. We must be careful, however, not to confuse the indwelling Spirit
with any deification of the individual. The Spirit is in the believer and works
with the believer, but does not become the believer. The Spirit works to
produce sanctified human beings, not deified creatures. When the Spirit
indwells us, He does not become human and we do not become gods. The Holy
Spirit does not destroy our personal identities as human beings. In our
sanctification we are to become godlike in character, but not in being.
1. God calls us to reflect His holiness.
2. To become holy requires that we receive
holiness from outside of ourselves.
3. The Holy Spirit is called holy because
of His work as our sanctifier.
4. Sanctification is a lifelong process.
5. Sanctification is a cooperative work,
involving both the believer and the Holy Spirit.
6. The indwelling Holy Spirit does not
work to deify us.
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