避免神學上的無政府狀態Avoiding Theological Anarchy
作者：R.C. Sproul 譯者：王一
拉丁文credo 一詞意為「我信」，正是在使徒信經中頭一個詞。貫穿整個教會歷史，教會必須采納並擁護一些信經和信條來陳述闡明基督教的信仰，將正確的教導分別出來，脫離錯謬。這些信條不同於聖經，一般我們稱聖經是norma normans（意為「規範一切的規範」），而信條是norma normata（意為「被規範的規範」）。
在歷史上，基督教的信經和信條包含從簡要到詳盡的各種信仰陳述。「耶穌是主」（Jesus is Lord）是我們在新約聖經可以中找到的最早的基督教信條。新約裏說，若不是聖靈感動，沒有人能口稱耶穌為主。我們該如何理解這句話呢？一方面，聖經告訴我們，人們可能用嘴唇親近上帝，心卻遠離祂。這就是說，人們的確可能假裝去背誦這個信條，並裝模作樣地做出信仰宣告卻不真正相信。既然這樣，為什麽新約聖經又說，若不是聖靈感動，沒人能做出這宣告呢？答案之一就是在古羅馬帝國當時的背景下，做出這樣的信仰宣告需要付出極大的代價。
作为罗马公民，为了表明对帝国，特别是对皇帝的忠诚，他们必须做出公开的效忠宣誓，“Kaisar Kurios”，即「凯撒是主」的意思。在第一世纪时，基督徒可以俯身顺服民事治安官，甚至可以顺服凯撒各样的迫害手段，但是当面对公开宣告凯撒是主的命令时，基督徒们凭着良心无法服从。取而代之，他们用「耶稣是主」来宣告自己的信仰。如此一来就挑起了罗马政权的愤怒，而基督徒们常常要为此付上生命的代价。这样，人们往往不愿意在公开场合作出这样的宣告，除非圣灵的确感动他们。这个简单的信条，「耶稣是主」，或者较完整的陈述，例如使徒信经（Apostles’ Creed），为我们提供了一份基本而必要的概述。信条总结了新约圣经所教导的内容。
信條當中的信仰內容總結也幫助教會抵擋第四世紀時出現的異端。隨著尼西亞信經（Nicene Creed）的確認，教會清晰明確地申明了對基督神性（deity of Christ）和三位一體（Trinity）教義的信念。這些信念被視為基督教信仰的核心真理。它們如此重要，甚至若否認這些真理，任何對基督教信仰的聲明都是虛假的。
宗教改革時期也了許多信條。因為在辯論的白熱化時期，抗羅宗發現有必要對自己的信仰內容做出明確的陳述來與羅馬天主教劃清界限。羅馬也在十六世紀中期的天特會議（Council of Trent）中對宗教改革運動做出了回應。每個抗羅宗團體，包括路德宗、瑞士改革宗、蘇格蘭改革宗等，都發現有必要澄清自己所宣告的真理，不僅因為在抗羅宗團體之間存在爭論，也因為羅馬天主教經常對抗羅宗的立場做出錯誤虛假的描述。到了17世紀，從宗教改革中萌發出了最精準完整的信仰陳述之一，威敏斯特信條（Westminster
Confession）。這是一個精準且合乎聖經的正統信條模範。因其涵蓋範圍廣篇幅長，同是信條的擁護者也很難精確到每個細節都達成一致。因此，一些使用威敏斯特信條的教會僅要求承認「其中所含的教義系統」。後宗教改革時期的信條不僅闡述了核心的基督教教義，並且還澄清了使用信條的團體中所涉及的具體細節問題。
在我們這個時代，已經浮現出對信條的憎惡。一方面，彌漫在現代文化中的相對主義（relativism）總是試圖避開一切對絕對真理的認信。不僅如此，我們也已經看到對真理命題式本質（propositional
nature of truth）的強烈反對。信條顯示了對聖經整體連貫而統一的理解。從這一點來講，這是我們被稱為「系統神學」的簡要陳述。系統神學的預設就是上帝的一切話都是前後一致而連貫，沒有矛盾的。正因如此，雖然這些信條不是從純理性思辨而寫出來的，但卻依舊明確易懂。信條對教會來說十分珍貴不可或缺，失去信條將導致教會中信仰的混亂。
本文原刊於Tabletalk雜誌。
Avoiding
Theological Anarchy
FROM
R.C. Sproul
The
Latin word credo means simply “I believe.” It represents the first word of the
Apostles’ Creed. Throughout church history it has been necessary for the church
to adopt and embrace creedal statements to clarify the Christian faith and to
distinguish true content from error and false representations of the faith.
Such creeds are distinguished from Scripture in that Scripture is norma normans
(“the rule that rules”), while the creeds are norma normata (“a rule that is
ruled”).
Historically,
Christian creeds have included everything from brief affirmations to
comprehensive statements. The earliest Christian creed is found in the New
Testament, which declares, “Jesus is Lord.” The New Testament makes a somewhat
cryptic statement about this affirmation, namely, that no one can make the
statement except by the Holy Spirit. What are we to understand by this? On the
one hand, the New Testament tells us that people can honor God with their lips
while their hearts are far from Him. That is to say, people can recite creeds
and make definitive affirmations of faith without truly believing those
affirmations. So, then, why would the New Testament say that no one can make
this confession save by the Holy Spirit? Perhaps it was because of the cost
associated with making that creedal statement in the context of ancient Rome.
The
loyalty oath required by Roman citizens to demonstrate their allegiance to the
empire in general and to the emperor in particular was to say publicly, “Kaisar
Kurios,” that is, “Caesar is lord.” In the first-century church, Christians
bent over backward to be obedient to civil magistrates, including the
oppressive measures of Caesar, and yet, when it came to making the public
affirmation that Caesar is lord, Christians could not do so in good conscience.
As a substitute for the phrase, “Caesar is lord,” the early Christians made
their affirmation by saying, “Jesus is Lord.” To do that was to provoke the
wrath of the Roman government, and in many cases, it cost the Christian his
life. Therefore, people tended not to make that public affirmation unless they
were moved by the Holy Spirit to do so. The simple creed, “Jesus is Lord,” or
more full statements, such as the Apostles’ Creed give an outline of basic,
essential teachings. The creeds summarize New Testament content.
The
creeds also used that summary content to exclude the heretics of the fourth
century. In the affirmation of the Nicene Creed, the church affirmed
categorically its belief in the deity of Christ and in the doctrine of the
Trinity. These affirmations were seen as essential truths of the Christian
faith. They were essential because without inclusion of these truths, any claim
to Christianity would be considered a false claim.
At
the time of the Reformation, there was a proliferation of creeds as the
Protestant community found it necessary, in the light and heat of the controversy
of that time, to give definitive statements as to what they believed and how
their faith differed from the Roman Catholic Church’s theology. Rome itself
added her creedal statements at the Council of Trent in the middle of the
sixteenth century as a response to the Protestant movement. But each Protestant
group, such as the Lutherans, the Swiss Reformed, and Scottish Reformed, found
it necessary to clarify the truths that they were affirming. This was made
necessary, not only because of disagreements within Reformed parties, but also
to clarify the Protestant position against frequent misrepresentations set
forth by their Roman Catholic antagonists. The seventeenth-century confessional
statement known as the Westminster Confession is one of the most precise and
comprehensive creedal statements growing out of the Reformation. It is a model
of precision and biblical orthodoxy. However, because of its length and
comprehensive dimension, it is difficult to find two advocates of the
Westminster Confession who agree on every single precise point. Because of
that, churches that use the Westminster Confession or other such confessions,
usually limit requirements of adherence by an acknowledgment of “the system of
doctrine contained within.” These later Protestant creeds not only intended to
affirm what they regarded as essentials to Christianity, but specifically to
clarify the details of the particular religious communion that would use such
comprehensive confessions of faith.
In
our day, there has been a strong antipathy emerging against confessions of any
stripe or any degree. On the one hand, the relativism that has become pervasive
in modern culture eschews any confession of absolute truth. Not only that, we
have also seen a strong negative reaction against the rational and
propositional nature of truth. Creedal statements are an attempt to show a
coherent and unified understanding of the whole scope of Scripture. In that
sense, they are brief statements of what we historically have called
“systematic theology.” The idea of systematic theology assumes that everything
that God says is coherent and not contradictory. So, though these creeds are
not created out of pure rational speculation, nevertheless, they are written in
such a way as to be intelligible and understood by the mind. Without such
confessions, theological anarchy reigns in the church and in the world.
This
post was originally published in Tabletalk magazine.
