感謝讚美上帝護理的大能与豐盛的供應。 本網誌內的所有資源純屬學習交流之用。

2017-03-27

作者W. Robert Godfrey   譯者/校對者: Maria Marta/誠之  

 在最近一次會議上我被問到整本聖經哪一卷書是我最喜愛的 我最初的反應是懷疑這算是個好問題嗎 我們不是應該同等地喜愛上帝所有的話語嗎 但我想我應該配合這位提問者於是我問自己哪一卷書是我最常翻看和喜愛的我意識到答案其實很簡單。近年來,那卷書一直是《詩篇》。At a recent conference, I was asked what my favorite book of the Bible is. My initial reaction was to wonder if that was a bad question. Should we not like all of the Word of God equally? Then I thought that I should cooperate, and I asked myself what book I most often turn to and enjoy. I realized that the answer was easy. In recent years, that book has been the book of Psalms.

在讀初中時我透過一間教會的福音工作歸信了基督這間教會主要是唱詩篇的。因此,多年來,詩篇已經成為我生活的一部分,我對詩篇也有更多的認識。但直到最近幾年,我才發現詩篇深刻的魅力與吸引力。I was converted to Christ as a junior in high school through the ministry of a church that primarily sang the Psalms. So, for many years, I have lived with the Psalms and have come to know some things about them. But only in recent years have I found them profoundly engaging and fascinating.

詩篇有幾個特色對我特別有吸引力。首先是它優美的語言,以及它對偉大信仰真理的詩意表達。看這些單純的話:「耶和華是我的牧者」(詩廿三1)。它們給許多、許多遭受困苦的人帶來多大的安慰﹗或者思想詩篇第一〇三篇中、上帝的救贖應許:「我的心哪,你要稱頌耶和華,不可忘記祂的一切恩惠。祂赦免你的一切罪孽,醫治你的一切疾病。 祂救贖你的命脫離死亡,以仁愛和慈悲為你的冠冕。祂用美物使你所願的得以知足,以致你如鷹返老還童」(25節)。或默想上帝記念我們的痛苦那富含深意的畫面:「把我眼淚裝在你的皮袋裡。」詩五十六8Several features of the Psalms have been especially attractive to me. The first is the beauty of the language and the poetic expression of the great truths of the faith. Consider the simple words, “The Lord is my shepherd” (Ps. 23:1). How much comfort they have brought to many, many souls in distress. Or think of the promises of God’s redemption in Psalm 103: “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s” (vv. 2–5). Or ponder the poignant picture of God’s remembrance of our suffering: “Put thou my tears into thy bottle” (Ps. 56:8 KJV).

第二個吸引我的地方是我發現到你越挖掘《聖詠集》Psalter)(譯按即《詩篇》的歌本),你就有越多的發現。像所有偉大的詩歌那樣,詩篇就如一個礦井,不斷有新的深度可以到達,也有更多的金礦可以挖掘。無論我們付出何種更認識它們的努力,都會得到豐厚的報償。The second attraction is the discovery that the more you dig into the Psalter, the more you discover. Like all great poetry, the Psalms are like a mine with ever new depths to reach and ever more gold to find. They reward abundantly whatever effort we make to know them better.

第三,有適用於各種場合的詩篇。可以肯定一件事,詩篇一定不會提到賀曼賀卡(Hallmark cards;譯按:美國非常流行的賀卡公司製作的卡片)所明確提到的所有場合。但詩篇標記了上帝子民生命中所有重要的屬靈時刻和情感。正如約翰加爾文所說,「我經常描述這本書卷為『對靈魂全面的剖析』」,我相信這是合宜的,因為沒有哪一種我們意識得到的情感不在此得著反照,如同鏡子一般。」[1] 詩篇教導我們,如何在人生的各種境遇中,向上帝表達我們的情感。Third, there are psalms for all occasions. The Psalms do not, to be sure, make explicit reference to all the occasions for which there are Hallmark cards. But they do mark all the important spiritual moments and emotions in the lives of the people of God. As John Calvin said, “I have been accustomed to call this book, I think not inappropriately, ‘An Anatomy of all the Parts of the Soul;’ for there is not an emotion of which any one can be conscious that is not here represented as in a mirror.” The Psalms teach us how to express our emotions to God in all the circumstances of our lives.

第四詩篇中充滿了基督。它們不僅明確預言基督的到來(如第二篇、第廿二篇、第一一〇篇),而且詩篇的信息總是把靈魂牽引到耶穌基督和祂偉大的拯救工作的面前。正如古老教會所說的那樣「口中常誦詩篇心中常有基督」semper in ore psalmus, semper in corde Christus。詩篇會增強我們與耶穌基督的團契。Fourth, the Psalms are full of Christ. They not only explicitly prophesy the coming of Christ (e.g., Pss. 2; 22; 110), but the message of the Psalms always pulls the soul to Christ and His great saving work. As was said in the ancient church, “Always a psalm in the mouth, always Christ in the heart” (semper in ore psalmus, semper in corde Christus). The Psalms intensify our fellowship with Christ.

我在詩篇裏所發現的,是教會歷史上許多人所熟知的。貫穿教會歷史,詩篇這卷書被許多地方的許多基督徒所珍愛。在古代和中世紀時期,詩篇被頻繁研究和頌唱,特別在修道士當中。偉大的亞他那修(Athanasius296-373)曾經說,「我相信一個人找不到比詩篇更壯麗的詩歌了; 因為詩篇涵括人的整個生命、思想感情、與靈魂的活動。為了讚美並榮耀上帝,人可以選擇適用於每一種場合的詩篇,這樣他便發現詩篇是為他而寫的。」宗教改革時期,教會所有的人都重新得到聖經,也意味著重新得到詩篇。馬丁路德在早期當修士時,已經學習詩篇,而且之後一直熱愛詩篇。他稱《聖詠集》為「小聖經」,他說:「《聖詠集》應該成為一本寶貴、被人珍愛的書卷,原因無他:它如此清晰地應許了基督的死與復活——並描畫出基督的國度和基督教世界的狀況與本質——以至於它可稱為小聖經。它包括整部聖經中最美和最簡潔的一切。」What I have found in the Psalms has been well known to many in the history of the church. Throughout history, the book of Psalms has been treasured by many Christians in many places. In the ancient and medieval periods, the Psalms were studied and sung very frequently, especially by monastics. The great Athanasius (296–373) said, “I believe that a man can find nothing more glorious than these Psalms; for they embrace the whole life of man, the affections of his mind, and the motions of his soul. To praise and glorify God, he can select a psalm suited to every occasion, and thus will find that they were written for him. ”In the Reformation, the recovery of the Bible for all in the church meant also a recovery of the Psalms. Luther had learned the Psalms early as a monk and continued to love them. He called the Psalter “a little Bible,” saying, “The Psalter ought to be a precious and beloved book, if for no other reason than this: it promises Christ’s death and resurrection so clearly—and pictures his kingdom and the condition and nature of all Christendom—that it might well be called a little Bible.

在改革宗的教會裏詩篇被當作教會的詩歌集每一節都得到頌唱。能夠用嘴唇,用上帝的說話來讚美祂,對早期的加爾文主義者來說是值得喜悅的事。監督整本《聖詠集》的詩律制作、以供會眾頌唱的加爾文,這樣表達他對詩篇的熱情:「呼求上帝是我們得著平安主要的方法,而論到這種(禱告)操練,沒有比詩篇更好、更準確的指引。一個人對詩篇所達致的了解與熟練程度,和他在屬天至要教義上的認識,有著連帶的關係。」[2] In it is comprehended most beautifully and briefly everything that is in the entire Bible.” Among the Reformed, the Psalms were versified and sung as the songbook of the church. Those early Calvinists delighted to be able to take the words of God on their lips to praise Him. John Calvin, who supervised the versification of the whole Psalter for singing, expressed his enthusiasm for the Psalms in these words: “As calling upon God is one of the principal means of securing our safety, and as a better and more unerring rule for guiding us in this exercise [of prayer] cannot be found elsewhere than in the Psalms, it follows, that in proportion to the proficiency which a man shall have attained in understanding them, will be his knowledge of the most important part of celestial doctrine.”

加爾文的追隨者分享了加爾文關於這一價值的信念。例如,在稱為胡格諾派(Huguenots)的法國加爾文主義者的經驗中,我們可以清楚看到這一點。科特雷(Bernard Cottret)曾寫道:「聖詠集是法國的宗教改革」。十六世紀中期,法國新教徒熱愛詩篇,渴望頌唱詩篇,甚至在殉道死亡的路上也口唱詩篇。 法國胡格諾派在他們編制的有詩韻的詩篇譯本(metrical version of the Psalms)中發現「提供加爾文敬虔的詩意能力」。這些供十六世紀教會傳唱的詩篇詩體翻譯,幫助當時的教會再次看到《聖詠集》的力量和實用性。The followers of Calvin shared his conviction about the value. We can see that clearly, for example, in the experience of the French Calvinists known as Huguenots. As Bernard Cottret wrote, “The psalter was the French Reformation.” Those French Protestants of the mid-sixteenth century loved the Psalms and sang them eagerly, even on their way to die as martyrs. The French Huguenots found in their metrical version of the Psalms songs that “lent Calvin’s piety poetic power.” These poetic translations of the Psalms for singing in the sixteenth century helped the church again to see the power and relevance of the Psalter.

然而對改革宗的基督徒來說詩篇不僅僅是鼓舞和安慰。詩篇甚至遠遠不只是一種用上帝的話向上帝表達他們的喜樂和憂傷的途徑。《聖詠集》解釋了他們活出的生命,與敵對他們的邪惡和支撐他們的上帝這兩者之間的關聯。身為上帝的子民,他們乃是活在詩篇當中的。The Psalms were, however, more than inspiration and comfort for Reformed Christians. The Psalms were more even than a way to express their joys and sorrows to God in God’s own words. The Psalter explained the life they lived in relation both to the wicked who opposed them and to the God who sustained them. As the people of God, they lived in the Psalms.


譯註[1] [2]分别摘錄自《更寬廣的生命——加爾文著作文選》John Calvin: The Man with Broader Vision5354加爾文John Calvin)/陳佐人選譯校園書房出版社2011


本文摘錄自W. Robert Godfrey所著的《Learning To Love the Psalms》一書。

This excerpt is adapted from Learning to Love the Psalms by W. Robert Godfrey.
作者:  R.C. Sproul   作者/譯者Maria Marta/誠之

聖經有多種解讀我怎麼知道哪一種才是正確的這是一個困擾著我們所有人的問題。我們可以說一些理論性的內容但我寧願花時間在實際應用上。

羅馬天主教認為教會其中一項功能,是解釋聖經唯一的權威。羅馬天主教認為我們不但擁有一本無誤的聖經,我們也能擁有對聖經無誤的解讀。雖然這稍微改善了這個問題,但是並沒有完全消除。我們還是需要去詮釋這個無誤的、對聖經的解讀。遲早這個問題會落到我們這些有誤的人的手上,我們必須去釐清詮釋的問題。我們之所以會陷在這樣的窘境之中,是因為對教皇和教會大公會議對聖經的解讀,就像對聖經的解讀一樣,也有各式各樣不同的詮釋。

有些人幾乎絕望地說:「如果神學家們對聖經的詮釋不能達成一致的看法,我作為一個簡單的平信徒,怎樣知道誰的詮釋才是正確的呢?」

我們在醫學上也有同樣的意見分歧。一個醫生說我需要開刀,另一個說我不需要,我怎麼知道哪個醫生告訴我的是實情?我是在用我的生命作賭注,看我所信仼的是哪個醫生。專家們在對重要的事情上持不同的意見,實在令人煩惱,而詮釋聖經的重要性,遠超過我是否需要把闌尾割掉。如果不同的醫生給你不同的診斷,你會怎麼做呢?你會去找第三個醫生。你會盡力去調查,看他們的學歷,那些曾接受過最好訓練的醫生,就是最值得信賴的醫生;然後你聽從這些醫生從專業的角度為你提供的方案。對聖經詮釋的差異,我也持同樣的觀點。

我首先要知道是誰在詮釋聖經?他是否受過教育?我打開電視,看到電視佈道家的各種教導,坦白地說他們沒有接受過專業的神學訓練和聖經研究。他們沒有學術的資格。我知道有些沒有學術資格的人也可以正確地解釋聖經,但是他們對聖經的詮釋,有可能不像那些多年精心研究並受過嚴格訓練能對付聖經難題的人那麼準確。

對所有的人來說,聖經是一本打開的書,無論想在聖經裡找到什麼,每個人都有公平的機會。我們需要看教師的學歷證明。不但如此,我們不希望只依賴某個人的意見。這就是為什麼當涉及到聖經詮釋時,我常建議人們盡可能地找到好的資料來源,而且不只是當代的來源,也要來自基督信仰歷史上公認的偉大思想家。


How Do I Know Who’s Right?
FROM R.C. Sproul

There are so many different interpretations of what the Bible is saying. How do I know which one is right? That’s a problem that plagues all of us. There are some theoretical things we can say about it, but I’d rather spend time on the practical.

The Roman Catholic Church believes that one function of the church is to be the authorized interpreter of Scripture. They believe that not only do we have an infallible Bible but we also have an infallible interpretation of the Bible. That somewhat ameliorates the problem, although it doesn’t eliminate it altogether. You still have those of us who have to interpret the infallible interpretations of the Bible. Sooner or later it gets down to those of us who are not infallible to sort it out. We have this dilemma because there are hosts of differences in interpretations of what the popes say and of what the church councils say, just as there are hosts of different interpretations of what the Bible says.

Some people almost despair, saying that “if the theologians can’t agree on this, how am I, a simple Christian, going to be able to understand who’s telling me the truth?”

We find these same differences of opinion in medicine. One doctor says you need an operation, and the other doctor says you don’t. How will I find out which doctor is telling me the truth? I’m betting my life on which doctor I trust at this point. It’s troublesome to have experts differ on important matters, and these matters of biblical interpretation are far more important than whether or not I need my appendix out. What do you do when you have a case like that with variant opinions rendered by physicians? You go to a third physician. You try to investigate, try to look at their credentials to see who has the best training, who’s the most reliable doctor; then you listen to the case that the doctor presents for his position and judge which you are persuaded is more cogent. I’d say the same thing goes with differences of biblical interpretations.

The first thing I want to know is, Who’s giving the interpretation? Is he educated? I turn on the television and see all kinds of teaching going on from television preachers who, quite frankly, simply are not trained in technical theology or biblical studies. They don’t have the academic qualifications. I know that people without academic qualifications can have a sound interpretation of the Bible, but they’re not as likely to be as accurate as those who have spent years and years of careful research and disciplined training in order to deal with the difficult matters of biblical interpretation.

The Bible is an open book for everybody, and everybody has a fair shot of coming up with whatever they want to find in it. We’ve got to see the credentials of the teachers. Not only that, but we don’t want to rely on just one person’s opinion. That’s why when it comes to a biblical interpretation, I often counsel people to check as many sound sources as they can and then not just contemporary sources, but the great minds, the recognized minds of Christian history. It’s amazing to me the tremendous amount of agreement there is among Augustine, Aquinas, Anselm, Luther, Calvin, and Edwards—the recognized titans of church history. I always consult those because they’re the best. If you want to know something, go to the pros.

“There are so many different interpretations of what the Bible is saying. How do I know which one is right?” and other questions can be found in our Questions Answered section. Learn more in R.C. Sproul’s free Crucial Questions booklet Can I Trust the Bible?




作者: Albert Mohler  譯者: Maria Marta

    成年不僅僅是年齡的結果-------它是一件了不起的事。縱觀人類歷史,年青人都渴望邁入成人期,並努力去實現這一願望。人類社會有三個近乎普及化的成人標志,其中包括婚姻、經濟獨立、與準備生育。但現在,成年這一概念正面臨險境。

一項反覆研究發現,年青的美國人正在進入成年期,如果有這種情況的話,他們是遠遠早於現在的前幾代人。五十年前美國年青人的平均結婚年齡是二十多歲。現在趨向於接近30歲。

為什麽這對我們大家都很重要?一種穩定和功能性的文化需要建立穩定的婚姻和培育家庭。沒有健康的婚姻和家庭生活作基礎,持久和健康的社區就不能長期存在下去。

顯然,我們自己的社會暴露了遲婚與其後果的問題,但我們並非惟一出現遲婚問題的國家。隨著不祥的經濟、政治、與社會影響,許多歐洲國家亦顯露了類似的成年推遲的模式。

對於基督徒來說,這個問題絕不僅僅是社會學或經濟學的問題。首要問題是道德的問題。當我們大多數人在思想道德時,我們首先思想的是倫理規則和戒命,但基督徒的世界觀提醒我們,第一個道德關注總是造物主對我們,即作為祂的人類受造物------唯一按照祂的形象被造的受造物的期望。

聖經肯定婚姻的概念是人類的中心期望。早在聖經第二章,我們就讀到:「因此人要離開父母,和妻子連合,二人成為一體」(創二24新譯本)。

現在,聖經所肯定的事實正在變得越來越罕見。 在更大的社會中,未婚同居越來越普遍,甚至世俗觀察者也註意到,在大多數情況下,同居不再導致婚姻。 約翰霍普金斯大學(John Hopkins University)的謝林(Andrew Cherlin)教授最近告訴時代雜誌,美國年青人之間的大多數同居關系是短期的。 它不是婚前同居; 而同居而不結婚。

時代雜誌的故事還指出了另一種令人擔憂的模式:千禧代(Millennials)正擁有非婚生子的驚人比率。

此外,幾年前,威爾科克斯(W. Bradford Wilcox)根據懷特諾(Robert Wuthnow所作的研究,認為遲婚是世俗化的主要驅動力。遲婚與青春期延伸所造成的巨大,並常被忽視的影響緊密相聯。成年意味著成年人要肩負的責任,對於絕大多數年青人而言,成年意味著婚姻和為人父母。青春期延長至二十幾歲(甚至30歲),與世俗主義的興起和較低的教會出席率高度相關。

基督徒明白,我們被造成男人和女人,以彰顯上帝的榮耀,我們被賜予婚姻的禮物,作為一個獨特背景,在這背景下,上帝設計性這禮物,並賦予我們擁有與養育孩子的特權與命令。基於這些以及更多的原因,基督徒必須明白,除非得蒙獨身的呼召,否則,基督徒應該尊重婚姻,尋求結婚,在人生更早,而不是較後的階段,進入養育與肩負成年人的全部責任。

成年推遲並不符合聖經的人生觀,對於大多數年青的基督徒而言,婚姻應該是年青成年人的計劃,和對基督忠心的核心部分。當丈夫和妻子一起達到成年階段時,年青基督徒在混亂的世界面前見證上帝的計劃和恩賜。

基督徒明白不能將婚前與婚外性行為當作一個選項。同居與順服基督相抵觸。孩子是上帝的恩賜,應在在婚姻的盟約中欣然接受和接納。

很突出的一點是,文化世俗政府現在對年青人的遲婚表示擔心。時代雜志關注年輕美國人不結婚這一問題,基督徒更應倍加關注。

年青的美國人,包括年青的基督徒,在走向完全成年的過程中,面臨著一些非常現實的挑戰,毫無疑問,經濟因素扮演着一個重要的角色。但甚至世俗的觀察家也認識到,婚姻的轉變指向道德的根本轉變。坦白說,事實是,前幾代年青人面臨著甚至更大的經濟挑戰,但他們仍然找到通往成年和婚姻的道路。

基督教教會必須鼓勵年青基督徒朝著婚姻的目標邁進,並且必須清楚,在人生的每個階段和每個季節中,聖潔和順服基督的必要性。當我們周遭的人迷惑不解,詢問婚姻怎麽了時,基督徒必須在婚姻中展示上帝的榮耀,以及上帝在婚姻盟約中賜予我們的一切。

我們必須鼓勵年青的基督徒不要拖延婚姻,也不要草率結婚,而是要在成年早期的關鍵時期,將結婚置於優先位置。在這個問題上,我們沒有時間去等待。


本文原刊於Tabletalk雜誌2017年三月號


The Problem of Delaying Marriage
by Albert Mohler

Adulthood is not just a function of age—it is an achievement. Throughout human history, young people have aspired to achieve adulthood and have worked hard to get there. The three nearly universal marks of adulthood in human societies include marriage, financial independence, and readiness for parenthood. Now, the very concept of adulthood is in jeopardy.

Study after study reveals that young Americans are achieving adulthood, if at all, far later than previous generations now living. The average age of marriage for young Americans fifty years ago was in the very early twenties. Now, it is trending closer to age thirty.

Why is this important to us all? A stable and functional culture requires the establishment of stable marriages and the nurturing of families. Without a healthy marriage and family life as foundation, no lasting and healthy community can long survive.

Clearly, our own society reveals the delay of marriage and its consequences, but we are hardly alone. Many European nations display similar patterns of delayed adulthood, with ominous economic, political, and social implications.

For Christians, however, the issue is never merely sociological or economic. The primary issue is moral. When most of us think about morality, we think first of ethical rules and commandments, but the Christian worldview reminds us that the first moral concern is always what the Creator expects of us as His human creatures, the only creatures made in His own image.

The Bible affirms the concept of marriage as a central expectation for humanity. As early as the second chapter in the Bible we read: “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Gen. 2:24).

Now, that reality is becoming more and more rare. In the larger society, cohabitation without marriage is increasingly the norm, but even secular observers note that cohabitation no longer even leads to marriage in most cases. Andrew Cherlin of John Hopkins University recently told Time magazine that most cohabiting relationships among young people in the United States are short term. This is not cohabiting before marriage; it is cohabiting instead of marriage.

The Time story also pointed to another worrying pattern: millennials are having children outside of marriage at astounding rates.

Furthermore, several years ago, W. Bradford Wilcox, relying on research conducted by Robert Wuthnow, argued that the delay of marriage is a primary driver of secularization. This goes hand in hand with the fact that the extension of adolescence comes with vast and often unnoticed effects. Adulthood is meant for adult responsibilities, and for the vast majority of young people, that will mean marriage and parenthood. The extension of adolescence into the twenties (and even the thirties) is highly correlated with the rise of secularism and with lower rates of church attendance.

Christians understand that we were created as male and female to demonstrate the glory of God, and that we were given the gift of marriage as the singular context for which God designed the sexual gift and granted us the privilege and command of having and raising children. For all these reasons and more, Christians must understand that, unless given the calling of celibacy, Christians should honor marriage and seek to marry and to move into parenting and the full responsibilities of adulthood earlier rather than later in life.

Delaying adulthood is not consistent with a biblical vision of life, and for most young Christians, marriage should be a central part of planning for young adulthood and faithfulness to Christ. As husband and wife achieving adulthood together, young Christians serve as a witness of God’s plan and God’s gift before a confused world.

Christians understand that sex before and outside of marriage is simply not an option. Cohabiting is inconsistent with obedience to Christ. Children are God’s gifts to be received and welcomed within the marriage covenant.

Tellingly, secular authorities in the culture are now expressing worry about the delay of marriage among young Americans. When Time magazine is concerned about young Americans not getting married, Christians must be doubly concerned.

Young Americans, and that includes young Christians, face some very real challenges in moving toward full adulthood, and there is no question that economic factors play a part. But even secular observers understand that a shift in marriage points to an underlying shift in morality. The blunt fact is that previous generations of young adults, facing even greater economic challenges, still found their way to adulthood and marriage.

The Christian church must encourage young Christians toward the goal of marriage and must be clear about the necessity of holiness and obedience to Christ at every stage and in every season of life. When the world around us is scratching its head, asking what has happened to marriage, Christians must display the glory of God in marriage and all that God gives to us in the marital covenant.

And we must encourage young Christians not to delay marriage, nor to marry in haste, but to make marriage a priority in the critical years of young adulthood. In that cause, we have no time to wait.





你曾經歷過睡了幾個小時醒了但精力仍然未恢復也許你還記得華盛頓歐文Washington Irving所寫的《李伯大夢》Rip van Winkle这短篇故事。樂天派樵夫李伯是個怕老婆的丈夫,有一天為躲避妻子,遊蕩到山林,在那裡遇到一個陌生的船員,之後睡著了,他這短短的一覺竟然是世間的二十年。當李伯醒來時,世界已經改變了,妻子早已過世,他的鄰居羨慕他的睡過頭,比他嘮叨的妻子的自然生命還長。

歐文的故事最突出的一點是,李伯的睡眠不是安睡。這種睡眠並沒有恢復精神。這是一種沒有真正益處的休息。有時候,我們知道那是什麽样的感覺,因為我們的心和頭腦都塞得太滿,恨不得能好好地休息。有時我們醒來,或度假回來,盡管休息了,但精力仍未得到恢復。

第四條誡命的恩典是,上帝應許當我們在祂裡面找到安息,祂會賜給我們真正的安息與真正的心靈復蘇。當我們記念安息日,當我們把它守為聖日,我們就會發現,我們開始進入上帝提供的安息,並獲得將要到來的天上的安息,即新天新地的安息的預嘗。

上帝的有益命令

出埃及記廿章8–10節清楚記載了上帝賜下安息日要休息這道命令。然而,我們常常忽視:當我們「記念安息日,守為聖日」時,上帝計劃讓我們為祂使用這一天:「第七日是耶和華你的 神的安息日」。這是什麽意思?這是指一周的一日-------不是我們揀的,而是上帝親自揀的一日,不象其他日子--------為事奉上帝而分別出來。

這道命令以創造與救贖為根基。在出埃及記廿章,創造為背景之用:「因為耶和華在六日之內造天、地…….第七日就歇息了」(第11節)。創造周可作為我們所有創造性的星期的模式:就像上帝六日工作,一日休息,我們也應該如此。

在申命記第五章,我們看到這道命令的救贖根据:「你要記住:你在埃及地作過奴僕;耶和華你的 神用大能的手和伸出來的膀臂,把你從那裡領出來」(15節)。因為上帝用頭生羔羊的血,將祂在奴役中的百姓拯救出來,所以祂的百姓的生命與時間都屬於祂。祂在救贖中把生命與時間還給祂的百姓,並要求他们要将一周的「初熟的果子」------安息日作為證據,見證祂的救贖工作。

基督的恩典禮物

這種對安息日的期盼和命令,在基督裡可找到它們的應驗和持續的效力。這是因為耶穌本身指向這一天的解除,即解除這一天所代表的舊約律法條文。但耶穌絕非要廢除安息日,而是為祂的子民賦予它的意義。

在路加福音四章16–21節,耶穌在安息日「照著習慣」去了會堂。祂展開書卷,讀以賽亞書六十一章,宣告,「這段經文今天應驗在你們中間」。安息日和彌賽亞之間的聯系顯而易見:在創造與救贖裡所描繪的,對安息日的休息和成果欣賞(rejoicing)的應許,在耶穌身上實現了。耶穌帶來好消息:被擄的得釋放,瞎眼的得看見,受壓制的得自由。

耶稣喜欢在安息日医治,在路加福音十三章10–17节有清楚的记述。一个「被邪靈附著,病了十八年」女人被医好,她頌讚,归荣耀给上帝。法利赛人对耶稣大发雷霆。耶稣回答:「不應當在安息日解開她的捆綁嗎?」」这不合适和正当吗?创造与救赎在安息日汇集,指向耶稣基督的恩典的礼物:真正的恢复、安息、与心靈複蘇。

耶穌做這些事情是因為祂是安息日的主(可二23–28)。祂是安息日的賜予者,就如造物者那樣。祂是安息日要見證的那一位。而且,作為救贖主,藉著復活,祂開始新的時間;復活的星期日,時間重新開始;新創造的第一天開始了。安息日的休息確保復活的星期日的意義,定為基督徒的崇拜日(林前十六2;啟一10)。我們記住這一天要敬拜和憐憫服伺,以回應上帝的命令和耶穌基督的恩賜。

我們信靠耶穌,我們的靈魂不僅周而復周地得享安息,而且我們更擁有進入最後的安息這一應許(來四9–10)。每一周都我們見證了,我們從我們的工作------甚至從我們試圖與上帝和解,或者賺取祂的恩寵,甚至在我們如何「記念安息日」中,得享安息。我們「安息於和接受」耶穌。在祂裡面,我們得著心靈的安息(太十一28-30)。

這就是為什麽安息日帶來了真正的安息和心靈復蘇。我們不是極努力去賺取上帝的恩寵。相反,安息日的主在我們因過犯死了的時候,使我們與祂一同活過來,又使我們在祂裡面,與他一同復活,一同坐在天上(弗二4–6)。

本譯文所引用的經文均出自聖經新譯本。

本文原刊於Tabletalk雜誌。

The Sabbath Day Brings Real Rest and Refreshment
FROM Sean Michael Lucas

 Have you ever slept for several hours, woke up, but remained unrefreshed? Perhaps you remember Washington Irving’s story “Rip Van Winkle.” Rip is a henpecked husband who wanders to the mountains to escape, meets a strange crew, falls asleep, and snoozes for twenty years. He wakes up to find the world completely changed, his wife dead, and his neighbors envious that he had outslept his nagging wife’s natural life.

What’s striking about Irving’s story is that Van Winkle’s sleep wasn’t restful. It was sleep without refreshment. This was a kind of resting that did no real good. And sometimes, we know what that’s like because our hearts and minds are too full and anxious to rest well. We sometimes wake up or come back from vacations unrefreshed despite having rested.

The grace of the fourth commandment is that God promises to give us real rest and real refreshment when we find our rest in Him. As we remember the Sabbath day, as we keep it holy to the Lord, we find that we begin to enter into the rest that God offers and gain a foretaste of the heavenly rest to come, the rest of the new heavens and new earth.

God’s Good Command

In Exodus 20:8–10, it is clear that God gives Sabbath rest as a command. However, we often miss that as we “remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy,” God intends for us to use that day for Him: “The seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God.” What does this mean? It means that one day in seven—not a day of our choosing, but a day of God’s own choosing and a day unlike other days—is to be set apart for the Lord’s service.

And this command is rooted in both creation and redemption. In Exodus 20, creation serves as the ground: “For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth … and rested on the seventh day” (v. 11). The creation week serves as a pattern for our creative weeks: just as God worked six and rested one, so should we.

But in Deuteronomy 5, this command finds its basis in redemption: “You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm” (v. 15). Because God redeemed His people out of captivity with the blood of firstborn lambs, their lives and their time belonged to Him. He gave it back to them in redemption and required the Sabbath day as a witness, a “firstfruits” of the week, a testimony to His redemptive work.

Christ’s Gracious Gift

This Sabbath expectation and command find their fulfillment and continuing validity in Christ. That is because Jesus Himself pointed to the release that the day represented. Far from doing away with the Sabbath, Jesus filled it with meaning for His people.

In Luke 4:16–21, Jesus went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day “as was his custom.” He took the scroll and read from Isaiah 61, declaring, “Today, this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” The link between Sabbath and Messiah was plain: the promised Sabbath of rest and rejoicing, pictured in creation and redemption, has come in Jesus. He brings good news, the Lord’s favor, liberty, sight, and freedom.

Jesus loved to heal on the Sabbath. That seems clear in Luke 13:10–17. A woman bound by a “disabling spirit for eighteen years” is healed and she glorifies God. The Pharisees are furious with Jesus. His response: “Ought not this woman be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?” Isn’t it fitting and right? Creation and redemption come together on the Sabbath day to point to Christ’s gracious gift of real renewal, rest, and refreshment.

Jesus does these things because He is the Lord of the Sabbath (Mark 2:23–28). He is the giver of the Sabbath as the Creator. He is the One about whom the Sabbath testifies. And, as Redeemer, He has started time anew through the resurrection. Indeed, on the Sunday of His resurrection, time began again; the first day of the new creation started. The Sabbath rest secures its meaning on Resurrection Sunday, setting the day for Christian worship (1 Cor. 16:2; Rev. 1:10). We remember this day to the Lord’s service in worship and mercy, in response to God’s good command and Christ’s gracious gift.

We who trust in Jesus not only find rest for our souls Sunday by Sunday, but we also have the promise of entering into the final Sabbath rest (Heb. 4:9–10). We testify each week that we have rested from our works—from our attempts to placate God or earn His favor, even in how we “remember the Sabbath.” Instead, we “rest in and receive” Jesus. In Him, we find rest for our souls (Matt. 11:28–30).

That’s why the Sabbath day brings real rest and refreshment. We aren’t in a frenzy trying to earn God’s favor. Rather, the Lord of the Sabbath Himself has raised us and will raise us from the dead (Eph. 2:4–6).


This post was originally published in Tabletalk magazine.
作者: William Ames  摘錄: shane lems    譯者: Maria Marta

從教會歷史來看,基督教會為什麼稱禮拜天(七日的第一日)為「主日」,或「基督徒的安息日」?基督徒為什麼在禮拜天聚會和休息威廉阿姆斯(William Ames)在他的《神學精髓》(暫譯)(Marrow of Theology(II.XV.27-29)裏有很好的解釋:

是上帝的權威,而不是人的權威把一周的最後一日換到一周的第一日-------唯獨祂, 安息日的主, 即,基督, 能轉換安息的日子(太12:8)。因此,第一日……被適當地稱為主的日子。退一步來說,即使我們承認主的日子是使徒的慣例(apostolic institution),但它所依靠的權威仍然是來自上帝,因為使徒在聖靈的帶領下實踐聖潔,正如他們在聖靈的帶領下用口頭和書面兩種形式,提出福音教義。

阿姆斯繼續列出九點, 為一周的第一天是主日這神聖的制度作辯護。我總結出以下九點:

1)在管理上帝的全家(上帝的教會)和一切普遍有益和必要的事上, 基督的盡忠不亞於摩西(來三26)。沒有一個基督徒能提出站得住腳的理由來否認遵守主日是有益的,和在某種程度上對基督的教會是必要的。

基督覆活之後祂經常就在這一天(一周的第一天),   在門徒聚在一起的地方向門徒顯現。(約廿19, 26

3)就在這一天(一周的第一天)聖靈降臨在他們身上(徒二4)。

4)使徒時代在教會實踐中當提及第一天的慶祝時(徒廿7,林前十六2),並不是紀念新近條例的頒布施行,而是紀念基督門徒長期以來所接受的慣例。

5)使徒傳交給教會的一切事情都是從基督領受的。(林前十一23

6)猶太人聖安息日的第七日安排被基督的死廢除了。

7)基督的死與第一天的慶祝相隔有幾年的時間,這種說法是無意義的因為它好象是說,   在這段時間裡只有九條誡命。

8)經一致同意,   轉換的理由是基督的復活,基督的復活本身就是一個確認。這一天基督完成「一切都變成新的了」的工作(林後五17, 世界進入新創造或將來的世界時期(來二5),基督從死裏復活,   上帝完成祂最偉大的工作,就歇息了。正因為這一天是開始所以在基督停了祂的工作之時我們應該 歡喜快樂。(詩篇一一八24和太廿一42)。

9)這也是最合適不過的事新約聖經中的敬拜日,   應該由命定敬拜本身的基督來命定在敬拜中我們可以期待從祂而來的祝福和恩典。

這些要點很有幫助!有時我們可能會懷疑「第一天安息日」的原則,因為沒有一句或兩句清楚的經文這樣教導。然而,當考慮到聖經更廣闊的藍圖和以基督為中心的救贖歷史稱一周的第一天為主日、休息和敬拜之日蘊含著符合聖經真理的重要意義。畢竟,在上帝把百姓從埃及拯救出來後百姓得到新的日程表(出十二章),所以上帝的子民從罪和地獄中獲得拯救-----新出埃及記之後得到新的日程表這當然具有重大意義!

Sabbath: The First Day of the Week
by Reformed

Why has the Christian church historically called Sunday “the Lord’s Day” or “The Christian Sabbath?”  Why do we meet for worship on the first day of the week, and rest on it?  William Ames explains this well in his Marrow of Theology (II.XV.27-29):

“Divine not human authority has now changed the last day of the week to the first day – only he can change the day of the Sabbath who is the Lord of the sabbath, namely, Christ (Mt. 12:8).  Therefore, the first day… is properly called the Lord’s Day.  Even though the Lord’s Day is granted to have been of apostolic institution, yet the authority on which it rests is nonetheless divine, for the apostles were guided by the Spirit in holy practices just as they were in propounding the doctrine of the gospel by word of mouth and writing.”

Ames goes on to give nine points to defend the divine institution of the Lord’s Day as the first day of the week.  I’ll summarize the nine points here:

1) Christ was no less faithful than Moses in ordering his whole house (the church of God) in all things generally necessary and useful (Heb. 3:2, 6).  No Christian can reasonably deny that the observance of the day is useful and in some way necessary for the churches of Christ.

2) Christ himself often appeared upon this very day to the disciples gathered in one place after the resurrection (Jn. 20:19, 26).

3) The Holy Spirit came upon them this very day (Acts 2:4).

4) In the practice of the churches in the apostles’ time when mention is made of the observance of the first day (Acts 20:7, 1 Cor. 16:2), it isn’t remembered as a recent ordinance but as something long accepted by the disciples of Christ.

5) All things the apostles delivered to the churches were from Christ (1 Cor. 11:23).

6) The placing of the holy sabbath of the Jews on the seventh day was abrogated by the death of Christ.

7) It does not make sense to say that there were several years between Christ’s death and the observance of the first day, because it would be like saying there were only nine commandments during this time.

8) The reason for the change by the consent of all is the resurrection of Christ which itself is a confirmation.  On this day the creation of anew world, or world to come (Heb 2:5), wherein all things are made new (2 Cor. 5:17) are completed, and God in Christ’s rising from the dead ceased and rested from his greatest work.  Just as it was in the beginning, so it is also right that the very day wherein Christ rested from his labors should be hallowed (cf Ps. 118:24 and Mt. 21:42).

9) It was also most appropriate that the day of worship in the NT should be ordained by him who ordained the worship itself and from whom all blessing and grace is to be expected in worship.

These are some helpful points!  Sometimes we may doubt the “first day sabbath” principle because there isn’t one or two clear texts that teach it.  However, when considering the Bible’s bigger picture and the flow of redemptive history centered around Christ, it does make biblical sense to call the first day of the week the Lord’s Day, the day of rest and worship.  After all, the people of God received a new calendar after God rescued them from Egypt (Ex. 12), so it surely makes sense that his people would get a new calendar after the New Exodus: rescue from sin and hell!

shane lems

hammond, wi