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。

2017-04-27

作者: Michael Horton 譯者: Maria Marta
http://www.ligonier.org/blog/glorious-traitors/

世俗人文主義無法解釋人類存在是一件很了不起的事情還是一場悲劇。然而,創造和墮落的聖經故事為肯定人類的尊嚴和敗壞提供了依據。我們「在亞當裡」出生來到世上,也就是說,我們是極好的叛逆者。

每一方面都是極好的

上帝是為了祂自己的榮耀創造我們。我們是為了祂存在,而非祂是為了我們存在。然而,與其他受造物有別,我們是按照上帝的形像被造的,被造的目的乃為與祂建立特殊的關系,「上帝按祂自己的形像賦予我們知識、公義和真聖潔,並把祂的律法寫在我們心裡,使我們有能力遵行上帝的律法」(《威斯敏斯特信仰告白》四2)。根據聖經的真理,人既非半個神,更非惡魔,而是被賦予上帝的總督之皇家尊嚴的受造物。

亞當和夏娃都是按照上帝的形象受造的,但上帝設立亞當為人類的盟約的頭。亞當會由衷感恩地承認他對對上帝和上帝啟示的依靠?抑或他會謀求篡奪上帝的王權,自我決定相信什麼,和如何生活?

注意上面的威斯敏斯特信仰告白引述所反映的人類本性之崇高觀點。我們被造,具備遵行上帝律法的能力,「然而人處於有可能幹犯律法的狀態中」,信仰告白補充說,「上帝也讓他們按著自己的意志行事;所以這意志是會改變的 。除了這在他們心中所寫下的律法以外,他們還領受『不可吃分別善惡樹上果子』的命令; 他們遵守這命令時,就能享受與上帝相交,就能享受與上帝相交的福樂,又能統治被造之物 。」

亞當和夏娃並不是中立的; 他們是面向上帝和上帝的公義律法的。除了這種自由選擇之外,亞當和夏娃還享受上帝的自然知識。他們天生盡心、盡意、盡性、盡力愛上帝。上帝創造了沒有任何缺陷或弱點的人類。全人,包括身體、其熱情(強烈的感情)、靈魂、與智慧都反映出上帝的榮耀。

每一方面都是墮落的

在羅馬書第一章中(《聖經新譯本》),保羅認為「神的震怒,從天上向所有不虔不義的人顯露出來,就是向那些以不義壓制真理的人顯露出來」(18節)。你不能將理性與道德分開。自從墮落以來,我們一直在歪曲、曲解、壓制那些透過普遍啟示和特殊啟示向我們顯明的真理。不信並不是缺乏證據的結果。藉著上帝的創造之工,每個人都知道上帝的存在和祂那些看不見的屬性,所以我們「沒有辦法推諉」(19 – 20節)。上帝並非沒有啟示自己,而是人類「不尊他為 神,也不感謝他」(21節)。要由衷感恩,就要承認依靠,但這恰恰是我們的墮落之心不願意做的事。我們不想反映上帝的榮耀; 我們想擁有唯獨屬於上帝的榮耀。我們不想成為一個形象,乃想成為原型。我們壓制真理,好使我們自己能夠成為我們自己的造物主和主,正如保羅在長篇描述中所指出的,人類為了拒絕向上帝承擔責任,將會處於的狀態(22 – 32節)。

全然敗壞的意思並非指我們已敗壞到所能達到的極限。畢竟,即使外邦人有時亦遵循他們的良心指示(羅二14–16)。更準確地說,全然敗壞指的是:正如上帝的形象覆蓋著我們整個人,同樣罪亦幹擾著我們整個人。構成我們人性的每一部份都受到墮落的影響。我們不能脫離我們的道德束縛而運用我們的理智、意願、或努力前進(羅三9–20)。但至少我們的意志是自由的,對嗎?保羅回答:「沒有義人,連一個也沒有。」 我們的思想呢?保羅寫道:「沒有明白的」 我們的心?保羅補充說:「沒有尋求 神的」(羅三10–11)。我們知道光憑人的本性就足以定我們的罪,因此我們只能藉著上帝在福音中賜給我們的特殊啟示而得救(羅三21–31)。創造和墮落的故事為解釋人類的尊嚴和敗壞提供了辯護的基礎,因此,所有人都需要基督,基督是上帝的真實形象(林後四4;西一15)。


本文原刊於Tabletalk雜誌。

Glorious Traitors
FROM Michael Horton

Secular humanism has no way of explaining either the greatness or the tragedy of human existence. However, the biblical story of creation and the fall provides the basis for affirming both human dignity and depravity. We are born into the world “in Adam,” that is, as glorious traitors.

Glorious in Every Way

God created us for His glory. We exist for Him, not He for us. And yet, unlike the rest of creation, we were created in God’s image for a special relationship with Him, naturally “endued with knowledge, righteousness, and true holiness, after his own image; having the law of God written in [our] hearts, and power to fulfill it” (Westminster Confession of Faith 4.2). According to Scripture, human beings are neither semi-divine nor demonic, but creatures who have been given a royal dignity as God’s viceroys.

Adam and Eve were both created in God’s image, but God made Adam the federal head of the human race. Would Adam acknowledge gratefully his dependence on God and His revelation? Or would he seek to usurp God’s throne, determining for himself what he would believe and how he would live?

Notice the high view of human nature that the above quotation from the Westminster Confession reflects. We were created with the power to fulfill God’s law “yet under a possibility of transgressing,” the confession adds, “being left to the liberty of their own will, which was subject unto change. Along with this law written in their hearts, they received a command, not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; which while they kept, they were happy in their communion with God, and had dominion over the creatures.”

Adam and Eve were not neutral; they were oriented toward God and His righteous law. Besides this freedom of choice, Adam and Eve enjoyed a natural knowledge of God. By nature they loved God with their whole mind, soul, heart, and strength. God did not create man with any defect or weakness. The glory of God was reflected in the whole person: the body and its passions as well as the soul and the intellect.

Fallen in Every Way

In Romans 1, Paul argues that the “wrath of God is revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth” (v. 18). You can’t separate reason from ethics. Ever since the fall, we have been twisting, distorting, and suppressing the truth that comes to us through general and special revelation. Unbelief is not the result of a lack of evidence. Everyone knows God’s existence and invisible attributes through His works in creation, “so they are without excuse” (vv. 19–20). It is not that God fails to reveal Himself, but that humanity does “not honor him as God or give thanks to him” (v. 21). To be grateful is to acknowledge dependence, but that is precisely what our fallen hearts do not want to do. We do not want to reflect God’s glory; we want to possess the glory that is God’s alone. We do not want to be an image, but the original. We suppress the truth so that we can become our own creators and lords, as Paul indicates in his description of the lengths humanity will go to in order to deny accountability to God (vv. 22–32).

Total depravity does not mean that we are as bad as we can possibly be. After all, even Gentiles sometimes follow the dictates of their conscience (Rom. 2:14–16). Rather, it means that just as God’s image encompasses our whole self, the bondage of sin does as well. All aspects of our human constituent nature have been affected by the fall. We cannot reason, will, or work our way out of our moral bondage (3:9–20). But at least our wills are free, right? Paul replies, “There is no one righteous, no, not one.” What about our minds? No, Paul writes, “no one understands.” Our hearts? Paul adds, “no one seeks for God” (Rom. 3:10–11). While we know by nature enough to condemn us, we can only be saved by the special revelation that God gives us in the gospel (3:21–31). The story of creation and the fall presents an apologetic basis for explaining both the dignity and depravity of man, and thus why all people are in need of Christ, who is the true image of God (2 Cor. 4:4; Col. 1:15).


This post was originally published in Tabletalk magazine.