作者: R.C. Sproul 譯者: Maria Marta
在歷史性的改革宗思想中，有一觀念是重生先於信心。我們也相信重生是神恩獨作(monergistic)。現在神恩獨作是屬於生澀難明，炫耀智慧高深的一類詞語。從本質上說，它是指稱為再生或重生的神聖運作是上帝獨自完成的工作。erg是一種勞動單位，一種工作單位。能量（energy）一詞源於這種概念。字首mono就是「一」（one）的意思，因此神恩獨作是指「獨一作工」的意思。這意味著，在人內心的重生工作是唯獨靠著上帝運用其大能而作的事-----不是百分之五十祂的大能，百分之五十人的能力，或者百分之九十九祂的大能，百分之一人的能力。乃是百分之一百上帝的工作。祂，唯獨祂，有能力改變靈魂與人內心的傾向，帶給我們信心。
此外，當上帝在靈魂裡施行恩典時，祂帶來祂計劃要實現的效果。上帝創造你時，祂使你存在。你並沒有幫助祂完成祂的工作。正是祂至高主權的工作帶給你生物生命。同樣，正是祂的工作，和唯獨祂的工作，帶你進入再生和重新被造的狀態。因此，我們稱這種工作為不可抗拒的恩典。這是恩典的行動。正是恩典帶來上帝想要的效果。倘若，事實上，我們死在罪孽和過犯之中，倘若，事實上，我們的意志被我們肉體的情欲捆綁，為了獲得拯救，我們需要從中釋放出來，歸根結底，救恩必定是上帝在我們裡面，為我們所作的事，而非我們以任何方式，為自己而做的事。
然而，不可抗拒的概念使人聯想到人不可能抗拒上帝的恩典。可是，人類的歷史卻是無情地抗拒上帝的甘甜恩典的歷史。不可抗拒的恩典並非指上帝的恩典不能抗拒。事實上，我們能夠抗拒上帝的恩典，我們的確抗拒上帝的恩典。不可抗拒的概念是指上帝的恩典是如此的有能力，以致於它能克服我們抗拒的本性。並非是聖靈違背人的意志，把又踢又叫的人硬拽到基督的面前。聖靈改變我們意志的傾向和性情，因此我們先前不願意，而現在願意，並且更加願意擁抱基督。事實上，我們不是被硬拽到，而是奔跑到基督的面前，我們欣然擁抱祂，因為聖靈改變我們的心。它們不再是石心，對上帝的命令和福音的邀請無動於衷。當上帝使我們成為新造的人時，祂融化我們內心的剛硬。聖靈使我們從靈性的死亡中復活過來，以致我們來到基督的面前，是因為我們想要來到的基督的面前。我們之所以想要來到基督的面前，是因為上帝已經在我們的靈魂裡作了恩典之工。沒有恩典之工，我們決不會渴望來到基督的面前。這就是我們說重生先於信心的原因。
使用不可抗拒的恩典一詞，我遇到點麻煩，非因我不相信這項經典的教義，而是因為這一名詞誤導了許多人。因此，我更喜歡用「有效的恩典」一詞，因為上帝的不可抗拒的恩典帶來上帝計劃要實現的效果。
在下一篇文章，我們將思考郁金香（TULIP）中的P，即聖徒永蒙保守（perseverance of the saints）。
TULIP and Reformed Theology:
Irresistible Grace
FROM R.C. Sproul
In historic Reformation thought,
the notion is this: regeneration precedes faith. We also believe that
regeneration is monergistic. Now that’s a three-dollar word. It means essentially
that the divine operation called rebirth or regeneration is the work of God
alone. An erg is a unit of labor, a unit of work. The word energy comes from
that idea. The prefix mono- means “one.” So monergism means “one working.” It
means that the work of regeneration in the human heart is something that God
does by His power alone—not by 50 percent His power and 50 percent man’s power,
or even 99 percent His power and 1 percent man’s power. It is 100 percent the
work of God. He, and He alone, has the power to change the disposition of the
soul and the human heart to bring us to faith.
In addition, when He exercises this
grace in the soul, He brings about the effect that He intends to bring about.
When God created you, He brought you into existence. You didn’t help Him. It
was His sovereign work that brought you to life biologically. Likewise, it is
His work, and His alone, that brings you into the state of rebirth and of
renewed creation. Hence, we call this irresistible grace. It’s grace that
works. It’s grace that brings about what God wants it to bring about. If,
indeed, we are dead in sins and trespasses, if, indeed, our wills are held
captive by the lusts of our flesh and we need to be liberated from our flesh in
order to be saved, then in the final analysis, salvation must be something that
God does in us and for us, not something that we in any way do for ourselves.
Tweet this
GOD’S GRACE IS SO POWERFUL THAT IT
HAS THE CAPACITY TO OVERCOME OUR NATURAL RESISTANCE TO IT. —R.C. SPROUL
However, the idea of
irresistibility conjures up the idea that one cannot possibly offer any
resistance to the grace of God. However, the history of the human race is the
history of relentless resistance to the sweetness of the grace of God.
Irresistible grace does not mean that God’s grace is incapable of being
resisted. Indeed, we are capable of resisting God’s grace, and we do resist it.
The idea is that God’s grace is so powerful that it has the capacity to
overcome our natural resistance to it. It is not that the Holy Spirit drags
people kicking and screaming to Christ against their wills. The Holy Spirit
changes the inclination and disposition of our wills, so that whereas we were
previously unwilling to embrace Christ, now we are willing, and more than
willing. Indeed, we aren’t dragged to Christ, we run to Christ, and we embrace
Him joyfully because the Spirit has changed our hearts. They are no longer
hearts of stone that are impervious to the commands of God and to the
invitations of the gospel. God melts the hardness of our hearts when He makes
us new creatures. The Holy Spirit resurrects us from spiritual death, so that
we come to Christ because we want to come to Christ. The reason we want to come
to Christ is because God has already done a work of grace in our souls. Without
that work, we would never have any desire to come to Christ. That’s why we say
that regeneration precedes faith.
I have a little bit of a problem
using the term irresistible grace, not because I don’t believe this classical
doctrine, but because it is misleading to many people. Therefore, I prefer the
term effectual grace, because the irresistible grace of God effects what God
intends it to effect.
In the final post, we will conclude
by considering the P in TULIP, perseverance of the saints.