上個月我和一位好友在一家餐廳吃飯時聊天，他說他已經好幾年沒有上教會了，他宣稱教會對真正的基督教信仰來說，並不是絕對必要的。換句話說，誰還需要教會呢？教會的意義是什麼？During a chat at a restaurant last month a
dear friend, who hasn’t
attended church regularly for years, claimed that church is unnecessary for
true Christian faith. In other words, Who even needs the church? What’s the
point?
對今天的許多人、尤其對千禧年世代來說，這是個相當迫切的問題。他們發現，基督徒是一群他們不想和他們有任何往來的人。他們對現代美國基督徒普遍的偽善和律法主義感到失望——至少這是我和這位朋友所接觸到的一些保守基督徒圈子的情形。他們尤其不喜歡許多福音派教會因為受到宗教右派運動的影響所產生出來的過度政治化的現象。而且他們不明白每個禮拜和一大群人到一棟建築裏，對他們的信仰會有什麼樣的作用。This
is a burning question for many today, especially Millennials. They find Christians a group of people they
don’t want to associate with. They are turned off by pervasive hypocrisy and
legalism among modern American Christians—at least in the conservative circles
in which this friend and I have moved. They especially don’t like the overt
politicization of many evangelical churches by the Religious Right movement.
And they don’t see why going to a building with a bunch of people once a week
has any effect on what they believe.
當天晚上我沒有什麼好答案回答他。不過，以下是我當時應該說的：I didn’t have a great answer for my friend’s question that night. But here is what I
should have said:
「如果你和其他人沒有發展出任何關係，你就不能算是個獨立的個人。」“You can’t be anything individually without having a relationship
with others.”
沒有讀者，你就不能成為作家。沒有食客，你就不能成為廚子。沒有同事，你也不能成為經理。沒有使用者，你也無法成為工程師。同樣，沒有基督和其他基督徒，你也無法成為基督徒。You
can’t be a
writer without readers. You
can’t be a chef without diners. You can’t be a manager without workers. You can’t be an engineer without users. In the same
way, you can’t be a Christian without Christ and other Christians.
基本上，這就是凱波爾在他論教會的關鍵神學作品裏所給出的答案。這些作品最近（2016年11月）已經被翻譯成英文，由Acton
Institute and Lexham Press出版，書名是：論教會（On the Church）。That’s the answer, essentially, that Abraham Kuyper
gave in his key theological writings on the church. Recently translated into
English, these writings were published in November under the title On the
Church by the Acton Institute and Lexham Press.
本書讓我們看到凱波爾對教會所作的著名區分。他認為教會既是一個公共機構（institution），也是一個屬靈的有機體（spiritual organism）。凱波爾從一個年輕人，長大成為一個成熟的人。前者認為建制性的教會是沒有必要的，但後者卻認為教會是不可或缺的。然而那位年紀較大的凱波爾總是強調，教會這個機構存在的唯一理由是幫助基督徒這個屬靈的有機體，在世上執行基督的使命。This book shows us the roots of Kuyper’s famous distinction between the church as
institution and the church as spiritual organism. Kuyper grew from a young man
who saw little need for the institutional church to a mature man who viewed it
as indispensable. Yet the older Kuyper always emphasized that the institution
of the church is necessary only to help the spiritual organism of Christians
carry out the mission of Christ on earth.
「我們相信的能力，其根源總是來自於兩個元素：首先是發現到、並承認主有一個身體；其次是認識到我們個人確實屬於這個身體」，凱波爾寫到。（註1）“Two elements always lie at the root of our
ability to believe: first, the discovery and acknowledgment that there is a
body of the Lord, and second, the awareness of assurance of our personal
belonging to that body,” Kuyper wrote.[1]
對一種關係有信心Belief in a Relationship
凱波爾明白，基督信仰不只是相信一套觀念而已，更是信靠一種關係：基督已經把我們與祂、和其他信徒結合起來，形成一種緊密的繫縛關係，以至於我們如今是一個活生生的有機體的一部分。Kuyper understood that Christian faith is not merely
belief in a set of concepts, but belief in a relationship: that Christ has
joined us to Him and to other believers in such a close bond that we are now
part of one, living organism.
「一個信徒有可能出於各種理由，覺得和一個有組織的教會失去了聯繫」，凱波爾補充說。「但是這種感覺總是會立刻、自動、毫不遲疑地引導它到無形教會那裏去。信靠基督卻未同時信靠基督的身體是無法想像的，也是不存在的。」（註2）“A
believer may feel disconnected from an organized church for various reasons,” Kuyper added. “But it immediately, automatically, and without hesitation
directs itself to the invisible church. Faith in Christ that at the same time
is not faith toward his body is unthinkable and does not exist.”[2]
耶穌自己用兩個陳述總結了整本聖經：「你要盡心、盡性、盡意、盡力愛主你的神」，以及「要愛人如己」（可十二30、31）。Jesus
Himself summarized the entire Bible in these two statements: “And you shall love the Lord your God with all
your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your
strength,” and “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mark
12:31)
若你從來不和上帝說話，不花時間和上帝在一起，你不可能愛上帝。在哪裏可以找到上帝呢？在教會裏。牧師會讓人明白上帝的道——就是耶穌，並且透過聖餐和洗禮的儀式，讓人摸到、看到、嚐到祂。You cannot love God if you never talk with Him
and spend time with Him. And where is God found? At church, where God’s Word—that is, Jesus—is made understandable by the pastor and made tangible
by the rituals of communion and baptism.
除非你從耶穌那裏領受到愛，並且把愛給予你的鄰舍，否則你就無法愛你的鄰舍。不是有許多非基督徒有愛他們鄰舍的行動嗎？絕對是的。但是他們的慈善和服事也是從基督來的，是普遍恩典的一部分，基督用普遍恩典來統管並賜福給全世界。You cannot love your neighbor unless you are
receiving love from Jesus to give to your neighbor. Do many non-Christians act
lovingly toward their neighbors? Absolutely. But their kindness and service
also come from Christ, as part of the common grace with which He rules and
blesses the whole world.
若你想要在世上看到更多的愛，那麼唯一合理的事是不斷回到愛的源頭。這個源頭就是教會，在那裏，基督一週復一週地，把自己賜給跟從祂的人，堅固他們的心。If
you want to see more love in the world, then the only sensible thing to do is
to keep going back to the source of that love. That source is the church, where
Christ week after week makes Himself available to strengthen His followers.
自私與無私Selfishness vs. Selflessness
若基督沒有將祂的愛賜給世界，所有的人類社會就會變成徹底的自私。簡言之，在所有的人當中，就不會有關係存在。根據凱波爾的看法，所有的人都會以他們身旁的人為代價，尋求自己的好處。Without Christ giving out His love in the
world, all of human society would be marked by utter selfishness. In short,
there would be no relationships at all among humans. According to Kuyper, all
people would seek their own benefit at the expense of those around them.
「若上帝沒有限制我們充滿罪惡的心，沒有用明光照進我們裏面的黑暗，沒有用憐憫來幫助我們，你會認為在地上會有任何的忠誠和正直，任何美德和奉獻，任何藝術或學習，任何的人類組織，或任何公義感嗎？」凱波爾寫到。「不，我告訴你，若全能的主離棄我們、任憑我們，所有的美德都將變成野蠻，所有的秩序都會變成混亂，所有的人都會沉淪到地獄的黑霧裏。」（註3）“Do
you suppose that if God did not restrain our sinful heart, did not cast a ray
of light into our darkness, and did not come to our aid with restraining
compassion, there would be any fidelity and integrity, any virtue and
dedication, any art or learning, or any human organization or sense of justice
on earth?” Kuyper wrote. “No, I tell you, if the Lord Almighty had left us to
our own devices, all virtue would have turned into brutishness, all order into
chaos, and all humanity would have descended in the dense smoke of hell.”[3]
這個無處不在的自私就是撒但的國度。基督設立教會，且至今仍然藉著教會這個機構行事的理由，就是為了擊敗撒但的國度。This all-encompassing selfishness is the
kingdom of Satan. Beating back this kingdom is the reason Christ established
and still works through the church as an institution.
「因此，有形教會這個機構必須有三重目標」，凱波爾寫道。「首先，它的作用是把人從撒但那裏奪回來；其次，在我們人類全部的生活中，要把撒但趕逐出去；第三，使主的百姓活在他們君王的權柄之下，並為了祂榮耀的國度不斷長大成熟。」（註4）“Therefore,
the institution of the visible church requires a threefold destination,” Kuyper wrote. “It serves, first, to reclaim people from Satan;
second, to repel Satan in the organism of our entire human life; and third, to
have the people of the Lord living under their King and maturing for the
kingdom of his glory.”[4]
更簡單來說：教會是一支追求美善的軍隊，也是追求成長的社群。Put
more simply: the church is an army for good and a community for growth.
教會是上帝的軍隊，要盡一切努力，把更多的人帶進到上帝的國度裏，並且在人生的每個領域驅除撒但的國度。與此同時，教會是上帝子民的社群，他們即使在今天也在耶穌的權柄下，享受一點點的、無私的新生命，並成為其模範。The church is the army of God fighting to
bring more people into the kingdom of God and to repel the kingdom of Satan in
every area of life. At the same time, the church is a community of the people
of God who even now enjoy and exemplify a bit of the new selfless life under
Jesus.
假冒為善的人怎麼說呢？What about the Hypocrites?
那些宣稱自己是義人，卻仍舊表現得冷酷無情的人，該怎麼說呢？那些說自己愛其他人，卻將選票投給提倡邪惡政策政客的人，又怎麼說呢？But
what about those who claim to be righteous but are callous and cold? What about
those that claim to love others but vote for politicians promoting pernicious
policies?
凱波爾對這些問題也有他自己的答案。首先，他提到，當基督使一個人信靠祂的時候，祂從來不會頃刻之間就使這個人成聖。若是這樣，教會就只會充滿真正的信徒，和那些完全的義人。Kuyper
had an answer for those questions too. First, he noted, when Christ brings a person to faith
in Him, He never sanctifies that person all at once. If that were the case,
then the church would be filled with only true believers and only those who
were completely righteous.
但是，基督卻沒有這麼作，祂選擇讓跟從祂的人在信心上成長，逐漸教導他們更少地倚靠他們自己，卻更多地倚靠祂。But
instead, Christ has chosen to grow His followers in their faith, gradually
teaching them to rely less on themselves and more on Him.
無可避免的後果就是教會裏充斥著一群混雜的人：有些是真信徒，有些不是。即使是真信徒也有許多成長的功課要學習。每一個在教會裏的人，他們的行動經常會違背基督的義。The inevitable result is that the church is
filled with a mix of people: some are true believers and some are not. Even the
true believers have large amounts of growing to do. And everyone in church
acts, fairly regularly, in ways that are contrary to Christ’s righteousness.
「因為這些事實」，凱波爾寫到，「很不幸、也很痛苦地，有形教會這個機構只會無可避免地表現出一種不完美的狀況......儘管基督真正的教會是純淨的，完美的，沒有摻雜的，但是有形教會這個機構卻是不純淨的，非常不完美的，也摻雜了各種不聖潔的成分。這不僅是實際的狀況，也是必然的狀況。」（註5）“Because of these realities,” Kuyper wrote, “it is sadly and painfully inevitable that the
institution of the visible church can manifest itself only in an imperfect
condition. … While the real church of Christ is pure, perfect, and unmixed,
this institution of the visible church is impure, very imperfect, and mixed
with various unholy parts. Not only is this so, but it must be so as well.”[5]
有這麼多基督徒是假冒為善的，是值得我們傷心的，甚至是應該受到批判的理由。但是這也是感謝上帝的憐憫和恩典的原因。The fact that so many Christians are
hypocrites is a cause for sadness and even criticism. But it’s also a reason to thank God for his mercy and
grace.
憐憫，是因為祂寬容忍耐我們所有的人。因為基督的義遮蓋我們，祂沒有要求我們必須馬上成為完美。相反，祂藉著聖靈行事，而祂的聖靈乃是透過我們生活的一點一滴使我們長大成人。而祂乃是使用教會來完成這事的。Mercy, because He is longsuffering with all of
us. Because we are covered in Christ’s righteousness, He does not demand that we be
immediately perfect. Rather, He works through Christ and His Spirit to grow us
bit by bit throughout our lives. And He uses the church to do that.
恩典，是因為教會的不完美是上帝對我們的邀請，邀請我們使用我們的恩賜來服事教會裏有需要的人。許多時候，那些有需要的人缺少金錢和避難所。同樣常見的，尤其是在美國，那些有需要的人所真正缺乏的是愛、平安、深刻的人際關係。Grace, because the imperfections of the church
are God’s invitation to use our gifts to
serve the needy in the church. Many times, the needy lack money and shelter.
But just as often, especially in America, what the needy truly lack is love,
peace and deep relationships.
上帝應許使我們每個個人恢復本來的面目，藉著將其他人——可悲的是一些不完美的人——賜給我們，好叫我們去愛他們，去服事他們。當我們這樣行的時候，祂就撫平我們的一些不完美。God promises to make us who we truly are individually,
by giving us others—tragically, imperfect others—to love and serve. As we do so, He smooths out
some of our imperfections too.
因此，教會的意義何在？我在餐廳時應該這樣來回答我的朋友：So what is the point of church? Here is how I should
have answered my friend in the restaurant:
教會的目的是壓制我們內心和世上的自私與殘酷。教會應當以愛心、公正、良善、和平、恩慈、服事，來擴展無私，這包括在基督徒當中，以及在我們身旁的人當中。“It is to roll back selfishness and cruelty in our
hearts and in the world. It is to expand selflessness—in the forms of love, justice, goodness, peace,
kindness and service—among Christians and everyone
around us.”
若你希望世上的自私變少，而無私變得更多，那麼你就應該留在教會裏。If you want less selfishness and more
selflessness in the world, then you should be in church.
註：
Abraham Kuyper, “Lord’s Day 21,” in
On the Church, edited by John Halsey Wood Jr. and Andrew M. McGinnis,
translated by Harry Van Dyke, Nelson D. Kloosterman, Todd M. Rester and Arjen
Vreugdenhil (Lexham Press: Bellingham, Wash., 2016), 361.
[2] Ibid., 362
[3] Kuyper, “Twofold Fatherland,”
in On the Church, 288
[4] Kuyper, “Lord’s Day 21,” in On
the Church, 354
[5] Ibid., 352.
The is a guest post by J.K. Wall
who is a writer in Indianapolis. His modernized abridgment of William
Symington’s work, Messiah the Prince Revisited, was published in 2014 by Crown
& Covenant Publications. You can e-mail him at jk.wall@gmail.com.