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


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 hasnt 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 didnt have a great answer for my friends 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 cant 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 cant be a writer without readers. You cant be a chef without diners. You cant be a manager without workers. You cant 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201611已經被翻譯成英文Acton Institute and Lexham Press出版書名是論教會On the ChurchThats 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 Kuypers 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。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。」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」可十二3031Jesus 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 Gods Wordthat is, Jesusis 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。」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。」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。」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 its 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 Christs 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 Gods 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 otherstragically, imperfect othersto 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 selflessnessin the forms of love, justice, goodness, peace, kindness and serviceamong 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.


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.