閱讀聖經時應當牢記的十件事10 Things to Remember WhenReading the Bible
作者：Vern Poythress 譯者：駱鴻銘
1. 聖經是上帝自己說的話。
1.
The Bible is God’s own word.
這意味著，聖經說的，就是上帝說的。
That
means that what the Bible says, God says.
2. 上帝以祂的聖言統管全世界，祂的聖言指明並掌管萬事（來一3）。
2.
God governs the whole world through his divine speech, which specifies and
controls what happens (Heb. 1:3).
聖經表明，上帝透過說話來統管世界，但是我們沒有聽見祂說話，只看到祂說話的果效（例如：詩卅6、9；一四七15～18）。相比之下，聖經是上帝說的話，是上帝用來對我們人類具體說話的方式。上帝一切的言說，無論是直接統管全世界，還是直接對我們人類說話，都具有神聖的特質。具體而言，它顯明上帝在權柄、掌管、同在中的主權。
The
Bible indicates that God speaks to govern the world, but we do not hear this
speech; we only see its effects (for example, Ps. 33:6, 9; 147:15–18). The
Bible, by contrast, is the word of God, designed by God to speak specifically
to us as human beings. All divine speech, whether directed toward governing the
world in general or directed toward us as human beings, has divine character.
In particular, it displays God’s lordship in authority, control, and presence.
3. 上帝透過聖約對我們說話（創九9，十五18，十七7；出十九5，等等）。
3.
God speaks his words to us in covenants (Gen. 9:9; 15:18; 17:7; Ex. 19:5;
etc.).
「聖約」（covenant）是兩個團體之間，一個莊嚴的、在法律上具有約束力的協議。在舊約聖經裏，上帝與人立的約，與古代近東的宗主條約（suzerainty treaties）有一些類似之處。這些條約有五個元素，也或明或暗地出現在舊約聖經當中、上帝與人所立的聖約裏：宗主身份的確認（出廿2）；歷史序言（出廿2）；聖約的規定（stipulations；出廿3～17）；聖約的獎懲（sanctions；即：祝福與咒詛）（出廿7；另參見12節）；立約的記錄和傳遞（出卅一18；申卅一）。
A
“covenant” is a solemn, legally binding agreement between two parties. In this
case, the two parties are God and human beings. In the Old Testament, God’s
covenants with human beings show some affinities with ancient Near Eastern
suzerainty treaties. These treaties show five elements, which also appear
either explicitly or by implication in God’s covenants in the Old Testament:
identification of the suzerain (Ex. 20:2); historical prologue (Ex. 20:2);
stipulations (Ex. 20:3-17); sanctions (i.e., blessings and curses) (Ex. 20:7;
see also v. 12); recording and passing on (Ex. 31:18; Deut. 31).
上帝的身份宣告出祂超然的權柄，而聖約的規定，作為聖約子民生活的標準，暗示祂對子民的權柄。歷史序言說明祂在過去的歷史裏如何施作祂的掌管。祝福與咒詛表明祂在未來要如何施行祂的掌管。祂的身份也宣告祂的同在，而聖約的記錄和傳遞則暗示祂會持續不斷與祂的子民同在。
The
identification of God proclaims his transcendent authority, and the
stipulations as norms imply his authority over the people. The historical
prologue shows how he has exercised his control in past history. The blessings
and curses indicate how he will exercise his control in the future. His
identification also proclaims his presence, and the recording and passing on of
the covenantal words imply his continuing presence with the people.
4. 整本聖經都是上帝聖約的言語（covenantal word）。
4.
All the Bible is the covenantal word of God.
換言之，聖約的觀念提供我們看待聖經的一種視角。新約聖經宣告出有關基督的死、復活、升天的福音。使徒保羅把他完整的職事形容為是「新約」的職事（提後三6）。因此，從一個寬泛的角度來說，保羅所有的著作都是聖約的言語。耶穌在最後晚餐裏開啟了「新約」（路廿二20；林前十一25）。其他使徒和新約聖經作者的作用，是把新約的話語傳給我們。
That
is, the idea of covenant offers us one perspective on the Bible. The New
Testament proclaims the gospel concerning the death, resurrection, and
ascension of Christ. The apostle Paul characterizes his entire ministry as a
ministry of the “new covenant” (2 Cor. 3:6). So all of Paul’s writings are covenantal
words in a broad sense. At the Last Supper, Jesus inaugurated “the new
covenant” (Luke 22:20; 1 Cor. 11:25). The other apostles and New Testament
writers function to convey the words of the new covenant to us.
當聖經用「新」這個字眼來描述新約時，就明顯地假定有一個舊約。新約應驗了亞伯拉罕之約（加三7～14）和大衛之約（徒二30～36），但是當新約聖經暗示一個「舊」約時（來八8～13），基本上是想到了摩西之約。摩西之約也包含了（在申命記卅一章）保存正典聖約文件的明確教導，和有關未來先知的明確命令（申十八18～22）。整本舊約聖經是把上帝授權的附加文件，加在原始的摩西文庫上，因此與摩西所開啟的聖約結構是完全吻合的。舊約聖經整體具有聖約的特性。
When
the Bible uses the word new to describe the new covenant, it clearly
presupposes an older one. The new covenant fulfills the Abrahamic covenant
(Gal. 3:7–14) and the Davidic covenant (Acts 2:30–36), but the Mosaic covenant
is principally in mind when the New Testament implies a covenant that is “old”
(Heb. 8:8–13). The Mosaic covenant also contains, in Deuteronomy 31, explicit
instructions for preserving canonical covenantal documents and explicit
instructions about future prophets (Deut. 18:18–22). The entirety of the Old
Testament consists in divinely authorized additions to the initial Mosaic
deposit, so it fits into the covenantal structure inaugurated with Moses. The
entire Old Testament is covenantal in character.
因此，新約聖經和舊約聖經從一個廣泛的意義來說，可以被視為聖約文件。的確，它們傳統的名字是新「約」與舊「約」，「約」（Testamants）這個字就象徵它們的聖約特性（在後來的神學用法裏，Testamant和covenant是相近的同義詞，按照來九15～16來說）。
Thus
both the New Testament and the Old Testament can be viewed as covenantal in a
broad sense. Indeed, the traditional names, in which they are called
“Testaments,” signify their covenantal character (“testament” is a near synonym
for “covenant” in later theological usage, which builds on Heb. 9:15–16).
5. 聖經是一本單一完整的書，上帝是其作者。
5.
The Bible is a single book, with God as its author.
聖經當然有眾多的人間作者。但是它來自上帝是其作者所獨具的統一性，暗示我們必須將它視為完整統一的信息，並且應當用每一卷書卷的每一段經文幫助我們理解其他經文。因為上帝忠於祂自己的屬性，祂就不會背乎自己。因此我們對聖經每一段經文的解釋必須和聖經其餘的部分一致。
It
does of course have multiple human authors. But its unity according to the
divine author implies that we should see it as a single unified message, and
should use each passage and each book to help us in understanding others.
Because God is faithful to his own character, he is consistent with himself. We
should therefore interpret each passage of the Bible in harmony with the rest
of the Bible.
6. 聖經是以上帝為中心的。
6.
The Bible is God-centered.
聖經不僅僅是以上帝為其作者，它也以一種根本的方式論到上帝，以上帝為它的主要對象。即使在沒有直接提到上帝的歷史段落裏，也是如此，這是因為這段經文所講述的歷史是由上帝所掌管的。
It
not only has God as its author, but in a fundamental way it speaks about God as
its principal subject. It does so even in historical passages that do not
directly mention God, because the history it recounts is history governed by
God.
7. 聖經是以基督為中心的。
7.
The Bible is Christ-centered.
上帝藉著聖約與我們同在，而聖約的中心就是基督，祂是神人之間唯一的中保（提前二5）。基督是成了肉身降臨的耶和華僕人，祂基本上被視為和以賽亞書四十二章6節和四十九章8節所說的是同一位僕人。在路加福音廿四章裏，耶穌教導使徒們，舊約聖經所說的一切都和祂和祂的工作有關（路廿四25～27，44～49）。
Covenants
mediate God’s presence to us, and at the heart of the covenants is Christ, who
is the one mediator between God and men (1 Tim. 2:5). Christ, as the coming
servant of the Lord, is virtually identified with the covenant in Isaiah 42:6
and 49:8. In Luke 24, Jesus teaches the apostles that all of the Old Testament
Scriptures are about him and his work (Luke 24:25–27, 44–49).
要明白舊約聖經如何論及基督會考驗我們的能力，但是有鑑於耶穌的教導，這是無法逃避的。好在我們有新約聖經的幫助。它不僅包含了幫助我們明白整本舊約聖經的許多教訓，而且從舊約聖經而來的眾多引文，也說明了耶穌在路加福音第廿四章的聲稱。
Understanding
how the Old Testament speaks about Christ is challenging, but in view of
Jesus’s teaching it cannot be evaded. Fortunately, we have the New Testament to
aid us. It contains not only teachings that help us to understand the Old
Testament as a whole, but many quotations from the Old Testament that
illustrate Jesus’s claims in Luke 24.
8. 聖經是以救贖歷史為導向的。
8.
The Bible is oriented to the history of redemption.
上帝使聖經的每一卷書卷在一兩個世紀的時間裏完成。上帝後來說的話乃是建立在先前說的話的基礎之上的。上帝的救贖之工發生在歷史當中。基督信仰不僅僅是一種宗教哲學，一套關於上帝和世界的一般性真理；其核心是福音，即基督已經降臨，在地上生活過，而且死了，且從死裏復活的好消息，祂如今且長遠活著，為我們代求。上帝已經藉著基督的位格，以及在時空中的行動，作成了我們的救恩。這個關於祂所成就的一切的信息，如今要廣傳到萬國萬邦（太廿八18～20；徒一8）。
God
caused the Bible’s individual books to be written over a period of centuries.
God’s later speech builds on earlier speech, and further unfolds the
significance of his plan for history. God’s redemption takes place in history.
Christianity is not merely a religious philosophy, a set of general truths
about God and the world. At its heart is the gospel, the good news that Christ
has come and has lived and died and has risen from the dead, and now lives to
intercede for us. God has worked out our salvation by coming in the person of
Christ and acting in time and space. The message of what he has done now goes
out to the nations (Matt. 28:18–20; Acts 1:8).
9. 歷史是以耶穌第一次和第二次降臨為核心的。
9.
Christ’s first and second coming are central to history.
上帝的救贖工作，在基督在地上的工作裏達到了高峰，尤其是在祂被釘十字架、死、復活、升天上。基督如今坐在父神的右邊掌權作王（弗一20～21）。我們盼望當基督再臨時，救贖在未來會得到終末成全。
God’s
work of redemption came to a climax in the work of Christ on earth, especially in
his crucifixion, death, resurrection, and ascension. Christ now reigns at the
right hand of the Father (Eph. 1:20–21). We look forward to the future
consummation of redemption when Christ returns.
10. 上帝的救贖之工交織著說話和行事。
10.
God’s work of redemption interweaves word and deed.
We
see this interweaving even during his work of creation:
說話：上帝說，「要有光」。
行事：就有了光。
說話：上帝看光是好的[相當於用話語來評估祂的作為]（創一3～4）
Word:
God said, “Let there be light.”
Deed:
And there was light.
Word:
And God saw that the light was good [similar to verbal evaluation]. (Gen.
1:3–4)
說話：「我們要照著我們的形象……造人……」
行事：上帝就照著自己的形象造人......
說話：上帝對他們說，「要生養眾多......」（創一26～28）
Word:
“Let us make man in our image . . .”
Deed:
So God created man in his own image, . . .
Word:
And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply . . .” (Gen. 1:26–28)
同樣，耶穌說的話解釋了祂的行事，反之亦然：
Likewise,
Jesus’s words interpret his deeds and vice versa:
我若不行我父的事，你們就不必信我；我若行了，你們縱然不信我，也當信這些事，叫你們又知道又明白父在我裏面，我也在父裏面。（約十37～38）
If I
am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; but if I do them,
even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and
understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father. (John 10:37–38)
在使徒行傳裏，神蹟和教會的增長幫助不信的人明白使徒講道的涵義，反之亦然：
In
the book of Acts, the miracles and the growth of the church help unbelievers to
grasp the implications of apostolic preaching, and vice versa:
腓利下撒瑪利亞城去，宣講基督。眾人聽見了，又看見腓利所行的神蹟，就同心合意的聽從他的話。因為有許多人被污鬼附著，那些鬼大聲呼叫，從他們身上出來；還有許多癱瘓的，瘸腿的，都得了醫治。（徒八5～7）。
Philip
went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ. And the
crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip when
they heard him and saw the signs that he did. For unclean spirits, crying out
with a loud voice, came out of many who had them, and many who were paralyzed
or lame were healed. (Acts 8:5–7)
Vern
S. Poythress is professor of New Testament interpretation at Westminster
Theological Seminary, where he has taught for nearly four decades. In addition
to earning six academic degrees, including a PhD from HarvardUniversity and a
ThD from the University of Stellenbosch. He is the author of numerous books and
articles on a variety of topics, including biblical interpretation, language,
and science. His most recent book isReading the Word of God in the Presence of
God: A Handbook for Biblical Interpretation。