作者：Tim Keller 譯者：駱鴻銘譯
當我第一次通讀整本聖經時，我試著要找出一些統一的主題。我的結論是，聖經裏有許多統一的主題，但是如果我們把其中之一當作唯一的主題（例如，「約」或「國度」），我們就會冒過度簡化的危險。When I first began reading through the Bible I looked
for some unifying themes. I concluded that there are many, and that if we make
one theme the theme (such as “covenant” or
“kingdom”), we run the danger of reductionism.
不過，讀經其中一個主要的方式是把聖經當作是真信仰和拜偶像之間歷久不衰的爭戰。起初，人類被造是要來敬拜、事奉上帝的，並且要奉上帝的名統管治理所有的被造物（創一26～28）。保羅將人類的原罪理解為一種拜偶像的行動：「他們將不能朽壞之神的榮耀變為偶像......去敬拜事奉受造之物，不敬奉那造物的主」（羅一21～25）。我們不為上帝而活，反而開始為自己而活，為我們的工作而活，或者為物質的好處而活。我們顛倒了上帝原本想要的秩序。However, one of the
main ways to read the Bible is as the ages-long struggle between true faith and
idolatry. In the beginning, human beings were made to worship and serve God,
and to rule over all created things in Godʼs name (Gen. 1:26–28). Paul
understands humanityʼs original sin as an act of idolatry: “They exchanged the
glory of the immortal God . . . and worshiped and served created things rather
than the Creator” (Rom. 1:21–25). Instead of living for God, we began to live
for ourselves, or for our work, or for material goods. We reversed the original
intended order.
而當我們開始敬拜事奉被造之物，被造之物就會反過來統治我們。And when we began to worship and serve created things,
paradoxically, the created things came to rule over us.
我們不再是上帝的副手，統管著被造界，反而要聽命於受造界。我們會受衰敗、疾病、災難的控制。這點最終的證明就是死亡本身。我們為自己的榮耀而活，在塵灰中勞苦，但是最終我們都要回到塵土——塵土「得勝」了（創三17～19）。我們活著是為了留下我們的名，但是我們的名總是被人遺忘。Instead of being Godʼs viceregents, ruling over
creation, creation now masters us. We are subject to decay and disease and
disaster. The final proof of this is death itself. We live for our own glory by
toiling in the dust, but eventually we return to the dust—the dust “wins” (Gen.
3:17–19). We live to make a name for ourselves, but our names are forgotten.
在聖經的一開頭，我們認識到拜偶像的意思就是奴役和死亡。Here in the beginning of the Bible we learn that
idolatry means slavery and death.
拜偶像的網羅Snare of Idolatry
十誡的頭兩誡，即最基本的律法（上帝賜給人類的律法的五分之一），就是不要拜偶像。出埃及記沒有給我們看到真信仰和拜偶像之間的第三條路。我們要麼是敬拜非被造的上帝，要麼就會敬拜某種被造之物（偶像）。我們不可能什麼都不拜。The Ten
Commandments’ first two and most
basic laws (one-fifth of God’s law to humanity)
are against idolatry. Exodus doesn’t
envision any third option between true faith and idolatry. We will either
worship the uncreated God, or we will worship some created thing (an idol).
There is no possibility of our worshiping nothing.
新約聖經的經典經文是羅馬書一章18～25節。這段有關拜偶像的詳盡經文，往往被視為只是在指信奉異教的外邦人，但是相反，我們應該把它視為對什麼是罪，以及罪如何運作的分析。第21節告訴我們，我們之所以會去拜偶像，是因為我們想要掌控我們的人生，儘管我們知道，我們所擁有的一切都是從上帝來的：「他們雖然知道神，卻不當作神榮耀祂，也不感謝祂。」第25節告訴我們，這個掌控的策略是什麼——把被造之物當作是最重要的，決心要得到它們，並且圍繞著它們來建造我們的生活。既然我們必須敬拜某種事物，這是因為我們是這樣被造的，我們就無法不靠創造出一些代替上帝的事物，以便將上帝排除在我們的生活之外。第21和25節告訴我們，拜偶像的兩種結果：The classic
New Testament text is Romans 1:18–25.
This
extensive passage on idolatry is often seen as only referring to the pagan
Gentiles, but instead we should recognize it as an analysis of what sin is and
how it works. Verse 21 tells us that the reason we turn to idols is because we
want to control our lives, despite the fact we know we owe God everything:
“Though they knew God, they neither glorified God nor gave thanks to him.”
Verse 25 tells us the strategy for control—taking created things and setting
our hearts on them and building our lives around them. Since we need to worship
something, because of how we are created, we cannot eliminate God without
creating God-substitutes. Verses 21 and 25 tell us the two results of idolatry:
1. 欺騙：「他們的思念變為虛妄，無知的心就昏暗了。」（21節）
Deception—“their
thinking became futile and their hearts were darkened.” (v. 21)
2. 奴役——他們「敬拜事奉」被造之物。（25節）Slavery—“they worshiped and served” created things. (v. 25)
我們敬拜什麼，就會事奉什麼，因為敬拜和事奉是緊密相連、無法分開的。我們是「盟約的」被造物（“covenantal”
beings）。最能捕獲我們的想像和我們的心的，我們就會與它建立盟約關係來事奉它。它也會成為我們的網羅。因此每個人、每個群體，一切思想形式、文化，都是建立在某種終極關懷或某種終極忠誠的基礎上的——不是對上帝忠誠，就是對上帝的替代品忠誠。在個人的層面，我們最終會指望上帝或指望成功、愛情、家庭、身分、知名度、美麗或其他，使我們感到個人的意義，感到安全，也引導我們的選擇。在文化層面上，我們最終會指望上帝，或指望自由市場，國家，社會精英，人民的意志，科學和科技，軍事力量，人類理性，種族驕傲，或其他事物，使我們感到集體的意義和安全感，也引導我們的選擇。Whatever we worship
we will serve, for worship and service are always inextricably bound together.
We are “covenantal” beings. We enter into covenant service with
whatever most captures our imagination and heart. It ensnares us. So every
human personality, community, thought form, and culture will be based on some
ultimate concern or some ultimate allegiance—either to God or to some
God-substitute. Individually, we will ultimately look either to God or to
success, romance, family, status, popularity, beauty, or something else to make
us feel personally significant and secure, and to guide our choices.
Culturally, we will ultimately look to either God or to the free market, the
state, the elites, the will of the people, science and technology, military
might, human reason, racial pride, or something else to make us corporately
significant and secure, and to guide our choices.
拜偶像的根源Idolatry at Root
沒有人比馬丁路德更好地掌握到這點，他在闡釋十誡時，出奇地把舊約和新約聖經結合在一起。路德看到舊約聖經律法反對偶像，新約聖經強調唯獨因信稱義，基本上是同一回事。他觀察到十誡是從反對偶像的兩個誡命開始的。這是因為違背律法的根本問題總是拜偶像。換句話說，我們在違背其他誡命之前，永遠會先違背第一誡——反對拜偶像的律法。路德明白，第一誡其實是關乎因信稱義的，不相信因信稱義就是在拜偶像，這就是得罪上帝一切的行為舉止的根源：No one grasped this point better than Martin
Luther, who ties the Old Testament and New Testament together remarkably in his
exposition of the Ten Commandments. Luther saw how the Old Testament law
against idols and the New Testament emphasis on justification by faith alone
are essentially the same. He observed that the Ten Commandments begin with two
commandments against idolatry. This is because the fundamental problem in
lawbreaking is always idolatry. In other words, we never break the other
commandments without first breaking the first commandment—the law against
idolatry. Luther understood that the first commandment is really all about
justification by faith, and to fail to believe in justification by faith is
idolatry, which is the root of all that displeases God:
那些不在任何時間信靠上帝，不在他們一切的工作或苦難、生與死當中，信靠祂的恩惠、恩典、美意，卻想要在其他事物或他們自己身上尋找祂的恩惠的人，就是不遵行祂的（第一條）誡命，實際上就是在拜偶像——就算他們遵行了其他所有的誡命，除此之外，還作了所有的禱告、禁食、順服、忍耐，還有所有聖徒加起來的慈惠工作。因為若不遵行第一誡，其他的誡命就會化為烏有，僅僅是謊言、表演、假冒，華而不實......若我們懷疑或不相信上帝對我們是滿有恩慈的，也喜悅我們；或者，我們若放肆地一心想要藉著我們的行為來討祂歡心，那就是純粹的謊言，表面上是尊榮上帝，但是裏面卻是高舉自己當作假救主（Treatise Concerning Good Works, Part X.XI）All those who do not at all times trust God and
do not in all their works or sufferings, life and death, trust in his favor,
grace and goodwill, but seek his favor in other things or in themselves, do not
keep this [first] commandment, and practice real idolatry, even if they were to
do the works of all the other commandments, and in addition had all the
prayers, obedience, patience, and chastity of all the saints combined. For the
chief work is not present, without which all the others are nothing but mere
sham, show, and pretense, with nothing back of them. . . . If we doubt or do
not believe that God is gracious to us and is pleased with us, or if we
presumptuously expect to please him only through and after our works, then it
is all pure deception, outwardly honoring God, but inwardly setting up self as
a false [savior]. (Treatise Concerning Good Works, Part X.XI)
路德在這裏說到，不相信上帝在基督裏完全接納我們——並指望其他事物拯救我們——就是沒有遵行第一誡命，即在祂面前沒有別神。想要靠律法的義來賺取你自己的救恩，就是違背了第一誡命。再次說，他說除非我們遵行第一誡——反對拜偶像和行律法稱義——就無法完全遵行其他律法。因此，在任何特定的罪的底下，都是拒絕基督的救恩、沉迷於自我拯救的罪。Here Luther says
failure to believe God accepts us fully in Christ—and to look to something else for our salvation—is a
failure to keep the first commandment; namely, having no other gods before him.
To try to earn your own salvation through works-righteousness is breaking the
first commandment. Again, he says we cannot truly keep any of the other laws
unless we keep the first law—against idolatry and works-righteousness. Thus
beneath any particular sin is this sin of rejecting Christ-salvation and
indulging in self-salvation.
例如，我們假設有一個人在報稅時造假。他為什麼會造假呢？好，你說，因為他是個罪人。是的，但是他為什麼會以這種形式犯罪呢？路德的回答會是，這個人之所以會造假，是因為他把金錢或財物——以及從它們而來的身分地位或舒適——看的比上帝和祂的恩惠來得更重要。或者我們假設，有一個人對一個朋友說謊，因為怕丟臉而不願承認她作的醜事。在這種情況下，其根本的罪是把人的贊同或你的聲望看得比你在基督裏的義更為重要。For example, letʼs say a person cheats on his income
tax form. Why does he do that? Well, you say, because he’s a sinner. Yes, but why
does his sin take this form? Lutherʼs answer would be that the man only cheated
because he was making money and possessions—and the status or comfort from
having more of them—more important than God and his favor. Or letʼs say a
person lies to a friend rather than lose face over something she has done. In
that case the underlying sin is making human approval or your reputation more
important than the righteousness you have in Christ.
如此，聖經不是把拜偶像當成是許多罪中其中的一種，而是說，我們未能完全信靠上帝或未能過正當的生活，其根源都是拜偶像——把這件事看得比上帝重要。犯罪總是找得到理由。而在所有的罪底下，都是拜偶像的私慾。The Bible, then, does not
consider idolatry to be one sin among many. Rather, all our failures to trust
God wholly or to live rightly are, at root, idolatry—something we make more important than God. There is
always a reason for a sin. Under our sins are idolatrous desires.
在後現代文化裏的偶像崇拜Idolatry in Postmodern Culture
聖經關於拜偶像的教導，對於在一個後現代處境下傳福音是特別有幫助的。基督徒定義罪的典型方式是說，罪就是違背上帝的律法。當然，如果正確地加以解釋，這是一個很好、很充足的定義。但是上帝的律法包括「怠忽的罪」（sin of omission；譯按：怠忽是指該作卻沒有作）和「干犯的罪」（sin of commission；譯按：干犯是指作了不該作的），它包括心的態度，也包括行為。錯誤的態度和動機通常是放縱的情慾——一切拜偶像的形式。但是絕大多數的人，當他們聽到我們把罪定義為「違背上帝律法」的時候，他們一切的心思都落在負面的（干犯的罪）和外在的（行為，而不是態度）層面上。因此，基於一些重大的理由，對後現代的聽眾來說，首先用「違背律法」來描述罪，並不是最好的方式。Scripture’s
teaching about idolatry is particularly helpful for evangelism in a postmodern
context. The typical way Christians define sin is to say that it is breaking
Godʼs law. Properly explained, of course, that’s a good and sufficient
definition. But the law of God includes both sins of omission and also of
commission, and it includes attitudes of the heart as well as behavior. Those
wrong attitudes and motivations are usually inordinate desires—forms of
idolatry. Yet when most listeners hear us define sin as “breaking Godʼs law,”
all the emphasis in their minds falls on the negative (sins of commission) and
on the external (behaviors rather than attitudes). There are significant
reasons, then, that “lawbreaking” isnʼt the best way to first describe sin to
postmodern listeners.
對一個年輕的、住在城市裏的非基督徒，我通常會像這樣開始談論罪：I ordinarily begin
speaking about sin to a young, urban, non-Christian like this:
罪不只是做一些壞事而已，而是更根本地，把一些好事當成是最終極、最重要的事。罪是把你的人生和意義建立在任何事——即使是一件非常好的事——之上，而不是建立在上帝之上。無論我們把人生建立在什麼東西之上，這件東西就會駕馭我們、奴役我們。罪在根本上就是拜偶像。Sin isnʼt only
doing bad things; it’s more fundamentally making good things into ultimate
things. Sin is building your life and meaning on anything, even a very good
thing, more than on God. Whatever we build our life on will drive us and
enslave us. Sin is primarily idolatry.
這為什麼是一條可行的善道呢？首先，這個對罪的定義涵蓋了後現代人所敏銳覺察到的一群人。後現代人正確地相信，自以為義的宗教人士造成了許多的傷害。如果我們說，「罪是違背上帝的律法」，卻沒有進一步加以解釋，從表面上看，他們所知的法利賽人就是在救恩「裏頭」，而絕大多數的人會被排除在救恩「之外」。當然，法利賽人在遵行道德律法上是一絲不苟的，因此（對聽眾來說），他們似乎代表著基督徒行事為人的精華。強調拜偶像就會避免這個問題。如同路德指出的，法利賽人雖然沒有向偶像下拜，卻指望靠他們自己和自己的道德善行來稱義，因此他們實際上是違背了第一誡。他們的道德標準是自以為義的動機，因此在屬靈上是病態的。他們一切守律法的行為，說穿了其實都違背了最根本的律法。當我們向後現代人解釋罪和描述罪時，必須用一種不僅僅能激發妓女改變的方式，也要能激發法利賽人改變。Why is this a good path to take? First, this
definition of sin includes a group of people postmodern people are acutely
aware of. Postmodern people rightly believe much harm has been done by
self-righteous religious people. If we say “sin is breaking Godʼs law” without
a great deal of further explanation, it appears the Pharisaical people they
have known are “in,” and most other people are “out.” Pharisees, of course, are
quite fastidious in their keeping of the moral law, and therefore (to the
hearer) they seem to be the essence of what a Christian should be. An emphasis
on idolatry avoids this problem. As Luther points out, the Pharisees, while not
bowing to literal idols, were looking to themselves and their moral goodness
for their justification, and therefore they were actually breaking the first
commandment. Their morality was self-justifying motivation and therefore
spiritually pathological. At the bottom of all their lawkeeping, they were
actually breaking the most fundamental law of all. When we define and describe
sin to postmodern people, we must do so in a way that challenges not only
prostitutes, but also Pharisees, to change.
我們必須用更好的方式向後現代人解釋罪，還有另一個理由。他們是相對主義者，當你說「罪是違背上帝的道德標準」時，他們會反駁說，「嗯，誰來決定哪個人的道德標準是正確的呢？每個人都有不同的道德標準啊！基督徒憑什麼認為他們的那套標準才是唯一正確的呢？」一般的回應方式是偏離你對罪和恩典的解說，轉到一種對相對主義的護教學討論裏。當然，後現代人士對真理含糊不清的看法，必須受到強烈的挑戰，但是我認為有一種方法可以繼續前進，並且實際上在進入到護教學的問題之前，就可以作出一個可靠的、讓人扎心知罪的福音解說。我是以這種方式來介紹罪的：我從祁克果的《致死的疾病》（The Sickness unto Death）摘錄一段話，把罪定義為：把你的身分——你的自我價值和幸福——建立在除了上帝以外的任何事物上。我不會告訴他們，因為他們和男友或女友上床就是在犯罪，而是告訴他們，因為他們指望他們的事業和愛情可以拯救他們，寄望事業和愛情可以把他們應該在上帝裏面尋求的一切賜給他們，就是在犯罪。這種偶像敬拜會帶來緊迫感，讓人上癮，也帶來焦慮感、強迫症、嫉妒他人，以及憎恨。There’s another reason we need a better explanation
of sin for postmodern people. They are relativists, and the moment you say,
“Sin is breaking Godʼs moral standards,” they will retort, “Well, who is to say
whose moral standards are right? Everyone has different ones! What makes
Christians think theirs are the only right set?” The usual way to respond is to
become sidetracked from your presentation of sin and grace into an apologetic
discussion about relativism. Of course, postmodern people must be strongly
challenged about their mushy view of truth, but I think there is a way to move
forward and actually make a credible and convicting gospel presentation before
you get into the apologetic issues. I do it this way: I take a page from
Kierkegaardʼs The Sickness unto Death, and I define sin as building your
identity—your self-worth and happiness—on anything other than God. Instead of
telling them they’re sinning because they’re sleeping with their girlfriends or
boyfriends, I tell them that they’re sinning because they’re looking to their
careers and romances to save them, to give them everything they should be
looking for in God. Such idolatry leads to drivenness, addictions, severe
anxiety, obsessiveness, envy of others, and resentment.
我發現到，當你用拜偶像來描述他們的生活時，後現代人不會有太大的抗拒。他們會質疑是否有其他的出路，但是他們羞怯地承認這就是他們在作的。我也發現這會讓罪變得更加個人性。把一件事物變成偶像的意思，就是把你應該給造物主和供應者的愛，給了這件事物。把罪描繪為不僅僅是違背律法，更是違背愛，會更有說服力。當然，一個完整的對罪和恩典的描述，必然包括承認我們悖逆了上帝的權柄。但是我發現到，如果人們相信他們的罪是拜偶像和被誤導的愛，那麼，如果告訴他們，罪其中的一個果效是讓他們否認他們對上帝的敵意，就會比較容易。在某種程度上，拜偶像就像是成癮的放大。我們落在屬靈偶像的網羅裏，就像人們落在飲酒和藥物的網羅裏一樣。我們否認我們正在反叛、抵擋上帝的統治，正如上癮的人否認他們正在踐踏他們的家人和愛他們的人一樣。I’ve found when you describe their lives in terms
of idolatry, postmodern people do not offer much resistance. They doubt there
is any real alternative, but they admit sheepishly this is what they are doing.
I’ve also found this makes sin more personal. Making an idol out of something
means giving it the love you should be giving your Creator and Sustainer. To
depict sin as not only a violation of law, but also of love, is more
compelling. Of course a complete description of sin and grace includes
recognition of our rebellion against Godʼs authority. But Iʼve found that if
people become convicted about their sin as idolatry and mis-directed love, it’s
easier to show them that one of the effects of sin is to put them into denial
about their hostility to God. In some ways, idolatry is like addiction writ
large. We are ensnared by our spiritual idols, just like people are ensnared by
drink and drugs. We live in denial of how much we are rebelling against Godʼs
rule, just like addicts live in denial of how much they are trampling on their
families and loved ones.
在聖經裏拜偶像的主題，對於在後現代社會裏作福音事奉來說，比起我們在這裏討論的，還有更多的義涵。它不僅僅是福音佈道的鑰匙，對門徒訓練和輔導來說，也是至為關鍵的，正如鮑力生（David Powlison）在這個主題上所寫的許多著作裏已經證明的（見他的論文，〈Idols of the Heart and Vanity Fair〉）。德國的加爾文主義者已經證明，分析文化最佳的方式是辨識他們集體的偶像。誠然，每個職業和研究的領域，都有其盛行的偶像，一切的政黨和意識形態亦然。世俗社會把人類理性和人的自主（human autonomy）當成偶像，其他的傳統社會則是把家庭或種族的純正當作偶像。The biblical theme
of idolatry has far more implications for ministry in a postmodern society than
I’ve discussed here. Not only is it a key for
evangelism, it’s also crucial for
discipling and counseling, as David Powlison has shown in his many writings on
the subject. (See his essay “Idols of the Heart and Vanity Fair.”) The Dutch
Calvinists have also shown that the best way to analyze cultures is by
identifying their corporate idols. Indeed, each field of vocation and study has
its reigning idols, as do political parties and ideologies. While secular
societies have made an idol of human reason and human autonomy, other more
traditional societies make idols of the family or racial purity.
在她最近的回憶錄 Easter Everywhere:
A Memoir裏（暫譯：《到處都是復活節：一本回憶錄》），Darcey Steinke，一位路德宗牧師的女兒，講述她如何離開了她的基督徒認信。在她搬到紐約後，過著一種遊走夜總會和強迫性性行為的生活。她寫了好幾本小說。但是她仍然感到極度不安，內心得不到滿足。在這本書中，她引用西蒙娜‧薇依（Simone
Weil）的話，作為她一生問題的總結。「人只能在上帝和拜偶像之間作選擇」，薇依寫道。「如果人否認上帝......人就是在敬拜這世上的一些東西，人會以為只是把它們看作一些物件，但是事實上，卻是不知不覺地想像這些東西裏面是有神的屬性的。」In her recent
memoir Easter Everywhere: A Memoir, Darcey Steinke recounts how she, the
daughter of a Lutheran minister, left her Christian profession. Moving to New
York City, she entered a life of club-hopping and sexual obsession. She wrote
several novels. She continued, however, to be extremely restless and
unfulfilled. In the middle of the book she quotes from Simone Weill as
summarizing the main issue in her life. “One has only the choice between God
and idolatry,” Weil wrote. “If one denies God . . . one is worshiping some
things of this world in the belief that one sees them only as such, but in
fact, though unknown to oneself imagining the attributes of Divinity in them.”
Stephen
Metcalf，在他為這本回憶錄寫的書評裏，稱薇依的引文是「奇特非凡的」。這見證了拜偶像這個概念如何深入到後現代人的心中。Stephen Metcalf, in his New
York Times review of the memoir, called Weillʼs quote “ʻextraordinary.ʼ” This
is testimony to how penetrating the concept of idolatry is to postmodern
people.