作者: R.C. Sproul 翻译: 骆鸿铭
我的朋友迈克·霍顿（Machael Horton）经常会评论「囚笼阶段加尔文主义」（cage-stage Calvinism）的现象，他说这种怪病似乎影响了许许多多刚刚认识改革宗恩典教义的人。我们都认识一两个这种「囚笼阶段的加尔文主义者」。当我们首先被上帝在救恩中的主权说服时，我们有许多人也和他们一样。
My
friend Michael Horton often comments on the phenomenon of “cage-stage
Calvinism,” that strange malady that seems to afflict so many people who have
just seen the truth of the Reformed doctrines of grace. We’ve all known one of
these “cage-stage Calvinists.” Many of us were even one of them when we were
first convinced of God’s sovereignty in salvation.
囚笼阶段的加尔文主义者可以从他们坚持不懈地要把每个讨论转变成「限定的救赎」（limited atonement）而被人认出来，他们也把这件事当作他们个人的使命，要确保他们所认识的所有的人都听到——往往是很大声地——上帝拣选的真理。好，对真理有一颗火热的心总是值得赞许的。但是这样的心用一种令人讨厌的方式表达出来，幷不会说服人接受改革宗神学的圣经真理。我们都可以从个人经验作证，这么做实际上只会让人对这些真理敬而远之。
Cage-stage
Calvinists are identifiable by their insistence on turning every discussion
into an argument for limited atonement or for making it their personal mission
to ensure everyone they know hears—often quite loudly—the truths of divine
election. Now, having a zeal for the truth is always commendable. But a zeal
for the truth that manifests itself in obnoxiousness won’t convince anyone of
the biblical truth of Reformed theology. As many of us can attest from personal
experience, it will actually push them away.
我好几十年的一位同事，已故的瑞士改革宗神学家罗杰·尼克（Roger Nicole）曾经提到，所有的人天生都是半伯拉纠主义者，相信他们生来并不是罪的奴隶。特别是在美国，我们已经被灌输了一套人文主义的思想，特别是认为人类是自由的，这种对人的看法。毕竟，这是块自由的土地。我们都不愿相信我们是如同圣经所教导的（罗三9-20），身上背负着不好的倾向，对上帝有公然的敌意。我们以为真正的自由，意思就是我们不需要拯救恩典的能力将我们击倒，就有能力可以相信上帝。当我们明白这是漫天大谎，圣经所描绘的是一幅非常荒凉的图景，当人离开恩典，要人作出正确的选择，简直就是不可能的。当我们认识到这点，我们也想让所有其他的人明白。有时候我们甚至会生气，为什么以前从来没有人告诉我们，我们真正败坏到什么程度，以及上帝主权恩典的荣耀。
Roger
Nicole, the late Swiss Reformed theologian and colleague of mine for several
decades, once remarked that all human beings are by nature semi-Pelagian, believing
that they are not born as slaves to sin. In this country, particularly, we have
been indoctrinated into a humanistic understanding of anthropology, especially
with respect to our understanding of human freedom. This is the land of the
free, after all. We don’t want to believe that we are burdened by negative
inclinations and outright enmity toward God, as the Bible teaches us (Rom.
3:9–20). We think that true freedom means having the ability to come to faith
without the vanquishing power of saving grace. When we realize that this is not
true, that Scripture paints a bleak picture of the human condition apart from
grace, that it says it is impossible for us to choose rightly, we want to make
sure that everybody else knows it as well. Sometimes we are even angry that no
one told us about the true extent of our depravity and the majesty of God’s
sovereign grace before.
囚笼阶段的加尔文主义者就这么诞生了。他们是改革宗信仰的新生儿，他们非常具有侵略性，也缺乏耐心，因此理当要被关在笼子里，关好一阵子，这样，他们才会冷静下来，在信仰中更加成熟。有时候，当一个人相信了圣经里关于恩典的教义，他会发现自己和朋友、和家人之间会发生冲突，这都得怪罪他找到了改革宗神学。我不止一次被人问到，如果家人对改革宗神学有敌意，该如何处理。如果相信改革宗神学会带来麻烦，我们是否就该完全放弃这个主题呢？我们是否有责任要其他人相信恩典教义的真理呢？
This
gives birth to cage-stage Calvinists, those newly minted Reformed believers who
are so aggressive and impatient that they should be locked in a cage for a
little while so that they can cool down and mature a little in the faith. At
times, someone who becomes convinced of the biblical doctrines of grace finds
himself in conflict with friends and family because of his discovery of
Reformed theology. More than once I’ve been asked how one should handle
hostility from loved ones regarding Reformed theology. If Reformed convictions are
causing problems, should one just drop the subject altogether? Are we
responsible for convincing others of the truth of the doctrines of grace?
答案同时是「是」与「不是」。首先我们看为什么「不是」。圣经说：「栽种的，算不得什么，浇灌的，也算不得什么；只在那叫他生长的神。」（林前三7）保罗在这节经文里主要是在说传福音，但是我认为甚至可以把它应用在归信之后，在基督里的成长。圣灵让我们明白真理，我们开始拥抱改革宗神学，就很清楚地说明这点。由于我们天生的半伯拉纠倾向，这需要大量地曝光在上帝的话的面前，才能克服这种天然的偏见，对恩典教义的抵挡。人们顽强地持守一种圣经所没有教导的，对自由意志的特殊看法。加尔文曾经提到，如果你认为自由意志是指完全不受罪的重量所施压的意志，你就是在把一个过分高抬自己的字眼用在我们身上。要克服这种高抬自己的看法（这是绝大多数罪人对自己的看法），需要很多的努力。最终只有圣灵能让人明白祂的真理。
The
answer is both yes and no. First let’s consider the “no.” Scripture says that
“neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives
the growth” (1 Cor. 3:7). Paul is speaking primarily of evangelism in that
verse, but I think we can apply it to growth in Christ even after conversion.
The Holy Spirit convinces us of truth, and one’s coming to embrace Reformed
theology shows this quite clearly. Given our semi-Pelagian inclinations, it
takes a tremendous amount of exposure to the Word of God to overcome that natural
bias against the doctrines of grace. People hold tenaciously to a particular
view of free will that is not taught in Scripture. Calvin once remarked that if
you mean by free will a will that is unencumbered by the weight of sin, you’ve
used a term that’s far too exalted to apply to us. It takes a lot to overcome
the exalted view that most sinners have of themselves. Only the Spirit can
finally convince people of His truth.
然而，认识到圣灵的工作，幷不意味着我们就要沉默不言，或不再相信圣经的真理。我们不可为了和家人或我们的好友保持和睦，就放弃这个恩典的教义。约翰·派博（John Piper）说得好，他说，我们不只是必须相信这个真理，甚至连为这个真理辩护都是不够的，我们还必须极力主张这个真理。不过，这不代表我们要做个天生好争辩的人。因此，是的，我们应该要和周围的人分享我们所学到的，关于上帝主权恩典的真理。
Recognizing
the Spirit’s work, however, does not mean we are silent or stop believing the
truth of Scripture. We don’t give up the doctrines of grace to keep peace in
the family or with friends. John Piper puts it well when he says that we not
only have to believe the truth, that it’s not enough even to defend the truth,
but we must also contend for the truth. That does not mean, however, that we
are to be contentious people by nature. So yes, we are to share what we have
learned about God’s sovereign grace with those around us.
不过，倘若我们真的相信此恩典的教义，我们也要学习如何用恩典的态度来处理这个真理。当我们回想，我们花了多少功夫才跨越了我们曾经有过的难题，就是我们无法接受圣经所描绘的关于上帝主权，以及我们被罪所奴役的全景，我们就会用更同情的心态来看待我们非改革宗的朋友与家人，幷且用更有恩典的态度来和他们分享这个真理。
However,
if we really believe the doctrines of grace, we learn how to be gracious about
it. When we remember how long it took us to get past the difficulties we once
had with the full biblical picture of divine sovereignty and our enslavement to
sin, we can view our non-Reformed friends and family more sympathetically and
share the truth with them more graciously.
一个很兴奋地发现了恩典教义的人，首先要学的其中一件事就是对朋友和亲人要有耐心。上帝耐心地花功夫让我们相信祂在救恩上的主权，我们也可以信靠祂，会在我们所爱的人身上作同样的工作。
One
of the first things a person who is excited about his discovery of the
doctrines of grace must learn quickly is to be patient with friends and family.
God took time with us to convince us of His sovereignty in salvation. We can
trust Him to do the same with those we love.
