作者: Shane Lems 翻译: 骆鸿铭
对改教家来说，“唯独信心”绝对不会妨碍基督徒在日常生活中行善，反而是基督徒顺服上帝旨意唯一的基础和动力的来源。把善行放在称义前面，以为这样可以得到上帝的悦纳，是改变了基督徒顺服的本质。善行不再是感恩的果子，是因为得到上帝的悦纳（因为基督代替/代表我们的工作）所生出的感恩的自觉，反而被当成是获得上帝恩宠的途径。然而，若行善是为了得到上帝的恩宠，这种善行就不再是真正的信心所做的。它们已经被巴结上帝、寻求自己利益的欲望所败坏，或者是费劲心思想要取得上帝不愿给予的接纳和赦免。“For the Reformers, ‘faith
alone,’ far from being detrimental to the Christian life of good works, is the
only basis and source of Christian obedience.
To place works before justification, as though they played a role in
obtaining God’s acceptance, alters the character of the Christian’s life of
obedience. Rather than good works being
the fruits of thankfulness, which are born out of the grateful awareness of the
believer’s acceptance by God, they are regarded as a means to obtain favor with
God. If works are performed to obtain
God’s favor, however, they are no longer performed in good faith. They become corrupted by a self-seeking
desire to curry favor with God, or to wrest from God a reluctant acceptance and
forgiveness.”
改教家的看法是：基督徒的自由是顺服上帝的自由，不是犯罪或继续悖逆的自由。不过，信心的顺服不是因为害怕惩罚或担心会失去上帝的恩宠勉强挤出来的。反而，这是满心欢喜地喜爱上帝和祂的律法，是从认识到上帝在基督里所赐予的我们不配得的恩宠而生出来的。“According to the
Reformers, the Christian’s freedom is a
freedom to obey God, not a freedom to sin or continue in disobedience. However, the obedience of faith is not
constrained by a fear of punishment or falling into disfavor with God. Rather, it is a joyful delight in God and his
will, which springs from an awareness of God’s undeserved favor in Christ.”
当称义成为基督徒成圣的根基，基督徒的顺服就不会被焦虑是否得到上帝的恩典所污染。加尔文在他对雅各和保罗作品的注释中表达了这点。他坚持说，我们不应该把善行，也就是真正信心必然的后果，放在信心之前，因善行只能来自信心。除非信徒已经因信在基督里蒙上帝的悦纳，他们的善行就不可能取悦上帝。同时，那些已经认识白白称义的恩典的人，借着信心与基督联合的人，不可能不会在善行中得到更新。“When justification
undergirds the believer’s sanctification,
Christian obedience is no longer colored by an anxious uncertainty regarding
God’s grace. Calvin expresses this point
in his comments on James and Paul, when he insists that we should not place
good works, which are the inevitable effect of true faith, before faith, which
is the only cause of good works. Unless
believers are acceptable to God by faith in Christ, it is not possible for
their works to be pleasing to him. At
the same time, it is impossible for those who know the grace of free
justification and who are united to Christ by faith, not to be renewed in good
works.”
以上摘录自Cornelis Venema的书：The Gospel of Free Acceptance
in Christ: An Assessment of the Reformation and 'New Perspectives' on Paul,
2006, Banner of Truth //The above quotes are found on pages 85-86 of The Gospel
of Free Acceptance in Christ by Cornelis Venema.
这段话可以当作海德堡要理问答91的评注。问91：什么是善工？
答：是那些只按照神的律法，为荣耀神，从真信心行出来的事，而非按照我们自己的意见或人的命令行出来的事。I suppose these
paragraphs might be a helpful commentary on Heidelberg Catechism Q/A 91 and
Westminster Confession of Faith 16:1-2.