何為上帝揀選的教義？What Is the Doctrine of DivineElection?
作者: Steven Lawson 譯者: Maria Marta
「上帝作祂想作的事, 和祂所作的事均真實及正確，因為祂這樣作了。」 這種觀念是我們理解聖經的所有內容的基礎，包括上帝揀選的教義。
廣義上，揀選是指這一事實：上帝選擇（或揀選）按著祂認為合適的方式而作萬事。當祂行動，祂這樣作只是因為祂願意而且獨立地選擇行動。上帝根據自己的性情、預定的計劃、與良善的美意，決定做任何祂渴望做的事，沒有壓力或受制於任何外部影響。
聖經一再強調這一點。在創造的行動中，上帝恰好按著祂想創造的方式來作成祂想要的創造（參創一31）。自創造以來，祂主權命令或容許人類歷史上所發生的一切事情，目的是為了完成祂事先設計好的救贖計劃（參賽廿五1；四十六10；五十五11；羅九17；弗三8–11）。
在舊約聖經，上帝為自己揀選一個民族。祂從地上的萬族中揀選了以色列民族（申七6；十四2；詩一0五43；一三五4）。祂揀選以色列民族不是因為他們比任何其他民族更好或更符合願望，而只是因為祂決定選擇他們。用理查德沃爾夫（Richard Wolf）的話來說，那就是「上帝揀選猶太人，那是多麽奇怪啊！」還是不押韻（choose和 Jews）的好，但上帝選擇任何其他的民族也同樣是奇怪的。上帝選擇祂所選擇的民族，完全是因為祂的緣故。
以色列民族並不是聖經中上帝揀選選定的唯一領受者。在新約聖經中，耶穌基督被稱為「我所揀選的」（路九35）。聖天使也被稱為「蒙揀選的天使」（提前五21）。新約信徒被稱為「神所揀選的人」（西三12；參林前一27；帖後二13； 提後二10；提一1；彼前一1；二9；五13；啟十七14），其意思是指教會是那些蒙揀選的人的團體，或「選民」（弗一4）。
當耶穌告訴祂的門徒：「不是你們揀選了我，而是我揀選了你們」（約十五16），祂在強調這一真理。新約聖經一段接一段地重申這一點。使徒行傳十三章48節這樣描述救恩：「凡指定得永生的都信了」。以弗所書一章4–6節指出：「就如創立世界以前，他在基督裡揀選了我們，使我們因著愛，在他面前成為聖潔，沒有瑕疵。 他又按著自己旨意所喜悅的，預定我們藉著耶穌基督得兒子的名分， 好使他恩典的榮耀得著頌讚。這恩典是他在愛子裡賜給我們的。」在寫信給帖撒羅尼迦人的信中，保羅提醒他的讀者，他知道他們是蒙揀選上帝的（帖前一4），他為他們感謝上帝，「因為他從起初就揀選了你們，藉著聖靈成聖的工作，和你們對真道的信心，使你們可以得救」（帖後二13）。上帝的說話非常清晰：信徒是那些上帝在創世前揀選拯救的人。
彼得所指的預知（foreknowledge）（彼前一2）不應與簡單的預見（foresight）相混淆。有些人教導這種觀點：認為上帝在永恒的過去，俯視歷史的長廊，看看誰會回應祂的呼召，然後在回應的基礎上選擇贖回他們。這種解釋使得上帝的決定受制於人的決定，給予人一種只屬於上帝的主權。這種解釋使得上帝變成被動選擇，而不是主動揀選的那一位。它誤解彼得使用預知一詞的方式。在彼得前書一章20節，使徒用預知這個詞的動詞形式，在希臘文中是預測/預言（prognosis），指的是基督。在這個例子中，「預知」的概念當然包括早有計劃的選擇的概念。因此，我們有理由得出結論，當彼得在其他地方將預知應用於信徒時也有同樣情況（參看彼前一2）。
羅馬書第九章亦重申上帝揀選的目的。這裡，上帝揀選的特權清楚顯示在上帝以拯救之愛愛雅各（和雅各的後裔），卻惡以掃（和以掃的家系）的相關論述中。上帝選擇雅各，越過以掃，並非根據雅各或以掃所作的任何事，而是根據祂自己的自由和未受影響的主權目的。對那些可能會抗議的人來說「這是不公平的！」，保羅簡單地問道：「你是誰，竟敢跟 神頂嘴呢？」（第20節）。
更多的聖經段落可以添加到這概觀當中。然而，與上帝聖言一樣清楚的是，人們總是難以接受揀選的教義。原因同樣是，他們允許他們先入為主的觀念，即上帝將會如何行動（乃根據人類的公平定義），來推翻聖經所闡述的上帝主權的真理。
坦白說，相信揀選的唯一理由，是因為在上帝的話語中清楚發現這項教義。沒有人和沒有人組成的委員會原創這項教義。它如永恒的懲罰的教義，與屬肉體的思维相沖突。未重生之心的情感對它深惡痛絕。因為揀選的真理，如聖三位一體教義和我們的救主神跡性誕生的事實，都是上帝所啟示的，因此我們必須以簡單、無疑的信心擁抱它。倘若你擁有一本聖經，相信它，除了接受它所教導的，你別無選擇。
上帝的聖言描述上帝為：一切受造物的支配者和處置者（但四35；賽四十五7；哀三38）；至高者（詩四十七2；八十三18）；天與地的統治者（創十四19；賽卅七16）；沒有人在祂面前站立得住的那一位（歷下廿6；伯四十一10；賽四十三13）；憑著祂自己的旨意所計劃而行萬事的大能者（弗一11；參看賽十四27；啟十九6）；根據祂自己的喜悅來塑造人的天上的陶匠（羅九18–22）。總而言之，祂是所有人的命運的決定者、斷定者；每個人生命中的每一個細節的支配者（箴十六9；十九21；廿一1；參看：出三21–22；十四8；拉一1；但一9；雅四15）-------另一種真實的表達方式為：「祂是上帝」。
本譯文的聖經經文皆引自《聖經新譯本》。
本文摘錄自《Foundations of Grace》，Steven Lawson著。
What Is the Doctrine of Divine
Election?
FROM
Steven Lawson
The
idea that God does what He wants, and that what He does is true and right
because He does it, is foundational to our understanding of everything in
Scripture, including the doctrine of election.
In
the broad sense, election refers to the fact that God chooses (or elects) to do
everything that He does in whatever way He sees fit. When He acts, He does so
only because He willfully and independently chooses to act. According to His
own nature, predetermined plan, and good pleasure, He decides to do whatever He
desires, without pressure or constraint from any outside influence.
The
Bible makes this point repeatedly. In the act of Creation, God made precisely
what He wanted to create in the way He wanted to create it (cf. Gen. 1:31). And
ever since Creation, He has sovereignly prescribed or permitted everything in
human history, in order that He might accomplish the redemptive plan that He
previously had designed (cf. Isa. 25:1; 46:10; 55:11; Rom. 9:17; Eph. 3:8–11).
In
the Old Testament, He chose a nation for Himself. Out of all the nations in the
world, He selected Israel (Deut. 7:6; 14:2; Pss. 105:43; 135:4). He chose the
Israelites not because they were better or more desirable than any other
people, but simply because He decided to choose them. In the words of Richard
Wolf, “How odd of God to choose the Jews.” It might not have rhymed as well,
but the same would have been true of any other people God might have selected.
God chooses whomever He chooses for reasons that are wholly His.
The
nation of Israel was not the only recipient in Scripture of God’s electing
choice. In the New Testament, Jesus Christ is called “‘My Chosen One’” (Luke
9:35). The holy angels also are referred to as “elect angels” (1 Tim. 5:21).
And New Testament believers are called “God’s chosen ones” (Col. 3:12; cf. 1
Cor. 1:27; 2 Thess. 2:13; 2 Tim. 2:10; Titus 1:1; 1 Peter 1:1; 2:9; 5:13; Rev.
17:14), meaning that the church is a community of those who were chosen, or
“elect” (Eph. 1:4).
When
Jesus told His disciples, “‘You did not choose me, but I chose you’” (John
15:16), He was underscoring this truth. And the New Testament reiterates it in
passage after passage. Acts 13:48b describes salvation in these words: “As many
as were appointed to eternal life believed.” Ephesians 1:4–6 notes that God
“chose us in [Christ] before the foundation of the world, that we should be
holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption through
Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his
glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.” In his letters to
the Thessalonians, Paul reminds his readers that he knew God’s choice of them
(1 Thess. 1:4) and that he was thankful for them “because God chose you as the
firstfruits to be saved” (2 Thess. 2:13). The Word of God is clear: believers
are those whom God chose for salvation from before the beginning.
The
foreknowledge to which Peter refers (1 Peter 1:2) should not be confused with
simple foresight. Some teach this view, contending that God, in eternity past,
looked down the halls of history to see who would respond to His call and then
elected the redeemed on the basis of their response. Such an explanation makes
God’s decision subject to man’s decision, and gives man a level of sovereignty
that belongs only to God. It makes God the One who is passively chosen rather than
the One who actively chooses. And it misunderstands the way in which Peter uses
the term foreknowledge. In 1 Peter 1:20, the apostle uses the verb form of that
word, prognosis in the Greek, to refer to Christ. In that case, the concept of
“foreknowledge” certainly includes the idea of a deliberate choice. It is
reasonable, then, to conclude that the same is true when Peter applies
prognosis to believers in other places (cf. 1 Peter 1:2).
The
ninth chapter of Romans also reiterates the elective purposes of God. There,
God’s electing prerogative is clearly displayed in reference to His saving love
for Jacob (and Jacob’s descendants) as opposed to Esau (and Esau’s lineage).
God chose Jacob over Esau, not on the basis of anything Jacob or Esau had done,
but according to His own free and uninfluenced sovereign purpose. To those who
might protest, “That is unfair!” Paul simply asks, “Who are you, O man, to
answer back to God?” (v. 20).
Many
more Scripture passages could be added to this survey. Yet as straightforward
as the Word of God is, people continually have difficulty accepting the
doctrine of election. The reason, again, is that they allow their preconceived
notions of how God should act (based on a human definition of fairness) to
override the truth of His sovereignty as laid out in the Scriptures.
Frankly,
the only reason to believe in election is because it is found explicitly in
God’s Word. No man and no committee of men originated this doctrine. It is like
the doctrine of eternal punishment in that it conflicts with the dictates of
the carnal mind. It is repugnant to the sentiments of the unregenerate heart.
Like the doctrine of the Holy Trinity and the miraculous birth of our Savior,
the truth of election, because it has been revealed by God, must be embraced
with simple and unquestioning faith. If you have a Bible and you believe it,
you have no option but to accept what it teaches.
The
Word of God presents God as the controller and disposer of all creatures (Dan.
4:35; Isa. 45:7; Lam. 3:38), the Most High (Pss. 47:2; 83:18), the ruler of
heaven and earth (Gen. 14:19; Isa. 37:16), and the One against whom none can
stand (2 Chron. 20:6; Job 41:10; Isa. 43:13). He is the Almighty who works all
things after the counsel of His will (Eph. 1:11; cf. Isa. 14:27; Rev. 19:6) and
the heavenly Potter who shapes men according to His own good pleasure (Rom.
9:18–22). In short, He is the decider and determiner of every man’s destiny,
and the controller of every detail in each individual’s life (Prov. 16:9;
19:21; 21:1; cf. Ex. 3:21–22; 14:8; Ezra 1:1; Dan. 1:9; James 4:15)—which is
really just another way of saying, “He is God.”
This
excerpt is adapted from Foundations of Grace by Steven Lawson.
