宣教策略的對比AContrast of Missionary Strategies

作者：John Samson   譯者/校對者:  Maria Marta/駱鴻銘http://www.reformationtheology.com/2013/11/a_contrast_of_missionary_strat.php

 加爾文主義者和阿民念主義者雙方都會熱切地將福音帶到失喪的人當中，雙方各派出宣教士到不信和尚未聽聞福音的人群當中。雙方都毫無分別地將福音傳給所有的人。但是，雙方的相同之處只到此為止。加爾文主義者，和差派他（或她）的當地教會，會熱切地為真實的人的靈魂祈求上帝，拯救個別的罪人——那些宣教士正在引領的人，施恩給他們，並求祂會使他們所播種的種子發芽生長，把生命賜給這些個人。

另一方面，阿民念主義者和他所在的教會，既不祈求上帝拯救個別（具體）的罪人，也不祈求上帝特別施恩給其中的某些（具體的罪人）。因為他一旦祈禱上帝拯救某些人（具體的罪人） ，改變他們（具體的罪人）的心時，就這種情況而言，他就不再是阿民念主義者，但他又相信上帝能夠對人（祈禱的對象）的意志作些改變......既然，根據他們的觀點，上帝有責任施予同樣的恩惠給所有的人，那麼他就不能前後一致地祈求上帝，施恩給某一些個人（具體的罪人），而不是另外一些人。

這一切都變得不是針對個人（impersonal），因為阿民念主義者只能前後一致地為整個人類群體（the mass Of humanity）祈禱，祈求上帝會做一些祂已經在為他們做的事情——給他們平等的機會……絲毫不考慮到個人（具體的罪人）。不然的話，他們便會如此推論：上帝是不公平的。但耶穌不是自己說了，「我的東西難道不可隨我的意思用嗎？因為我作好人，你就紅了眼嗎？」（太廿15）

當然，極端加爾文主義者既不差派 （宣教士） 也不祈禱，因為他們錯誤地認為，「當上帝決定要拯救異教徒時，祂不需要任何幫助。」?

A Contrast of Missionary Strategies

Both the Calvinst and the Arminian are eager to reach the lost with the gospel so they each send out missionaries to the lost and unreached people groups. Both indiscriminately preach the gospel to all people. But this is where the similarity ends. The Calvinist, and his or her sending local church, earnestly pray for the souls of real people, that God will save individual sinners - those the missionary is working with; that God would have favor on them. That he would germinate the seed which they are planting and bring these individuals to life.

The Arminian, and his church, on the other hand, do not pray for God to save individuals nor do they pray he would have favor on certain people over others. For as soon as he prays for someones salvation he is asking God to change their heart, in which case he is no longer an Arminian, but believes God can do something to the will of the person being prayed for... and since, according to them, God is obligated to grant the same favor to all people, he cannot consistently pray that God would have favor on certain individuals and not others. It all becomes very impersonal because the Arminian can only consistently pray for the mass Of humanity that God would do something He is already doing for them - giving them equal opportunity ... without any thought to the individual. Otherwise, they reason, God would be unfair. But does not Jesus himself say, "Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ (Matt 20:15)

Of course the hypercalvinist neither sends nor prays for he erroneously reasons that "When God decides to save the heathen, He will do it without any help."