華腓德論基督教的本質Warfieldon the Essence of Christianity
作者: 華腓德（B.B. Warfield） 譯者: 駱鴻銘
西敏神學院歷史神學教授Carl Trueman 最近作了一場關於華腓德生平和神學的演講。在問題解答部分，有人問到華腓德的著作中的一段話。Trueman說他不記得這段話，這讓他有點難堪。而讓他感到不那麼難堪的是專門研究老普林斯頓的D.G. Hart也不知道這段話。Trueman順便提到D.G. Hart精彩的分析，說明當時的改革宗宗派（譯按：PCUSA）為了要推動文化、撼動文化（to be a cultural
mover-and-shaker），為了能站上臺面、參與對話（for a place at the
table or a voice in the conversation），就以犧牲改革宗信條的獨特性（downplay confessional distinctives）為代價，也因此摧毀了普林斯頓神學院。
Trueman
把華腓德所寫的這段話找出來，貼在博客上。試譯如下：三篇
宗教改革所提倡的基督教，其本質的精義是信徒會一直感覺到他生命所依靠的恩典，是他所不配得的。這種基督教的核心在於罪與恩典的對照；所有的事都圍繞著此中心而展開。這主要是因為宗教改革非常強調因信稱義的意義。它的信念是：我們在地上的日子，不管是在哪個階段，在我們裏面或我們所作的任何事，都無法使我們得到神的接納。我們自始至終都是因著基督的緣故得到神的接納，沒有一刻不是。不只從我們信神的那一刻起開始，也持續在我們一生當中。我們對基督的需要，不是在我們信主之後就停止了；我們和祂的關係的本質，以及透過祂和神的關係的本質，也從來沒有改變——無論我們在基督徒恩典的進展或我們在基督徒行為上的成就如何。我們唯一能靠賴的，總是祂的寶血和公義。我們的本質，我們所擁有的，或我們所作的，永遠無法取代祂的位置，或和祂相比。我們永遠是不配的，而我們所擁有的，或我們所行的善行，都純然出於恩典。雖然基督賜給我們天上各樣屬靈的恩賜，但我們自己仍舊是“悲慘的罪人”。沒錯，我們是靠恩典得救的“悲慘的罪人”，但仍然是“悲慘的罪人”，我們所配得的，從來都是神永恆的震怒。這是改教家對信徒和基督之間的關係所採取的態度，也是新教世界從改教家那裏學到的態度。
It
belongs to the very essence of the type of Christianity propagated by the
Reformation that the believer should feel himself continuously unworthy of the
grace by which he lives. At the center of this type of Christianity lies the
contrast of sin and grace; and about this center everything else revolves. This
is in large part the meaning of the emphasis put in this type of Christianity
on justification by faith. It is its conviction that there is nothing in us or
done by us, at any stage of our earthly development, because of which we are
acceptable to God. We must always be accepted for Christ's sake, or we cannot
ever be accepted at all. This is not true of us only "when we
believe." It is just as true after we have believed. It will continue to
be true as long as we live. Our need of Christ does not cease with our
believing; nor does the nature of our relation to Him or to God through Him
ever alter, no matter what our attainments in Christian graces or our
achievements in Christian behavior may be. It is always on His "blood and
righteousness" alone that we can rest. There is never anything that we are
or have or do that can take His place, or that can take a place along with Him.
We are always unworthy, and all that we have or do of good is always of pure
grace. Though blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in
Christ, we are still in ourselves just "miserable sinners":
"miserable sinners" saved by grace to be sure, but "miserable
sinners" still, deserving in ourselves nothing but everlasting wrath. That
is the attitude which the Reformers took, and that is the attitude which the
Protestant world has learned from the Reformers to take, toward the relation of
believers to Christ.
B. B.
Warfield