罪與恩典 WhenSin Is Grievous and Grace Is Stunning
作者：Timothy Keller 譯者/校對者: Maria Marta/駱鴻銘
多年來，我註意到一個現象，一些牧者雖然努力強調聖潔的生活，卻不強調「儘管我們有罪，上帝的恩典仍然接納我們」。而另外一些牧者則刻意想要迴避律法主義，因此強調恩典中的喜樂，不太願意呼召人去作很仔細的、很準確的自我省察與深刻的悔改。但是十八世紀的牧師約翰?牛頓（John Newton）以同時註重自我省察和上帝的恩典二方面著名。
在先前的文章中，約翰?牛頓提供了一些很有說服力的方法，幫助我們查驗自己的內心。他說，基督徒很少花時間和精力來自我省察，並且很少追求聖潔方面的長進，好結出聖靈的果子。這種仔細的自我省察難道意味著我們註定總是會感到有所虧欠、羞愧，和內疚自責嗎？不是這樣的，因為牛頓對罪有更深入的認識，這種認識可以將我們引進更豐盛的恩典中，享受喜樂。沒有人比約翰?牛頓更慬得呼籲人們用「恩典的福音」去改變人的內心。下面我將分享多年來，我從牛頓身上學到的兩點，來看如何平衡自我省察和上帝的恩典兩方面的關係：
人們常常試圖用他們正在做的事情的危險性來充滿他們的心。你會告訴自己：「如果我繼續這樣做，我會給自己找麻煩。」 這情形可能是真實的，可以作為一種好的「嗅鹽」，幫助你認識到自己的問題。但是，如果這些就是你對自己的內心所講的全部的話，那麼它是有效地扭曲了你的鐵石心腸，但是你的心卻還沒有真正得到軟化，更沒有真的得到永遠的改造。這種對自我的警告，最終的動機是自私的，只能帶來短暫的變化。
我們需要一種更深入的、唯一持久的方法來改變我們的內心，那就是將我們的心帶到上帝的恩典裡——這根本的、重價的恩典是耶穌基督在十字架上所成就的。讓你的心看到基督如何下到無底的深坑，好使你脫離罪和罪的刑罰。這不僅會讓你徹底明白罪的危險，也會讓你明白罪所帶來的憂傷。想想我們是多麼地忘恩負義，想想我們的罪如果不僅違背上帝的律法，也違背上帝的心。讓這個「基督為我們作了什麼」的知識來融化我們的心，用「基督所配得的」——祂配得所有的榮耀——知識，讓我們在神面前顫抖。
牛頓的第二個強而有力的思想是: 我們犯罪不是簡單地出於我們叛逆的慾念，只是想要做自己的主人而已，更是因為我們在尋找除了上帝以外的東西，以滿足和填滿自己。牛頓一針見血地指出，我們對自己的罪看得過輕或過低的危險，他也同時指出相反的問題，過於看輕耶穌為我們所作成的。牛頓寫信給一個很沮喪人：
你告訴我說，你很難相信神聖的純潔可以兼容、接受、使用像魔鬼一樣的你。當你這樣認為的時候，不僅表達了對自己的輕視（這方面是對的），但同時也表達了對救贖主的位格、作工、和應許的輕視，而在這方面當然是錯的. . . .
撒但將自己變作光明的天使。牠有時提議說祂會給我們謙卑的教導；但盡管我願意謙卑，也不願在撒但這所學校學習。牠的前提也許是真實的，即我們是卑鄙、猥瑣的生物-----但牠隨後根據這前提作出可憎的結論；牠並以此教導我們說，我們應該質疑基督的大能或意願，或信實。
的確，雖然我們的諸多抱怨是好的，只要它們是出自對罪的厭惡；然而，當我們仔細地自我省察的時候，常常會發現我們的抱怨混雜了自我的意願、自義、不信、驕傲、急躁等特徵，這些特徵不比我們所抱怨最壞的罪惡要好。在上帝的眼中，除了你從耶穌那裡所得到的義和救贖之外，你是一無所有的。如果你常常保持和耶穌近距離接觸，你會越感到舒適，祂也會更受到尊崇……
為我們為能夠遵守耶穌透過使徒賜給我們的誡命來禱告。在主裡常常喜樂！我再說一次，要喜樂。我們本身很少有喜樂，但在主裡我們有權利和理由喜樂。 （「給尊敬的S先生的第十一封信」，約翰?牛頓全集第六卷，185-187頁)
如果我們想要在恩典中長進，我們必須清晰明確我們兩個的身分：同時是罪人和在主裡蒙愛的孩子。我們需要在上帝面前高度警惕我們的罪，並確信無疑我們被基督接納並與祂緊密聯合。
說到底，要永遠地改變你的是福音的喜樂和奇妙。?
WHEN SIN IS
GRIEVOUS AND GRACE IS STUNNING
I have noticed over the years that some ministries, in
their effort to stress holiness of life, do not put a great deal of emphasis on
God's gracious acceptance of us despite our sins. And other ministries, in
their effort to avoid legalism and rejoice in grace, are reluctant to call
people to close, exacting self-examination and deep repentance. But the
18th-century pastor John Newton is remarkable in giving equal weight to
self-examination and grace.
In a previous article, we saw how Newton gives us some
deeply convicting ways to examine our hearts. Christians, he says, put too
little time and effort into examining themselves and seeking to grow in
holiness, in the fruit of the Spirit. But does such close examination mean that
we are doomed to always feel inadequate, ashamed, and guilty? No, because
Newton sees deeper knowledge of sin
leading to richer rejoicing in grace. No one was better than Newton at urging
people to "use the gospel of grace" on the heart in order to change
it. Here are two things I've learned from Newton over the years on how to do
this.
People often try to fill their hearts with the danger
of what they are doing. You can tell yourself, If I keep doing this it will
cause problems for me. That may be true and could be good "smelling
salts" to get you to recognize your problem. But if that's all you say to
your heart, it effectively bends the metal of your heart but doesn't really
soften and permanently reshape it. The motivation is ultimately selfish and
only brings short-term change.
We need to go deeper to the only lasting way to change
our hearts—take them to the radical, costly grace of God in Christ on the
cross. You show your heart the infinite depths to which he went so that you
would be free from sin and its condemnation. This fills you with a sense not
just of the danger or sin, but also of its grievousness. Think about how
ungrateful it is, think of how your sin is not just against God's law but also
against his heart. Melt your heart with the knowledge of what he's done for
you. Tremble before the knowledge of what he is worth—worthy of all glory.
A second powerful thought from Newton is this: we sin
not simply out of a rebellious desire to be our own masters, but also because
we are looking to things besides God to satisfy and fulfill us. While Newton
was good at pointing out the danger of having too low or light a view of one's
sin, he was also good at pointing out the opposite problem—too light a grasp of
what Jesus has done for us. Newton wrote to a man who was discouraged:
You say, you find it hard to believe it [is]
compatible with the divine purity to embrace or employ such a monster as
yourself. [In thinking this, you] express not only a low opinion of yourself,
which is right, but too low an opinion of the person, work, and promises of the
Redeemer; which is certainly wrong. . . . Satan transforms himself into an
angel of light. He sometimes offers to teach us humility; but though I wish to
be humble, I desire not to learn in this school. His premises perhaps are true,
that we are vile, wretched creatures—but he then draws abominable conclusions
from them; and would teach us, that, therefore, we ought to question either the
power, or the willingness, or the faithfulness of Christ. Indeed, though our
complaints are good, so far as they spring from a dislike of sin; yet, when we
come to examine them closely, there is often so much self-will,
self-righteousness, unbelief, pride, and impatience mingled with them, that
they are little better than the worst evils we can complain of. . . . You have
not, you cannot have, anything in the sight of God, but what you derive from
the righteousness and atonement of Jesus. If you could keep him more constantly
in view, you would be more comfortable. He would be more honored. . . . Let us
pray that we may be enabled to follow the apostle's, or rather the Lord's
command by him, Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, Rejoice. We have
little to rejoice in ourselves, but we have right and reason to rejoice in him.
("Letter XI, to the Rev. Mr. S.," Works of John Newton, Vol. 6,
185-187)
If we are going to grow in grace, we must stay aware
of being both sinners and also loved children in Christ. We need a high and due
sense of our sin before God and a deep and profound sense of our union with and
acceptance in Christ.
In the end, it's the joy and wonder of the gospel that
will change you permanently.
This article originally appeared in Redeemer
Presbyterian Church's monthly Redeemer Report.