从改革宗传统看基督徒的事奉方式WhatAbout Bob?: The Meaning of Ministry in the Reformed Tradition
文/麦克•霍顿（Michael Horton） 译/和卫 校/李亮
尽管一个月前鲍勃才“接受基督”，但他已决定并退出了国家橄榄球联盟（NFL）的职业生涯。他告诉他所在的门训小组，他有事奉的呼召。不只是说说而已，下周他就将和一个同蒙呼召的商人合作，组建一支体育福音团队。Although he
"went forward" to receive Christ only a month ago, Bob, who recently
ended his NFL career, has just informed his discipleship group that he is called
to the ministry. In fact, next week he will be teaming up with a businessman
who has also decided that he is called to the ministry. Together, they will
form a sports evangelism team.
对于在福音派[2]文化中长大的我们来说，这个故事再熟悉不过了。此处的描述是虚构的，却能显示出“事奉是什么”这一问题在实践上的重要性。A familiar story
for those of us raised in evangelical circles, this fictional account
illustrates the practical importance of the question, "What is
ministry?"
“呼召”一词（希腊文动词是kalein，名词是klesis）在新约中的使用丰富且富于变化。“被呼召”是指被基督热情邀请，来接受永远的生命。然而，并非所有听到普遍呼召的人都会对其产生回应，必须有圣灵实际地将选民从属灵的死亡中唤醒，吸引他们归向基督。如果没有神内在的复苏生命的大能，仅凭着基督的邀请，拉撒路不可能从死里复活。同样，耶稣说：“若不是差我来的父吸引人，就没有能到我这里来的；到我这里来的，在末日我要叫他复活。”（约6:44）我们的救主也不仅“呼召”罪人悔改（太9:13），他还“呼召”十二门徒成为他的使徒（太4:21）。他不仅“呼召”出预先所定下的人并称他们称为义（罗8:30），他也“呼召”他的一些子民作他的代表和教会的监督。The verb "to
call" (kalein) and the noun "calling" (klesis) are rich and
somewhat varied in their New Testament use. To be "called" is to be warmly
invited by Christ to come and receive eternal life. But not all who hear this
universal invitation respond; the Holy Spirit must draw the elect to Christ by
actually awakening them from spiritual death. Lazarus could never have come
forth simply by the invitation of Christ, apart from the mighty action of God
inwardly restoring life. Likewise, "no one can come to me," said
Jesus, "unless the Father who sent me draws him; and I will raise him up
at the last day" (John 6:44). Not only does our Savior call sinners to
repentance (Matt. 9:13), he called the Twelve to be his disciples (Matt. 4:21).
He not only called and justified those who were predestined (Rom. 8:30), but
called some of his people to be his representatives and overseers of his
church.
那如何看“信徒皆祭司”呢？
But
What About the Priesthood of All Believers?
宗教改革的关键主题之一，当然也是新约圣经令人欢喜的宣告，用路德的话说就是：“祭司的名分和职分属于所有基督徒。”在伊甸园里，亚当是神的祭司，但他听信了恶者的谎言，没有保护好神的殿。在旷野中，神从以色列众民中挑选出祭司来服事他，也代表神向他的民说话。神告诉摩西：“你从以色列中的长老中招聚七十个人，就是你所知道作百姓的长老和官长的，到我这里来，领他们到会幕前，使他们和你一同站立。我要在那里降临与你说话，也要把降于你身上的灵分赐他们，他们就和你同当这管百姓的重任，免得你独自担当。”（民11:16-17）然而更大的期盼是：“惟愿耶和华的百姓都受感说话，愿耶和华把他的灵降在他们身上！”（民11:29）从故事开始，我们就看到神要以色列人“作祭司的国度，为圣洁的国民”（出19:6）的计划。
One
of the Reformation's key themes, of course, was the glad New Testament
announcement that, in Luther's words, "the name and office of priest are
common to all Christians." In Eden, Adam is God's minister, but he fails
to preserve God's temple from the lies of the evil one. In the wilderness, God
separated out of Israel priests who would serve him and represent him to the
people. God tells Moses, "Gather to me seventy men of the elders of
Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them;
bring them to the tabernacle of meeting, that they may stand there with you.
Then I will come down and talk with you there. I will take of the Spirit that
is upon you and will put the same upon them; and they shall bear the burden of
the people with you, that you may not bear it yourself alone" (Num.
11:16-17). And yet, there is the longing for something greater: "Oh, that
all the Lord's people were prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit upon
them!" (v. 29). Early in the story we see the future destiny of Israel as
"a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (Ex. 19:6).
后来，神藉着先知进一步将帘幕拉开。“以后，我要将我的灵浇灌凡有血气的。你们的儿女要说预言，你们的老年人要做异梦，少年人要见异象。在那些日子，我要将我的灵浇灌我的仆人和使女。”（珥2:28-29）这在五旬节得到成就，如彼得在讲道中（徒2:17）宣告的，此预言指向全教会将被圣灵充满的日子，每个信徒都是祭司，为要让全地都知道耶稣是基督。所以，神向以色列的应许并没有落空，而是在新约的教会中得以成就：“惟有你们是被拣选的族类，是有君尊的祭司，是圣洁的国度，是属神的子民，要叫你们宣扬那召你们出黑暗、入奇妙光明者的美德。你们从前算不得子民，现在却作了神的子民；从前未曾蒙怜恤，现在却蒙了怜恤。”（彼前2:9-10）。
Much
later, through the prophets God pulls the curtain back still further: "And
it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh;
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams,
your young men shall see visions. And also on my servants, male and female, I
will pour out my Spirit in those days" (Joel 2:28). Fulfilled at
Pentecost, as Peter proclaimed in his sermon (Acts 2:17), this prophecy points
to the day when the whole church will be filled with the Spirit, with each
believer a priest so that the world will know that Jesus is the Christ. Thus,
the promises made to Israel are not voided but are indeed fulfilled in the New
Testament church: "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a
holy nation, his own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of him
who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light; who once were not a
people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have
obtained mercy" (1 Pet. 2:9-10).
因此，基督作为神和人之间唯一的中保（提前2:5），实体取代了影儿，旧约的祭司职分随之被废除。在与基督这最终的先知、祭司和君王的联合中，所有信徒分享救主的祭司权柄，向彼此宣告神的羔羊和神的赦免。所以，信徒被命令要“彼此认罪，互相代求，使你们可以得医治”（雅5:16）。随着圣殿的幔子从上到下被撕裂，每个信徒都站在至圣所中，因此所有信徒都被“呼召”且成为“祭司”。因为披戴了基督的义，信徒站在先前只有大祭司才能站的地方。如同圣灵曾降在摩西身上，后来降在七十个长老身上，以及降在那些将神在基督里的奥秘启示出来的先知身上，圣灵如今也实实在在地降在我们每个人身上，也在我们每个人里面。在“耶路撒冷、犹太全地和撒玛利亚，直到地极”（徒1:8），神的真以色列已成了基督的见证。
Therefore,
the Old Testament priesthood is abolished, as the shadow is replaced with the
solid reality, Christ being the only mediator between God and humans (1 Tim.
2:5). In union with Christ, the final Prophet, Priest, and King, all believers
share the Savior's priesthood inasmuch as they proclaim God's Lamb and
forgiveness to each other. Thus, believers are commanded, "Confess your
trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be
healed" (Jam. 5:16). All believers are "called" and
"priests" as the Temple's curtain has been torn from top to bottom
and now every believer stands in the Holy Place. Because he or she is dressed
in Christ's righteousness, the believer now stands where before only the High
Priest could stand. As the Holy Spirit was upon Moses, and then upon the
seventy elders and the prophets through whom he gave the revelation of God in
Christ, so now the Spirit is upon and indeed within each one of us. God's true
Israel has become Christ's witness "in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and
Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8).
当改教家批评罗马的祭司职分乃是重回旧约里的影子（吃奶期），指出实体已经在基督里得以成就（成人期）时，他们本质上是在重申希伯来书。路德曾怒喝道:“每个真正的基督徒都应确实明白，没有一个外在的、可见的祭司形式不是由魔鬼所兴起、被谎言所豢养的。”
When
the Reformers attacked the Roman priesthood as a return to Old Testament
shadows (infancy), understanding that the reality had come in Christ
(adulthood), they were in essence restating the Book of Hebrews. Luther
thundered, "Every true Christian really should know that there are no
external, visible priests except those whom the devil has raised up and exalted
through the lies of men."
然而，在这一解放性教义用于推翻罗马天主教的僧侣制度[3]（改教家们称为祭司制度）的过程中，也曾经被误导，使人对圣经中的事奉概念产生误解。我们经常忘了，宗教改革是在与两方的冲突中被推动，一方是罗马天主教，一方是重洗派（或教派主义[4]）。改教家们在批判圣职的任命赋予祭司阶层过高的地位和权利的同时，对于 “所有人自由享有”祭司权柄观点的批评同样严厉，如加尔文指出的：“这使一切混乱不堪”；“自我任命的巡回传道和他们的追随者，没有计划，毫无目的地四处乱窜，轻率地聚集，又随意地离弃自己的教会。”加尔文谴责他们是“狂热分子”，“他们骄傲自大，蔑视人的事奉，甚至蔑视圣经本身，为要得到圣灵。他们把撒但向他们指示的虚妄之见当作圣灵的秘密启示，傲慢地四处兜售，真是一群放荡和疯狂的人。一个人越无知愚昧，就越骄傲自满和膨胀。”所以，“丝毫没有资格，却在强行驾驭教会，他们是狂热分子，是被邪灵驱使。比如，有很多人自夸被圣灵感动而行，骄傲地宣称领受到神的秘密呼召，却不知道他们始终是无知和全然愚昧的”。我们混淆了祭司身份与事奉，错以为“信徒皆祭司”就等于“信徒皆牧师”。
But
while this liberating doctrine was used to subvert Roman sacerdotalism (or
"priestcraft" as the Reformers termed it), it has been distorted to
twist the biblical concept of the ministry. We often forget that the
Reformation was a conflict with two theaters: Rome and Anabaptism or
"sectarianism." While criticizing notions of a priestly caste with
inherently exalted status and powers by virtue of their ordination, the
Reformers were just as severe in their criticism of a "free-for-all"
in which, as Calvin put it, "everything is in confusion."
Self-appointed circuit-riders and their enthusiasts were "dashing about
aimlessly without an assignment, rashly gathering together in one place, and
forsaking their churches at pleasure." Of such "fanatics" Calvin
charged, "In their pride, therefore, they despise the ministry of men and
even Scripture itself, in order to attain the Spirit. They then proudly try to
peddle all the delusions that Satan suggests to them as secret revelations of
the Spirit. Such are the Libertines and frenzied individuals like them. The
more ignorant a man is, the greater the pride with which he is bloated and
puffed up." Thus, "[people] with absolutely no qualifications, who
force themselves upon the Church, are fanatics, driven by an evil spirit. There
are many, for instance, who boast that they are moved to action by the Spirit,
and pride themselves in a secret call of God, when all the time they are
unlearned and totally ignorant." We have confused priesthood with
ministry, as if the priesthood of all believers means that all believers are
ministers.
所以，除了弃绝罗马天主教的祭司制度外，还必须要全力避免教派狂热主义。然而，如果所有基督徒都是祭司，不就指按立的牧师和平信徒之间是毫无区别的吗？改教家对此的回答是：“既是，又不是。”是的，从人的层面看，两者没有分别。牧师和平信徒都同等地被称义，并被呼召得着永生，且在同等的程度上与基督同为后嗣。牧师按立能有效通过也是因着基督的舍己之工，而不是牧师自身的美德；也因此，牧师的祷告也并不比平信徒更有额外的能力。神并非特殊眷顾牧师，他们的办公桌上没有红色电话，也没有其他基督的羊群无法享用的直达神的特殊专线。但尽管如此，在职分或职业层面，两者是有区别的。就好比医生不是律师，一个平信徒也不是牧师。
Thus,
in addition to Roman priestcraft, sectarian fanaticism was also to be avoided
at all costs. But if all Christians are priests, doesn't that mean that there
is no difference between an ordained minister and a layperson? To this
question, the Reformers would answer, "yes and no." Yes, there is no
difference in terms of person. A minister and a layperson are equally justified
and called to eternal life, co-heirs with Christ in equal measure. Rendered
effectual by the ministry of Christ rather than by any essential virtue in
ordination, the prayers of a minister are no more powerful than those of a
layperson. God does not pay special attention to ministers. They have no red
phone on their desk, no special direct line to God that the rest of Christ's
flock do not enjoy. Nevertheless, there is a difference in office or vocation.
Just as a doctor is not a lawyer, a layperson is not a minister.
正是在这点上，我想我们偏离了正轨。我们将祭司身份和事奉混为一谈，错以为“信徒皆祭司”就等于所有信徒都是牧师。这当然不是路德或加尔文对“信徒皆祭司”的理解。再次引述路德的话：
This
is where, in my estimation, we have gone off the rails in this matter. We have
confused priesthood with ministry, as if the priesthood of all believers means
that all believers are ministers. Certainly this is not Luther's or Calvin's
understanding of the priesthood of all believers. Again, Luther:
尽管我们都是祭司，但这并不意味着，我们所有人都可以讲道、教导和治理。这些职分必须在会众里挑选特定的人来担任。这人有此职分而为祭司，不是因着该职位本身，而在于他是皆为祭司的其他会众的仆人。当他不能或不想继续教导或事奉时，他会再次成为普通基督徒会众中的一员。他的职分被转交给他人，他和其他人一样成了平信徒。这才是区分教导或事奉的职分与所有受洗基督徒皆有祭司权的方法。
For
although we are all priests, this does not mean that all of us can preach,
teach, and rule. Certain ones of the multitude must be selected for such an
office. And he who has such an office is not a priest because of his office,
but a servant of all the others, who are priests. When he is no longer able to
preach and serve, or if he no longer wants to do so, he once more becomes part
of the common multitude of Christians. His office is conveyed to someone else,
and he becomes a Christian like any other. This is the way to distinguish
between the office of preaching, or the ministry, and the general priesthood of
all baptized Christians.
此区别不是因着牧师本人，而是因着他话语和圣礼的事奉。加尔文说：“基督藉着牧师行动，其方式是他希望他们的口被承认为是他自己的口，他们的嘴唇被接受为他的嘴唇。”如改革宗信条所提醒我们的，事奉并不取决于牧者自身的品格和能力，即便最终他被发现是不信之人，他依旧为基督所用，作为救赎自己百姓的器皿。事实上，当犹大曾是我们主的使徒的时候，他的事奉也有其果效。是圣灵通过道和圣礼的工作，而非牧师本身，带来服事的成功。针对追随古代多纳徒派[5]错误的“教派”，《第二瑞士信条》宣称：“即使是邪恶的牧师也当倾听。多纳徒派认为教义和圣礼的果效在于牧者自我生命的好坏；对此错误，我们强烈地反对！”（第十八章）
The
distinction rests not because of the minister's person, but because of his
service of Word and Sacrament. Calvin says, "Christ acts by ministers in
such a manner that he wishes their mouth to be reckoned as his mouth, and their
lips as his lips." As the Reformed confessions remind us, the ministry
does not depend on the integrity of the minister. Even if it is eventually
discovered that he was an unbeliever, he was used by Christ as an agent of
redemption for his people. Indeed, even Judas exercised an effectual ministry
as a disciple of our Lord. It is the Holy Spirit working through Word and
Sacrament, not the minister in his own person, who is responsible for the
success of the ministry. Thus, against the "sects" that followed in
the steps of the ancient Donatists opposed by Augustine, the Second Helvetic
Confession declares: "Even evil ministers are to be heard. Moreover, we
strongly detest the error of the Donatists who esteem the doctrine and
administration of the sacraments to be either effectual or not effectual
according to the good or evil life of the ministers" (XVIII).
所以，我们回到了“神圣”和“世俗”呼召之分？
So
Are We Back to "Sacred" and "Secular" Callings?
福音派的敬虔主义创造出与中世纪修道主义相近的环境，基督徒被划分为“世俗工作”和“全时间基督教事奉”。你猜哪一个更重要？和中世纪机构庞大的修道院系统类似，今日福音派的身份似乎由超教会的事工网络和一群有着超凡魅力的个人决定了（这些人只要能成功，就被给予了几乎毫无限制和不受挑战的权力）。就如中世纪的修道主义常与教会和制度化权威产生冲突（因而自己也变为制度化了）一样，当代福音派似乎也日渐表现出非教会化的色彩。诞生于所谓的“圣灵感动”，打着反“教会主义”的旗帜，这些教派和跨教会的事工自身也最终体制化。并且，再次像中世纪的修道主义一样，与宗教相关的工作才被视为真正有意义的职业。
Evangelical
pietism has created an environment not all that different from medieval
parallels, as Christians are separated into "secular work" and
"full-time Christian service." Guess which one is more important!
Like the vast network of monastic communities in the Middle Ages, evangelical
identity these days seems determined by the web of parachurch ministries and a
host of charismatic personalities who are often granted almost unlimited and
unchallenged power as long as they are successful. As medieval monasticism was
frequently in conflict with the church and institutional authority (only to
become institutionalized itself) contemporary evangelicalism seems likewise to
bear an unchurchly hue. Born as alleged "moves of the Spirit,"
against "churchianity," sects and parachurch ministries also end up
becoming institutions themselves. And, again like medieval monasticism, truly
meaningful vocations are regarded as those connected to religious concerns.
最近几十年，我们中很多人从类似的二元论中得到“释放”。我们听到：“所有生活都是神圣的，每个基督徒都是牧者。”人们以改革宗神学为方法来摆脱福音派认定“全时间基督教事奉更加优越”的亚文化，许多人不仅开始慎重地区分祭司权和事奉，也慎重地区分世俗和神圣。如果我们接受中世纪和当代福音派二元论的灵性观，以为清扫一间屋子或为一桩法庭案件辩护因为不是事工，就是世俗而非神圣的工作，那就使得这样属世的工作显为低等或不属灵。宗教改革发现的是，圣经对于“普通的工作”和“圣洁的工作”一样予以赞赏，对于“世俗的”和“神圣的”也是同样对待，而不是圣俗二分。加尔文劝说艺术家从自然寻找创作对象，而不是想象看不见的世界，这样的改变对艺术和科学发展的贡献也是有目共睹的。做操持家务者、画家、医生或看门人都是好的，这些工作都是神圣的呼召，我们怎能称其为低下呢？
It
was from this sort of dualism that so many of us have been liberated in recent
decades. "All of life is sacred," we heard. "Every Christian is
a minister." Adopting Reformed theology as a way out of the assumptions of
the evangelical subculture about the superiority of "full-time Christian
service," many are beginning to make careful distinctions not only between
priesthood and ministry, but also between the secular and the sacred. To say
that cleaning a house or defending a court case is not a ministry and is
therefore secular rather than sacred activity makes such worldly work inferior
or unspiritual only if we accept the dualism that underlies medieval and
contemporary evangelical versions of spirituality. What the Reformation
recovered was the biblical appreciation for the common as well as the holy, the
secular as well as the sacred, not a conflation of the two. Calvin urged
artists to find their subjects in nature instead of trying to imagine the
unseen world, and the contribution of the movement to the arts and sciences is
widely acknowledged. It is good to be a homemaker, a painter, a doctor, or a
janitor. These are divine callings, so how can we call them inferior?
敬虔二元论，如同其中世纪前辈那样，将“世俗”和“神圣”分别划归入“低级”和“高级”的类别，当代流行的对此二元对立的批评则是彻底否认了二者的区别；而改教信仰认为，两者的根本目的是相同的，但实现的方式却的确有所区别。不管是挖井，还是讲道，如果做得好，同样荣耀神。但前者做得好是因为神给挖井的人日常的、普世的恩典，对不信者也是同样。这些恩赐属于创造、普遍恩典和文化国度的领域。而后者做得好不是因为诸如口才和拥有智力等普遍恩典，而是因着圣灵的特殊光照，这属于救赎、拯救恩典和基督国度的领域。直到世界的诸国度转换为我们的神和属他的基督的王国，也就是主再来时立即成就的时刻，这两个领域都会是不同的。当男人和女人在各自属世的呼召里忠实地工作时，文化的国度就会兴盛。而当牧者们忠实地传讲神的道和施行圣礼，带领群羊行走义路时，基督的国度才会兴盛。这两样工作都在这个世界发生，都在荣耀神，也会带来好的结果，但在以下几个方面两者是不同的。
Where
pietistic dualism, like its medieval antecedent, makes "secular" and
"sacred" into categories of "inferior" and
"superior," and popular contemporary criticisms of this dualism deny
the distinction altogether, the Reformation regarded the two as different in
their means, not their ends. Digging a ditch or preaching a sermon, if done
well, glorify God, but the former is done well because God has given the worker
ordinary, common gifts that he has also given to unbelievers. The first belongs
to the sphere of creation, common grace, and the kingdom of culture. The latter
is done well not only because of common gifts of eloquence and intellect, but
because of the Spirit's special illumination. This is in the sphere of
redemption, saving grace, and the kingdom of Christ. Until the kingdoms of this
world are transformed immediately into the kingdom of our God and of his Christ
at our Lord's return, these two spheres are distinct. The kingdom of culture
flourishes when men and women are faithful in their secular callings, while the
kingdom of Christ thrives when its ministers are faithfully preaching the Word,
administering the Sacraments, and leading the flock in the paths of
righteousness. Both tasks take place in this world, are honoring to God, and
lead to good ends, but they are different in several respects.
教会不仅包括担职分的人，还包括会众全体。正是这些受洗的、有着世间职业的信徒、祭司的团契，呼唤牧师们的服事。因此，牧师当受尊敬，是因其神圣的职责，而非因其本人。加尔文如此说：“基督将牧师指派给他的教会，不是让他们去管辖，而是去服事。”因为我们的信心如此迟钝，而我们的理性、良心和意志都无法产生微弱的盼望，我们需要有人在外面将道传讲给我们。
The
church consists not only of its officers, but of the totality of its members.
It is this group of believers, priests in baptism and yet working in secular
vocations, who call ministers to serve them. So ministers are treated with
dignity because of their sacred task, not because of their person. "Christ
appoints pastors to his Church," said Calvin, "not to rule but to
serve." Because we are so slow to believe and our reason, conscience, and
will offer no glimmer of hope, we need an external Word preached to us.
如同前面提到过的，加尔文和其他改教家都认为，基督自己通过道的宣讲和圣礼说话。这体现在我们的主做出的奇妙的应许中：“我还告诉你：你是彼得，我要把我的教会建造在这磐石上（彼得认基督为神的儿子），阴间的权柄不能胜过他。我要把天国的钥匙给你，凡你在地上所捆绑的，在天上也要捆绑；凡你在地上所释放的，在天上也要释放。”（太16:18-19）加尔文写道：“福音的传讲者是天国的看门人，因为他们拿着天国的钥匙。这钥匙是在话语事奉者的手中。”加尔文甚至推荐信徒私下向牧者认罪，不是因着对其人的迷信，而是因为这也是话语事奉的一部分。任何信徒都可以听自己弟兄姐妹的认罪，并奉基督的名宣告神的赦免，但牧师是神和他的教会为此事所专门分别出来的。加尔文拒绝将耳语式认罪律法主义化（私下向神父认罪作为人得到饶恕的必要条件），对此传统本身却当作一种私人式的话语服事来鼓励，藉着这样的服事，神的恩典和福音得到“确认和印证”（参《基督教要义》3.4.1-23）。
As
noted earlier, Calvin and the other Reformers believed that Christ himself
spoke through the preached Word and the Sacraments. This is what is meant by
our Lord's wonderful promise: "And I also say to you that you are Peter,
and on this rock [Peter's confession of Christ as God's Son] I will build my
church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give
you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be
bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven"
(Matt. 16:17-19). "Ministers of the Gospel," Calvin wrote, "are
porters of the kingdom of heaven, because they carry its keys. The key is
placed in the hands of the ministers of the word." Calvin even recommends
private confession of sin to ministers, not because of superstition concerning
his person, but because this is part of the ministry of the Word. Any believer
can hear his or her fellow-believer's confession and announce divine
forgiveness in Christ's name, but the minister is especially singled out by God
and his church for this task. While the legalism of auricular confession (the
practice of confessing sins privately to a priest as a necessary condition of
being absolved) was rejected by Calvin, the custom itself was encouraged as a
ministry of the Word in private by which God's grace and gospel would be
"confirmed and sealed" (see Institutes 3.4.1-23).
据历史学家约翰•麦克勒尔（John T. McNeill）的解释，“加尔文将马太福音16:19和约翰福音20:23理解为：牧师有‘赦罪和使灵魂免除罪责的权柄’，而悔罪者应该抓住这个机会”。赦罪的信息通常是在公共敬拜中会众集体认罪之后宣告，但同样可以在私下与牧师的交谈中完成，如果这有助于一个悔罪者得着安慰。不管是公开，还是私下，牧师手中都拿着天国的钥匙，当他们忠实地履行职分时，就能打开牢狱之门。
According
to historian John T. McNeill, "Calvin interprets Matthew 16:19 and John
20:23 as authorizing ministers to remit sins and absolve souls.' The penitent
should take advantage of this." This absolution was normally declared in
the public service of worship after the public confession, but it could also be
done in private with the minister if that could help bring consolation. In
public and in private, the ministers carry the keys of the kingdom and by
faithfully executing their office they open prison doors.
所有的改革宗认信文件，如同路德宗一样，都赞同这一点。《威斯敏斯特信条》第三十章宣称：“天国的钥匙既交给这些职员，因此他们有留下罪或赦免罪的权柄。”他们不是因其自身，而是因其职分，在他们宣讲和施行圣礼的职分时拥有这权柄。在改革宗看来，这一事奉进一步的内容是教会纪律。即便是谴责，包括私下教导、劝诫和警告那些已受洗的不敬虔之人和不信者，也不是为了定罪，而是为打开天国的门。当牧者们忽略了会众的属灵景况，他们就不是在“将他们交托给主”，而是没有做好主工。与此同时，牧者们不是要“作他们会众的主”，而是必须要“不带着压迫和纷争去服事”。正如《第二瑞士信条》所言：“使徒已作证，主将教会里的权柄赐给他，是为了造就，而不是败坏（林后10:8）。主自己也禁止去除田里的稗子，恐怕好的麦子被一起拔出。（太13:29）”（第十八章）
All
of the Reformed confessional documents, like the Lutheran ones, agree on this
point. The Westminster Confession declares, "To these officers the keys of
the Kingdom of Heaven are committed, by virtue whereof they have power
respectively to retain and remit sins" (Chap. XXXII). They do not have
this power in their person, but in their office as they proclaim the Gospel and
administer the Sacraments. A further aspect of this ministry, in the Reformed
view, is church discipline. Even censure, the practice of privately
instructing, admonishing, and warning the baptized impenitent and unbeliever,
is designed not to condemn, but to open the doors of the Kingdom of Heaven.
When ministers ignore the spiritual condition of their members, they are not
"leaving it to the Lord," but are failing to exercise the Lord's
ministry. At the same time, instead of "lording it over their
people," they must serve "without oppression and strife," as the
Second Helvetic Confession puts it. "For the apostle testifies that
authority in the Church was given to him by the Lord for building up and not
for destroying (2 Cor. 10:8). And the Lord himself forbade the weeds to be
plucked up in the Lord's field, because there would be danger lest the wheat
also be plucked up with it (Matt. 13:29)" (Chap. XVIII).
当然，这并不意味着，只有牧师才能警戒和向不信的人以及祭司伙伴们传讲福音。确实，五旬节的好消息是，圣灵使我们每个人都成了基督的见证，使我们成为传福音者的国度。然而，保罗特别地鼓励提摩太：“忍受苦难，作传道的工夫，尽你的职分。”（提后4:5）正式的话语事奉是交托给那些蒙召专门去完成此项工作的人。但是，我们同被呼召成为基督徒，与基督联合，要活出“世界的光”这一宣教的身份。牧师装备我们，成为这世上有担当的基督的使者，时刻准备着向每个人分享我们盼望的缘由。然而，这并不意味着，我们要把世俗的呼召放在一边，单单创建传福音的事工，因为后者乃是教会及其按立的领袖的工作。
This
does not mean, of course, that only ministers can warn and evangelize
unbelievers and their fellow priests. Indeed, the good news of Pentecost is
that the Spirit has made us all witnesses of Christ, a nation of evangelists.
And yet, Paul specifically encourages Timothy, "Endure afflictions, do the
work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry" (2 Tim. 4:5). The formal
ministry of the Word is entrusted to those who are called exclusively to this
task, but we are all equally called to be Christians and inherent in our union
with Christ, the "Light of the world," is our missionary identity. We
are equipped by the ministers to be responsible Christian agents in the world,
prepared to give an answer for our hope to everyone. This, however, does not
mean that we are to set aside our secular callings and found evangelistic
ministries, for the latter is the work of the church and its appointed
officers.
为“每个信徒皆为祭司”辩护，或许人们最经常引用的经文是以弗所书4:11-16：
Perhaps
the most frequently cited defense of the "every-believer-a-minister"
position is Ephesians 4:11-16:
他所赐的有使徒，有先知，有传福音的，有牧师和教师。为要成全圣徒，各尽其职，建立基督的身体，直等到我们众人在真道上同归于一，认识神的儿子，得以长大成人，满有基督长成的身量，使我们不再作小孩子，中了人的诡计和欺骗的法术，被一切异教之风摇动，飘来飘去，就随从各样的异端。惟用爱心说诚实话，凡事长进，连于元首基督。全身都靠他联络得合式，百节各按各职，照着各体的功用彼此相助，便叫身体渐渐增长，在爱中建立自己。
And
[Christ] himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and
some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry,
for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the
faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure
of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children,
tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the
trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking
the truth in love, may grow up in all things into him who is the
head--Christ--from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every
joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its
share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love (NKJV).
改革宗牧师和教授大卫•戈登（T. David Gordon）曾明确指出，当代人在开展事工时常误用此节经文。部分原因是出自圣经新国际版（NIV）、新钦定版(NKJV)和其他一些最新版本的翻译问题。比如，钦定版（KJV）将第11节经文翻译成“他所赐的有一些是使徒，有一些是先知，有一些是牧师，有一些是教师”，而其他最新的译本则几乎都是预设神所赐的是事工。戈登教授证明了过去版本是更准确的。考虑到三个从句在描述“有恩赐的人”，所暗指的是主体，“katartismon”一词的用法（是“召聚或召集可见的聚会”之意，而不是“装备”[6]），以及“ergon diakonias”的使用（即“各尽其职”），看不出保罗是在强调要预备平信徒来从事事奉的“真正工作”。此外，这也与将牧师的呼召与普通信徒的呼召区别开来的众多经文相冲突。实际上，牧师是基督赐给教会，为要通过他们忠实地履行职分，更好地建造群羊。
As
Reformed pastor and professor T. David Gordon clearly demonstrates, this
passage has been much abused in contemporary approaches to ministry.1 This is
due in part to an unfortunate translation of the New International Version
(NIV), the New King James Version (NKJV), and other recent translations or
paraphrases. While the older translations, especially the Authorized Version
(KJV), render verse 11, "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets;
and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;" the more recent
renderings are hardly without their presuppositions about the nature of
"ministry." Professor Gordon carefully shows the superiority of the
older translation. Given the implied subject of all three clauses ("gifted
ones"), the use of katartismon ("gathering or ordering into visible
communion," not "equipping"), and the use of ergon diakonias
("the work of ministry"), there is no basis for the notion that Paul
sees the ministry's importance in terms of preparing the laity for the
"real work" of ministry. Furthermore, this flies in the face of the
many passages that clearly distinguish the calling of a minister from the
general Christian calling that belongs to all believers. Rather, ministers are
given by Christ so that they can build up the flock by exercising their office
faithfully.
在此，戈登教授告诫了美国平等主义所带来的实际影响，在我看来，他的观点相当正确。他写道：“那些准备参与事奉的人（以及那些装备他们的机构）不再将精力放在与话语事工相关的能力（原文解经）上面，反而去关注如何进行组织、管理和激励的技能。”
Professor
Gordon is, I think, quite justified in his alarm concerning the practical
effects of American egalitarianism here. "Those preparing for ministry
(and the institutions that prepare them)," he writes, "are turning
their energies away from those skills associated with the distinctive ministry
of the Word (original-language exegesis) and toward organizational, managerial,
motivational (coercive?) skills."
讽刺的是，当代福音派的事奉观使人们竭尽全力地关注牧师的权力，而不是事奉本身。和罗马天主教神父一样，当今的福音派牧师通常被视作是救赎的有效工具。两者的礼拜仪式或许大不相同，但却只是用福音派的手段代替了罗马天主教弥撒的“祭坛呼召”，在两种情况下，专业人士都成为恩典传达的个人化手段（或者至少是一种提供娱乐、信息或激励的手段）。在谈到那些追随查尔斯•芬尼（Charles Finney）的实用主义福音布道者时，华菲德（B. B. Warfield）写道：“传道人成了圣礼本身。”德国改革宗神学家约翰•内文（John Williamson
Nevin）曾抱怨，在宗教复兴运动中，讲坛和圣餐桌变成了舞台，此变化背后是神学的转变。内文说：“传道人感受到的是自我，也用尽全力让会众能感受到他，但神被感受到得却还不如他多。”如此，认为在保持宗教改革神学内核的同时，又采用福音派的风格，同样是不可能的！如果你的教会成了舞台，放讲坛和圣餐桌的地方堆满了头顶的投影仪、电视屏幕和架子鼓，这本身便在宣告一个人的事奉神学，甚至在礼拜未开始之前。
The
result of contemporary evangelical views of ministry is that, ironically, they
come full circle to investing the power in the minister instead of the
ministry. Like the Roman Catholic priest, the contemporary evangelical minister
is often regarded as the effective instrument of redemption. The liturgical
functions may differ vastly, replacing the "altar call" of the Roman
Mass with that of the evangelical substitutes, but in both cases the
professional is made a personal means of grace (or, at least, a means of
entertainment, information, or exhortation). As B. B. Warfield suggested
concerning preachers who followed Charles Finney's pragmatic evangelism,
"The evangelist becomes the Sacrament." The German Reformed
theologian John Williamson Nevin (1803-86) complained that in revivalism, the
transformation of the pulpit and table into a stage is a theological shift.
"The preacher feels himself," Nevin wrote, "and is bent on
making himself felt also by the congregation; but God is not felt in the same
proportion." So much for the suggestion that we can have genuinely
Reformation-oriented theology while adopting evangelical style! If your church
has a stage instead of a chancel, and the pulpit and table are overwhelmed by
overhead projectors, screens, and a drum set, it is already a declaration of
one's theology of ministry--even before the service starts!
“行动之所在”植根于其神学信念。至少，罗马天主教将其僧侣制度（祭司制度）在某种程度上与圣礼事工联系在一起。而当代非教会的福音组织却认为选美皇后、前四分卫、过气名人和演艺人士的事工，能够成为有效的蒙恩管道，因为这些“牧者”的能力。只不过和罗马不同的是，在这里，被任命的牧者不是神人之间的中保；每个信徒都成了“牧者”，获准在世俗标准的基础上（魅力、音乐才华、熟知最新的流行文化）来开展他或她的事工，而不是要全备地掌握神的道。如此，产生世俗化的教会也就不足为怪了。
"Where
the action is" cannot be divorced from its theological basis. At least
Rome connects its sacerdotalism ("priestcraft") somehow to the
sacramental ministry, but unchurchly forms of evangelicalism regard the
"ministry" of the beauty queen, ex-quarterback, faded celebrity, and
entertainer as an effective means of grace because of the power of the
"minister." Instead of the ordained minister being treated as a
go-between, as in Rome, every believer becomes a "minister" and is
allowed to exercise his or her ministry based on worldly criteria (charisma,
musical talent, familiarity with the latest in pop culture) rather than a sound
knowledge of God's Word. It is no small wonder that what results is a worldly
church.
通常，这样的能力很少与神的话有关，而大多是关乎魅力、名声、个性或其他纯粹人的特征。我们常听到的是：“他的讲道很有力！”“哇，这见证真是感人！”“她歌唱得真好！”但是，如果这个讲员是保罗，他承认自己的公开演讲并没有“超级使徒”那样有效，那他的讲道会同样有大能吗？如果这个退役的四分卫能和使徒保罗一样说道：“在我如今的基督徒生命中，我所恨恶的一些事我仍在做。噢，我真是败坏的人啊！”那么他的见证还会同样有果效吗？如果歌诗者是一间乡村小教会里一个没有多少才华却满是好意的信徒，而不是上周刚拜访过市中心一家大教会的唱片艺术家，这赞美会还会“有恩膏”吗？
Very
often, the power has very little to do with the message and everything to do
with charisma, fame, personality, or other purely human characteristics.
"He's a powerful speaker," we hear. "Wow, what a powerful
testimony!" "She sang a powerful song!" Would it have been as
powerful if the speaker were the Apostle Paul, who acknowledged that he was not
as effective at public speaking as the "super-apostles"? Would the
testimony have been as effective if the ex-quarterback would have said, with
that same Apostle, "I find still in my Christian life that very often the
very thing I hate, I keep doing? Oh, wretched man that I am!"? And would
the song have been as "anointed" if it had been sung by one of those
well-meaning but singularly ungifted folks in the small country church instead
of the recording artist who visited the big church in town last week?
现如今，真的有很多人相信，大能大力是那些所谓的“牧者们”所拥有的，而不是来自道和圣礼。一个“音乐事工团队”巡回演出到我们教会服事，突然间整个礼拜都有了“感动”，“圣灵真的在作工”，敬拜都“活了起来”。复活节荣耀的露天表演才是其“行动之所在”。但是，当牧师下个主日站在讲台上，只是单纯地讲道，带领圣餐，跟会众一同阅读经文，歌颂赞美，公开认罪，宣告赦免，宣读信经和祷告，却显得那么平常。最严重的问题在于，这种想法的内在假设是，神真的是上个主日与我们同在，当时发生的才是真正的事工。但如果作为牧师我们在敬拜中采纳这种“见证”或“特殊音乐”的形式，便是将焦点转离了恩典传达的日常渠道。最终，不管某人的认罪是何等恳切，也是将圣灵与神的道隔开了。
The
power resides, many really believe these days, in the so-called
"minister," not in the ministry of Word and Sacrament. A "music
ministry team" comes to sing at our church while on tour and suddenly the
service was "moving" and "the Spirit was really at work,"
the service was "alive." The Glory of Easter pageant was "where
the action was." But when the pastor got up the next Sunday and simply
preached and served Communion, along with the public reading of Scripture,
congregational singing, public confession of sin, a declaration of pardon, the
Creed, and prayers, it was business as usual. Superlatives absent, the unspoken
assumption is that God was really here last week when the real ministry took
place. We encourage this as ministers when we adopt "testimonies" and
"special music" in our worship services, taking the focus off of the
ordinary means of grace. Ultimately, this separates the Spirit from the Word,
regardless of the soundness of one's confession.
一个人只要浏览一下基督教杂志刊登的牧师招聘广告，或是看看牧师招聘委员会所看重的资格，便可知道我所谈论的了。他（或她）必须待人友好，性格外向，有着超强的“人际技巧”；他必须能激励他人，是“团队领袖”和“装备者”（此处真正的意思是经理和项目专员），也需要有个能扮演“第一夫人”角色的妻子，要是她能弹奏乐器，便再好不过了。
One
need only read the "want ads" for pastors in Christian periodicals or
the pastoral search committee ranking of qualifications. He (or she) must be
friendly, out-going, brimming with "people skills." He must be
motivational, a "team leader" and "equipper" (which really
means a manager and programmer), and have a wife who can fill the role of
"first lady." So much the better if she plays the organ.
同时，他的神学深度和认信情况怎样？他准备讲章时会做原文释经的工作吗？还是只是依赖其他人的笔记和注释？他会花很多时间学习和跪着祷告吗？他会关心他会众的具体属灵需要吗？然而，到了最后，我们需要的却是这样一个人，能够集名人、教练、四分卫、演艺家、激励讲员、理疗师和首席执行官等角色于一身。也难怪牧师的工作疲惫率如此之高！换句话说，不管我们口中宣告的是什么，我们最终相信的是鲍勃牧师的服事，而不是基督藉着道和圣礼的事工。如今，果效在于牧师本人，依据的是世俗标准，而不在于事工本身。虽然更隐藏，这却和罗马天主教的祭司制度一样危险。如果抹除了道和圣礼事工的重要性，我们无法拯救“信徒皆祭司”，只是以另一套祭司制度作代替罢了。
Meanwhile,
what about his theological depth and confessional subscription? Does he do
original exegetical work on his sermons, or does he rely on the notes and
references of others? Does he spend plenty of time in his study and on his
knees? Will he be likely to care for the specific spiritual needs of his
members? At the end of the day, we want a celebrity, coach, quarterback,
entertainer, motivational speaker, therapist, and CEO all wrapped up in one
person. No wonder the rate of job burn-out among pastors is so out of control!
In other words, we really believe, regardless of what we profess, that it is
the Ministry of Pastor Bob rather than the Ministry of Christ through Word and
Sacrament. The efficacy is now in the minister, measured in worldly terms,
rather than in the ministry. Though more insidious, this is every bit as
dangerous a form of sacerdotalism as anything Rome offered. By emptying the
Ministry of Word and Sacrament of its importance, we have not saved the
priesthood of all believers; we have simply substituted one form of priestcraft
for another.
那“蒙召”去事奉的真正意思是什么呢？
What
Does It Mean Then to Be "Called" to the Ministry?
在路德宗和改革宗传统里，一个人不是仅仅凭着圣灵内在的呼召而去事奉。重洗派不仅攻击罗马天主教的祭司制度，还倾向于完全否认物质和属地的方式，以突出圣灵直接引导的直觉。改教家反对重洗派的此种“狂热”，坚持认为神在服事的事上会通过物质性和属地的方式说话。教派主义将个人和教会分开，将个人看作是“属灵”的，而教会是“属肉体”的。历史上的福音信仰拒绝这种无秩序，坚持将个体与教会群体即基督的有形身体联系起来。照此观点，一个人只有满足教会对牧者资质的要求，才真正能算作是被呼召去事奉，尤其是经文中明确的命令。因为教会是“真理的柱石和根基”（提前3:15）而教会在世寄居的时候，牧师负有作这位基督新妇的守护者的神圣职责，“直等到我来”，保罗如此教导年轻的提摩太：
In
the Reformed tradition, as in the Lutheran, one is not called to the ministry
solely on the basis of an internal calling by the Spirit. Against Anabaptist
"enthusiasm," which not only attacked Roman sacerdotalism but tended
to deny physical, earthly means altogether in favor of direct Spirit-led
intuitions, the Reformers insisted that God spoke in this instance as in all
others through such means. While sectarian religion sets the individual against
the church as categories of "spirit" and "flesh"
respectively, historic evangelical faith rejects this anarchy and insists on
relating the individual to the corporate (and not just invisible, but visible)
body of Christ. In this view, one is not truly called to the ministry until
there is a satisfaction of the church's qualifications, explicitly commanded in
Scripture. For the church is "the pillar and ground of the truth" (1
Tim. 3:15), and ministers have the sacred charge of being the chaperone for
Christ's bride through her earthly sojourn. "Till I come," Paul
instructs young Timothy,
你要以宣读、劝勉、教导为念，直等到我来。你不要轻忽所得的恩赐，就是从前藉着预言、在众长老按手的时候赐给你的。这些事你要殷勤去作，并要在此专心，使众人看出你的长进来。你要谨慎自己和自己的教训，要在这些事上恒心。因为这样行，又能救自己，又能救听你的人（提前4:13-16）。
give
attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Do not neglect the gift that
is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands
of the eldership. Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them,
that your progress may be evident to all. Take heed to yourself and to the
doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and
those who hear you. (1 Tim. 4:13-16)
这不仅适用于牧师，也同样适用于执事和长老。长老必须无可指责，性情温和，“坚守所教真实的道理，就能将纯正的教训劝化人，又能把争辩的人驳倒了”。（多1:5-9）教会常常依据世俗标准来选立长老，这与保罗的教导相差得真是太远！在加尔文的年代，他也倍受此威胁的困扰：“相信应当选立那些有钱的、有地位和名声的人担当教会职分，这种观点与基督教的内在秩序和基本规则是相违背的。”如今，教会选人担当职分是因着他们在管理生意方面的经验，以及在市场营销、手册设计、财务和其他方面的专长。如此，教会成为公司，牧师书房成为办公室也就不足为奇了。只有我们愿意遵守保罗在领袖遴选方面的教导，我们的教会才会在话语事工中兴盛。
This
is as true for deacons and elders as for ministers. Elders must be beyond
reproach and temperate, "holding fast to the faithful word as he has been
taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict
those who contradict" (Tit. 1:5-9). How far this is from the frequent
practice of electing elders for worldly reasons. Calvin was also troubled by
this threat in his day: "It clearly contradicts the order and basic rules
of Christianity to believe that the wealthy, and those who are noteworthy for
their position and name, should be chosen for church offices." Too often,
churches elect officers because of their experience in running businesses or
their expertise in marketing, brochure design, finance, and so on. Then they
wonder why their church becomes a corporation and the pastor's study becomes
the pastor's office. If we would follow Paul's instructions in selecting our
officers, our churches would thrive under the ministry of the Word.
但是，神不仅呼召长老们作为带职牧者，为教会的属灵状况守望；同时，神也任命执事作为带职牧者，照顾会众身体性的需要。初设执事的目的，是将使徒们从财务和管理工作的重担下释放出来。十二使徒非常清楚他们的呼召，他们说：“我们撇下神的道去管理饭食原是不合宜的。所以弟兄们，当从你们中间选出七个有好名声、被圣灵充满、智慧充足的人，我们就派他们管理这事。但我们要专心以祈祷传道为事。”（徒6:1-4）使徒们从此负担中释放出来之后，“神的道兴旺起来；在耶路撒冷门徒数目加增的甚多，也有许多祭司信从了这道”。（徒6:7）
But
not only has God called elders as lay ministers to guard the spiritual condition
of the church; he has appointed deacons to be lay ministers to look out for the
physical needs of the congregation. Deacons were first appointed so the
apostles could be freed from the burden of finances and administrative tasks.
The Twelve Apostles knew their calling when they said, "It is not
desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. Therefore,
brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the
Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; but we will
give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word"
(Acts 6:1-4). As the apostles were relieved of this burden, "the word of
God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem,
and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith" (v. 7).
因此，牧者们被呼召，是要全身心投入话语和圣礼的事奉。这就是为什么他们要努力学习圣经原文，并理解经文的关键信息，且是在有学问的导师（无论古今）的帮助下。长老，甚至执事都必须接受训练，但他们是从事世间职业的带职人士。只有大牧者的声音通过他在教会的器皿传达出去，担当职分的人才是真正的“被呼召”事奉。也就是说，当一位预备进行相应事奉的候选人收到特定的会众或区会的“呼召”，他才最终被神呼召去事奉。教派主义者可能会认为，这样做是在遏制圣灵，但是这是神制定的模式，在圣经中有明确的描述。而且，这一模式不仅不会限制自由，同时还从本质上避免了灵恩式传道人的专制，因为他们声称自己拥有使徒的权柄，或者可不受教会监管的单独“受膏”。
Ministers,
therefore, are called to be entirely devoted to the ministry of Word and
Sacrament. This is why they labor to learn the original languages of Scripture
and to understand its essential message with the aid of their learned mentors,
ancient and contemporary. Elders and even deacons must also be trained, but
they are laypeople with ordinary vocations in the world. But all officers are
only genuinely "called" to the ministry when the Shepherd's voice is
heard through the mouthpiece of his church. That is, when a candidate who has
prepared for such service receives a "call" from a particular
congregation and the regional presbytery/classis, he is finally called to the
ministry by God. Sectarians may regard this as quenching the Spirit, but it is
God's appointed design, clearly described in Scripture. Far from inhibiting
liberty, this pattern actually guards against the tyranny of charismatic
preachers who claim apostolic authority or an "anointing" separate
from the oversight of the church.
那鲍勃呢？
What
About Bob?
最后，让我们回到开篇所描述的场景，鲍勃声称他被呼召去事奉。看到初信之人的热情，经常会让我感觉自愧不如，他们随时准备迈开脚步去传讲这好消息。但是，就像对知识的追求不能遮盖热心的缺乏，热心也不应成为无知的托词。鲍勃想要分享福音的热心让人倍受鼓舞，但是他是否也被一种错误的事奉观所误导呢？
At
last, we return to our opening scene, with Bob announcing that he is called to
the ministry. I often find myself put to shame by the zeal of new converts who
have their feet prepared with readiness to preach the good news. But as the
claim to knowledge should not be a cover for a lack of zeal, so too zeal should
never be a cloak for ignorance. Bob's desire to share the gospel is
encouraging, but has he been misled by an erroneous view of ministry?
最近，我的一个朋友告诉我，他教会的许多会友纷纷询问他的意见，决定是否要全职服事。“我真的很想服事神，帮助迷失的人”，这些人会说，“我不想仅仅当个旁观者，我要成为真正委身的门徒。”我朋友的回答是：“恭喜你，你是一名基督的门徒。”通常情况下，我们感觉到的事奉的“呼召”，仅仅是更深归属基督的呼召。换句话说，这是信仰的呼召，而不是从事某一特殊职分的呼召。我们每一位信徒都蒙召要在基督里不断成圣和成长。我们都被要求更多地认识神和他在基督里的救赎之工，在知识上长进。没有信徒能免于经历圣灵的工作，治死老我，活出新生命。每一位基督徒，只要真正被呼召归于基督，都迫切希望看到失丧者与神和好。这些特征并不为牧者所独有，而是每一位基督徒都应该具备的！牧者受薪并不是为了他自己作基督的门徒，而是要他引导会众在真理和公义中成长。
Recently,
a friend of mine told me how many cases he has of his parishioners wanting
advice on whether they should go into the ministry. "I want to really
serve the Lord and reach the lost," they say. "I don't simply want to
sit on the sidelines, I want to be a truly committed disciple." My friend
replies, "Congratulations, you're a Christian!" Often, our sense of a
"call" to the ministry is no more than a sense of our high calling to
belong to Christ. In other words, it's a calling to faith not to a particular
vocation. All of us are called to constant sanctification and growth in Christ.
We are all commanded to learn more about God and his saving work in Christ,
growing in our knowledge. No believer is exempt from the Spirit's work of
putting to death the old identity and raising the self to new life. And every
Christian, if genuinely called to belong to Christ, longs to see the lost
reconciled to God. These are hardly distinct qualifications for ministers;
they're the characteristics of being a Christian! Ministers are not paid to be
Christ's disciples for us, but to lead us in truth and righteousness.
当然，鲍勃有可能真的有呼召去从事话语和圣礼事奉，但他需要进一步确认此呼召。首先，他需要咨询他的牧师，让自己服从长老会或区会的权柄（若是在会众制聚会中，则只是长老；若是主教制，则是教区的主教）。在教会的看顾下，他将接受几年的神学训练，这是实践事奉的呼召所需要的。在成功完成学业后，他还要受试验。保罗甚至如此要求执事，更何况是牧师呢！试验通过后，他便可以等待和接受一家教会的呼召。当他接收到呼召，他内在所感受到的圣灵的呼召便得到了教会的印证，他就真的是被呼召进入了事奉。
It is
still possible that Bob is called to the ministry of Word and Sacrament, but
that means he cannot yet be certain. First, he must consult his pastor and go
under the care of the presbytery/classis (or in a congregational polity, simply
the elders, or in an episcopal polity, the bishop). Under care of the church,
he will be guided through the years of theological training required for a responsible
exercise of this calling and upon successful completion, he will be tested.
Paul requires this even of deacons; how much more is it required of pastors!
After passing the examination, he will then be available for a call from a
church. Once he receives this call, the initial sense he had of the Spirit's
calling is confirmed by the church and he is, in truth, called to the ministry.
但这一程序和本文开篇所呈现的脚本很不一样。在那里，鲍勃认为自己蒙召去事奉意味着，他和另一个商人平信徒要开始一个福音事工。但是，正如我们所看到的，圣经里没有这样的事奉。每个信徒都蒙召去传福音，所以鲍勃和他的朋友无需离开各自的职业来专门从事福音事工。此外，教会才是神所立定的传福音的团体。在这里，要注意个人和团体之间的区别：每个个体信徒都要传福音，但并非每个团体都是为着传福音的目的。基督有很多的“弟兄姐妹”，但只有一个教会。在工业生产线上工作的个体基督徒们可以长期不断领他们的同事归向基督，但他们所在的工厂并不因此而变成了福音团体。同样，鲍勃的传福音活动也不能证明他组建一个非教会的传福音团体是恰当的。他和他的朋友有他们的自由：要么在从事世俗职业的同时，通过传福音扩张神的国度，像其他基督徒一样；要么离开世俗的工作，开始蒙召进入话语和圣礼事奉的过程。
But
this procedure is quite different from the scenario outlined in the opening
paragraph. There, Bob was convinced that his calling to the ministry meant that
he and another layman, a businessman, would start an evangelistic ministry.
But, as we have seen, this is nowhere provided for in Scripture. Every believer
is called to evangelize, so Bob and his friend do not need to leave their
vocations in order to take up evangelism. Furthermore, the church is God's
ordained institution for evangelism. Notice the distinction here between
individuals and institutions: every individual believer evangelizes, but not
every institution is evangelistic. Christ has many brothers and sisters, but
only one church. Individual Christians working on an assembly line may win
their co-workers to Christ over time, but the factory does not become an
evangelistic institution. Similarly, Bob's evangelistic activities do not
warrant the creation of an institution that is not the church. He and his
friend are free to either pursue their secular vocations and expand the kingdom
through evangelism as other Christians, or to leave their secular vocations and
begin the process of being called to the ministry of Word and Sacrament.
虽然这种对事奉的理解看起来更加复杂，但最终会大大简化我们所面临的实际问题。它不仅释放了原本认为基督徒的热情必须通过全职事奉才能表达的信徒，使他们继续从事世俗的职业；同时也鼓励我们将我们的牧师看作是基督特别的代表，使他们离开管理饭食的工作，更多地投入到祈祷传道的事工。
Though
this understanding of ministry seems more complicated, it ends up greatly
simplifying our practical questions. It not only frees many who thought that
their Christian zeal had to be expressed in ministry to pursue secular
vocations, it also encourages us to see our ministers as Christ's very
representatives, kept from waiting tables so that they can devote themselves to
prayer and the ministry of the Word.
Notes
1 T.
David Gordon, Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 37/1 (March 1994),
69-78.
[1]本文出处：https://www.whitehorseinn.org/article/what-about-bob（2017年9月5日存取），题目为编者所加，承蒙Modern Reformation授权翻译转载，特此致谢。——编者注
[2] 文中“福音派”指美国福音派。——编者注
[3] 该词的英文是“sacerdotalism”，改教家称之为“priestcraft”，意为“祭司权术”。
[4] 教派主义（sectarianism）不是指宗派制（denominationism）。教派（sect）声称惟独它具有基督的权威。它认为自己是基督的真身；它拥有全部的真理，而其他派别则一概没有，教派具有排外性。参见：本刊编辑部：“你怎么看宗派”，《教会》，2014年第3期，总第47期。——编者注
[5] 这是奥古斯丁所极力反对的。译者注：多纳徒派是由迦太基的主教多纳徒斯（Donatus）所倡导的一个异端，他教导圣礼的有效性在于施礼的圣工人员本身是否圣洁。换言之，如果一个神职人员曾经跌倒过，那么他为信徒所施行的圣礼将被视为无效。
[6] 译者注：中文和合本中的“成全”，NKJV翻译为“equip”。