在敬畏上帝的事上成長的八種方法8 Ways to Grow in the Fear ofGod
作者：Tim Challies 駱鴻銘譯自：
Albert
Martin在他的新書《被人遺忘的敬畏》（The Forgotten Fear）中，列出八項具體的指示，以維持並加增我們心中對上帝的敬畏。以下是這八條指示，以及每一點的總結。請思考以下的策略，幫助自己越來越像基督：
In
his book The Forgotten Fear, Albert Martin lists eight “specific directives for
maintaining and increasing the fear of God in our hearts.” What follows are his
eight directives along with summaries of each point in his own words (lightly
tweaked). Consider following these strategies for your own growth in
Christlikeness.
1. 要確定自己對「新約」有興趣。1) Be certain that you have an interest in the new
covenant.
耶穌基督已經以新約中保的身份而死，而新約所應許其中的一個祝福就是上帝會使百姓有敬畏祂的心（譯按：參耶三十二40）。要這樣禱告：「主耶穌，因為祢已經捨身流血，我懇求祢加添我對祢的敬畏，讓我對祢的敬畏與日俱增。這是新約的血所保證的，也是已經為我確保的。」The argument you
ought to press before God should be that Jesus Christ has died as the Mediator
of the new covenant, and that one of the blessings promised in that covenant is
that God would put His fear into your heart. Pray, “Lord Jesus, on the basis of
Thy shed blood I plead for an increase of Thy fear. Give me as much of Thy fear
as the blood of the covenant warrants and has secured for me.”
2. 用聖經來餵養我們的心思意念。2) Feed your mind on the Scriptures in general.
在敬畏上帝與上帝在聖經中所作的特殊啟示之間，有一個無法分割的關連。這個關係的結果是，就其意圖和目的來說，敬畏上帝可以被當作敬畏上帝的話的同義詞。聖經所有的真理，其總體效果是培養對上帝的敬畏。無論如何，那些消化了最多經文、把經文屬靈地整合到他心裡、生活、整個存有的人，是最能明白什麼是敬畏上帝的人。
There
is an inseparable relationship between the special revelation God has made in
Scripture and the fear of God. And this relationship is such that, for all
intents and purposes, the fear of God can be used as a synonym for the Word of
God. The overall effect of every truth of Scripture is to feed the fear of God.
In one way or another, the individual who absorbs the most Scripture,
spiritually assimilating it into his heart, life, and very being, is the one
who will know most of the fear of God.
3. 用上帝赦免的事實來餵養我們的靈魂。3) Feed your soul with the reality of the forgiveness
of God.
當我們認識到這位偉大、聖潔、公正、無所不知的上帝真的會赦免罪，而祂所有榮耀的屬性已經完全用來賜給我公正的赦免與完全的接納，我們除了敬畏祂之外，還能做什麼呢？赦罪之恩的事實和奇妙深入到你的靈魂有多深，你對上帝的敬畏就會有多深。因此，假若你想要維持你心裡對上帝的敬畏，就用上帝的赦免來餵養你的靈魂吧。
When
we discover that this great God, holy and just and omniscient as He is,
actually forgives sins, and that all of His glorious attributes have been fully
engaged to grant me a just pardon and full acceptance, how can we help but fear
Him? The measure to which the fact and wonder of forgiving grace sinks into
your soul will be the measure of your fear of God. Therefore, if you would have
the fear of God sustained in your heart, feed your soul on God’s forgiveness.
4. 學會用上帝的威嚴偉大來餵養你的靈魂。4) Learn to feed your soul on the majestic greatness
of God.
我是指祂的性情和屬性的一些方面，例如祂絕對的主權、聖潔、權能、無所不能、廣大無邊。當我們默想祂的威嚴偉大，任何有理性的被造物卻不會敬畏這樣的上帝是無法想像的。倘若一個被造物能照著上帝所啟示的來認識祂，他就無法不敬畏祂。上帝的百姓務要遵守的原則是：倘若你想要在敬畏上帝的事上成長，你就必須用上帝的威嚴偉大來餵養你的靈魂。
By
that, I mean those aspects of His character and attributes such as His absolute
sovereignty, holiness, power, omnipotence, and immensity. As we contemplate His
majestic greatness, it is unthinkable that any rational creature would not fear
such a God. If a creature knows God as He is revealed, he cannot help but fear
Him. The principle for us as God’s people is this: If you would grow in the
fear of God, then you must feed your soul on the majestic greatness of God.
5. 努力培養上帝的同在感。5) Seek to cultivate an awareness of God’s presence.
行在敬畏上帝當中，必須培養對祂的同在感。你無法敬畏一位遙遠又被遺忘的上帝。我們若要敬畏上帝，祂就必須是一位臨近我們、被我們記念的上帝。上帝就在那裡。大衛在詩篇一三九不是把上帝放在那個場景，而是祂已經在那個場景裡。不過，那是承認祂在那裡，這會成為轉化我們生命的經驗。因此，願上帝幫助我們培養對祂的同在感。
To
walk in God’s fear is to cultivate this awareness of His presence. You cannot
fear a distant and a forgotten God. If God is feared, it is as a God who is
near and who is remembered. God is there. David’s setting Him there [in Psalm
139] did not put Him there; He was already there. But it is the recognition
that He is there that becomes the transforming experience in our lives. May God
therefore help us to cultivate this awareness of His presence.
6. 試著去培養對上帝的義務的意識。6) Seek to cultivate the consciousness of your
obligations to God.
敬畏上帝的一個必不可少的元素是，在所有的處境當中，基督徒都明白，祂與上帝的關係是他所擁有的最重要的關係。我們每天早上的第一個禱告應該是：「主啊，幫助我行在對祢的敬畏之中。」耶穌來是要把新約的祝福栽種在人心中，好叫他們可以敬畏祂，到一個程度，即使他們必須斬斷與地上最深的牽連，他們也願意為了祂的緣故這樣做。
One
indispensable element of the fear of God is that in each situation the
Christian realizes that his relationship to God is the most important
relationship he has. Our first prayer every morning should be, “Lord, help me
this day to walk in Thy fear.” Jesus came to implant the blessings of the new
covenant in the hearts of men so that they will fear Him to the extent that,
even if they must sever the deepest of earthly ties, they will be willing to do
it for His sake.
7. 與那些敬畏上帝的人作好友。7) Associate closely with those who walk in the fear of God.
在你有機會和權利去選擇你的摯友時，要選擇那些敬畏上帝的人作你的好友。人與人之間的效法、吸收和感染是大有威力的，以至於你會變得像你最親密的朋友一樣。這就是為何上帝警告我們不要與惡人建立親密的關係的原因——好叫我們不會變成和他們一樣。你想要在敬畏上帝的事情上成長嗎？若這是你要的，就和那些行在敬畏上帝的道路中、有聖約教會會友身份的人同行，和他們交友——成為摯友，而不是泛泛之交。
Where
you have the opportunity and privilege to select your intimate friends, they
ought to be God-fearing people. There is a power of imitation, absorption, and
contagion between individuals such that you will become like your most intimate
associates. That is why God warns us against forming intimate associations with
evil men—so that we don’t become like them. Do you desire to grow in the fear
of God? If you do, then associate yourself—intimately, not loosely—with those
who walk together in His fear in covenantal church membership.
8. 熱切禱告，求上帝加添你對祂的敬畏。8) Fervently pray for an increase of the fear of God.
上帝國度一個恆久不變的規律是：「你們祈求，就給你們；尋找，就尋見；叩門，就給你們開門。」（太七7）或者用反面來說，「你們得不著，是因為你們不求。」（雅四2） 當我們為加添對上帝的敬畏而禱告，我們必須以無可動搖的信心來禱告，即我們的確是照著上帝的旨意而求。有了這個信心，我們可以滿心期待，上帝的確會聽這個加添敬畏的禱告，並回應這個禱告。
One
of the unalterable laws of God’s kingdom is, “Ask, and it will be given to you”
(Matt. 7:7). Or to put it negatively, “You do not have because you do not ask”
(James 4:2). When we pray for an increase of the fear of God, we ought to pray
with unshakable confidence that we are indeed asking for something that is in
accord with God’s will. Having this confidence, we can pray for this increase
in the firm expectation that God will indeed hear and answer such prayer.
Again,
for those interested, I have reviewed Martin’s book, The Forgotten Fear.
有興趣的人，可以讀我對這本書的書評：《被人遺忘的敬畏》（ The Forgotten Fear）。
