教會是上帝的殿The Church as the Temple ofGod
作者: Daniel R.
Hyde 譯者: Maria Marta
你曾作為邀請貴賓，參加過一些活動嗎？ 也許是新娘聚會（Bridal Shower），也許是寶寶派對（baby shower），又或者是畢業典禮。所有人的眼睛都注視著你，大家對待你的態度，讓你感到很自豪。我們在整本彼得前書看到基督徒被描述為朝聖者，受到這世界詛咒，但是在第二章，彼得的描述峰回路轉，說上帝特別尊榮我們。
彼得在二章4節說我們「到他面前來」，「他」是指舊約的「主」（3節），彼得說「主」是耶穌基督。 他繼續說明到基督面前來「對你們信的人是寶貴的」（7節）。 我們再翻看彼得在一章7節的精辟言論：在今生我們的信心經過試驗……，但這裏他說當我們相信，上帝會尊榮我們。這是怎麽回事? 留意彼得前書二章論到三份尊榮。
成為一處地方的尊榮
藉著信心成為一處地方, 我們受到尊榮。這地方非任何地方，乃是聖地。 彼得前書二章4節將神的家的比喻轉為神的殿的比喻。 在新約（New Covenant），還有一處聖地。 但其建築材料並非木材、石材、貴重金屬。 耶穌基督是新聖地的奠基石，基督徒是它的墻。
如果你參觀家庭裝修展覽，你會很奇妙地看到：輕易拆除墻壁，重新配置房屋內部，徹底改變原有的樣貌，原因是我們使用木材和石膏灰泥板。古代的建築物經久耐用-----它們是用石頭造成的。這裏彼得說，我們的尊榮是我們正被建造成永久的聖殿。
我們的主復活了，我們藉著信心來到主面前，就像「活石」，但祂繼續被許多人「棄絕」（二4，引用詩一一八22）。 為什麽？ 聖經說，從一開始，人就因自己的驕傲和能力而拒絕主（創十2）。 雖然耶穌被人拒絕，但耶穌「卻是神所揀選所珍貴的」（彼前二4，引用以賽亞書廿八16）。
就像基督是上帝新聖殿的永活、揀選、珍貴的奠基石那樣，我們也「像活石，被建造成為靈宮」（二5）。 動詞「建造」是被動語態，意味著我們是動作的承受者，而非動作的執行者。 正如耶穌所說的：「我要在這磐石上建立我的教會」（太十六18）。祂正將我們建造為「屬靈的家」，意思是指「聖靈賦予我們生命，和內住在我們裡面」。我們再思想一下：我們------這些罪人不僅僅是個體的，而且也是集體的------是永生神的殿。 上帝住在我們中間 ------我們所有人當中。
成為祭司的尊榮
過去我打籃球的時候，我們常有頒獎禮，這裏嘉獎給這球員，那裏嘉獎給另一個球員，但總會有一個球員，他不僅是他所在球隊最有價值的球員，而且也是所有聯賽一線隊的年度進攻球員、得分冠軍、被列入榮譽榜。 同樣，在基督裡，我們不單單擁有一份尊榮，而是擁有很多份尊榮。 我們在基督裡得到天上各種屬靈的福分（弗一3）。
藉著信心成為聖殿，我們受到尊榮，但沒有祭司服事的聖殿是無用的。 所以，彼得告訴我們，基督建造我們成為聖殿的目的是「做聖潔的祭司，藉著耶穌基督奉獻神所悅納的靈祭。」（彼前二5） 成為祭司，我們也受到尊榮。 在舊約，祭司單單來自利未支派。 現在所有信徒都受到上帝尊榮。 我們不僅是獻祭物的聖殿，我們更是獻祭物的人。 哪一種祭呢？ 屬靈的祭，意思是指透過聖靈工作而供獻的祭。 我們的祭物是我們的身體（羅馬書十二章）、我們憂傷痛悔的靈（詩篇五十一）、與我們的讚美（希伯來十三章）。
在彼得前書二章9節特別清晰看「成為祭司」這一點，我們被譽為「君尊的祭司……為要叫你們宣揚那召你們出黑暗入奇妙光明者的美德」。讚美是如何借著聖靈的引導成為祭物，並蒙上帝悅納的呢？ 首先，讚美上帝意味著你在謙卑的祭壇上供獻自尊和自我依靠。 其次，透過聖靈讚美上帝，意味著你獻給祂你內心的敬拜，而不僅僅是你的雙手。 彼得在彼得前書一章22節說，我們得了重生，「就應當從清潔的心裡彼此切實相愛」。我們獻給上帝讚美的祭，務必要以最真誠的態度，而非平常的態度，務必要發自內心，而非僅僅出於習慣。
成為聖潔國民的尊榮
彼得在這裏添加第三份尊榮：藉著信心成為聖潔的國民，我們受到尊榮。「然而你們是蒙揀選的族類，是君尊的祭司，是聖潔的國民……從前不是子民，現在卻是 神的子民；從前未蒙憐恤，現在卻蒙了憐恤。」（彼前二9-10）。 這曾經是以色列人的尊榮（出十九章，申七章），但現在它是所有相信的人，包括猶太人和外邦人的尊榮。
你對自己的罪感到沮喪嗎？ 你對世上的鬥爭感到失落嗎？ 你感到迷失在迷宮裏，無法找到自己的出路嗎？ 默想彼得前書二章4-10節，注意每一小片語都像一顆鑲崁在主放在你頭上的榮耀冠冕上的寶石。 你們這些蒙恩得救的罪人受到上帝尊榮，上帝不但賜冠冕，還將聖地、祭司、國民這些珠寶鑲崁在這冠冕上。
本譯文的聖經經文皆引自《聖經新譯本》
本文原刊於Tabletalk雜誌2017年十二月號 。
The
Church as the Temple of God
by
Daniel R. Hyde
ave
you ever been at an event where you were the guest of honor? Maybe it was a
bridal shower, a baby shower, or a graduation. Every eye was on you, and people
treated you in a way that made you feel so privileged. Throughout 1 Peter, we
see Christians described as pilgrims who are cursed by this world, but in
chapter 2, Peter turns this on its head and says God has particularly honored
us.
Peter
says in 2:4 that we “come to him,” meaning the “Lord” (v. 3) of the Old
Testament, who Peter says is Christ. He goes on to define what it means to come
to Christ: “So the honor is for you who believe” (v. 7). What’s beautiful to
see is that back in 1:7, he spoke of our faith going through trials in this
life, but here he says when we believe, God honors us. How so? Note three
honors in 1 Peter 2.
HONORED
TO BE A PLACE
By
faith, we are honored to be a place. And not just any place, but a Holy Place.
First Peter 2:4 switches the metaphor from being the family of God to being the
temple of God. In the new covenant, there still is a Holy Place. But its
building materials are not wood, stone, or precious metals. Jesus Christ is the
cornerstone and Christians are the walls of the new Holy Place.
If
you watch home renovation shows, it’s amazing how easy it is to rip down walls,
reconfigure the inside of a house, and totally change the look of what was once
there. That’s because we use wood and drywall. In the ancient world, though,
buildings were built to last—they were built of stone. Peter is saying here
that our honor is that we are being built to be a permanent holy temple.
While
we come to Christ by faith as “a living stone” because of His resurrection, He
continues to be “rejected by” so many other “men” (2:4, citing Ps. 118:22).
Why? Scripture says that since the beginning, men have rejected the Lord for
their own pride and power (Gen. 10; Ps. 2). Though He was being rejected by
men, Jesus is “in the sight of God chosen and precious” (1 Peter 2:4, citing
Isa. 28:16).
As
Christ is the living, chosen, and precious cornerstone of God’s new Holy Place,
“you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house”
(2:5). The verb “being built up” is in the passive voice, which denotes that
the action is done to us, not by us. As Jesus said, “I will build my church”
(Matt. 16:18). He is building us into a “spiritual house,” meaning that we are
“animated and indwelt by the Holy Spirit.” Think of this: we, sinners, not only
individually, but corporately, are the temple of the living God. God lives
among us—us of all people.
HONORED
TO BE A PRIESTHOOD
When
I played basketball, we had awards banquets where there was an award for one
player here and one player there, but there was always one kid who was not only
MVP of his team, but first team all-league, offensive player of the year,
scoring champ, and on the dean’s list. Similarly, in Christ, we don’t have just
one honor, but many. We have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in
Christ (Eph. 1:3).
By
faith, we’re honored to be a Holy Place, but a temple is useless without
priests to serve in it. So, Peter tells us the purpose of Christ’s building us
into a temple: “to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices
acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5). We’re also honored to be
a priesthood. In the Old Testament, the priesthood came from just the tribe of
Levi. Now all believers are so honored by God. We are not only the temple in
which sacrifices are offered but we are the ones offering them. What kind of
sacrifices? Spiritual sacrifices, meaning sacrifices that are offered by virtue
of the work of the Holy Spirit. Our sacrifices are our bodies (Rom. 12), our
broken and contrite spirits (Ps. 51), and our praise (Heb. 13).
This
is seen in particular in 1 Peter 2:9: we are honored to be “a royal priesthood
. . . that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of
darkness into his marvelous light.” How is praise a sacrifice that is led by
the Spirit and acceptable to God? First, to praise God means that you sacrifice
your pride and self-reliance on the altar of humility. Second, to praise God by
the Spirit acceptably means that you offer to Him the worship of your heart and
not merely of your hands. Peter said in 1 Peter 1:22 that we have been born
again to love one another “earnestly from a pure heart.” Our sacrifices of
praise to God are to be earnest, not commonplace, and from the heart, not
merely out of custom.
HONORED
TO BE A PEOPLE
Peter
adds a triple honor here: by faith, we are honored to be a people. “But you are
a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own
possession. . . . Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people;
once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy” (1 Peter
2:9–10). This was once Israel’s honor (Ex. 19; Deut. 7), but now it’s the honor
for all who believe, Jew and Gentile alike.
Are
you feeling down about your sins? Are you beaten down by the struggles in the
world? Do you feel lost in a maze out of which you cannot find your way?
Meditate on 1 Peter 2:4–10 and notice that each little phrase is like a jewel
in the crown of honor the Lord has placed on your head. You, sinner saved by
grace, have been honored by God with a crown of salvation, and in that crown
God has placed the jewels of being a place, a priesthood, and a people.
Rev.
Daniel R. Hyde is senior minister of Oceanside Reformed Church in Oceanside,
Calif. He is author of God in Our Midst and Welcome to a Reformed Church.
