感謝讚美上帝護理的大能与豐盛的供應。 本網誌內的所有資源純屬學習交流之用。

2017-02-17

作者: Burk Parsons   譯者:  Maria Marta 

基督教是喜樂的宗教。真正的喜樂來自上帝祂闖進我們內心征服我們將我們從永恒的死亡和愁苦中解放出來。上帝賜給我們盼望和喜樂,因為祂藉著所賜給我們的聖靈,把祂的愛澆灌在我們的心裡(羅五5)。喜樂來自上帝,而非來自我們的內心。當我們審視內心,我們只會變得沮喪。唯有當我們把目光投向自身以外的耶穌基督,我們才能擁有喜樂。沒有基督,喜樂不僅難以找到,亦不可能找到。世界孤注一擲地尋找喜樂,但卻在所有錯誤的地方尋找。而我們擁有喜樂,是因為基督尋找我們,發現我們,保守我們。在基督以外,我們不可能有喜樂,因為它不存在。喜樂不是我們所能想象到的。

喜樂並非沒有悲傷,喜樂是聖靈的同在。雖然聖靈使我們的心裡喜樂,祂也經常這樣做-------藉著使我們謙卑,使我們分散對自己的注意力,定睛在基督身上。真喜樂甚至存在於真憂傷之中,真喜樂並非總是意味著我們面掛笑容;它有時意味著我們帶著憂傷痛悔的心,屈膝流淚。司布真(Charles Spurgeon)承認:「我不知道我在何時會比我為罪在十字架的底下哭泣之時更加快樂」。在懺悔和饒恕中必有喜樂,在每日仰望基督,為祂的榮耀而活,而非專注自己,為我們的榮耀而活時必有喜樂。但如果我們每天都活在昨日的恥辱和明天的憂慮之中,我們將永遠無法經歷今天的喜樂。因此,讓我們總要快速奔跑到十字架前,尋找只有基督才能賜予的喜樂,因為試圖在基督以外尋找喜樂,如同試圖尋找沒有太陽的日子。

基督是個多受痛苦,熟悉病患的人,然而祂是為了我們從現在到永遠都能擁有滿足的喜樂。這就是為什麽《西敏小要裡問答》第一問的答案教導我們:「人的主要目的是,榮耀上帝,以祂為樂,直到永遠。」劉易斯(C.S. Lewis)曾說過:「喜樂是一種嚴肅的屬天事物。」 但擁有來自享受上帝的真喜樂,並非只有在天堂上才能經歷到。真喜樂是我們現在就能經歷到的。生命中至大的喜樂就是知道我們的至大喜樂不存在於今生,而是存在於將會到來的那一位身上。我們每一天都生活在未來的盼望中:「他要抹去他們的一切眼淚,不再有死亡,也不再有悲哀、哭號、痛苦,因為先前的事都過去了。」(啟廿一4章新譯本)。當我們看到耶穌基督時,祂會擦幹我們眼中的一切眼淚--------不僅僅是悲傷的淚水,還有喜悅的淚水。不然我們永遠也不可能看見祂。

本文原刊於Tabletalk雜誌2017年二月號

Joy in Christ Alone
by Burk Parsons
Christianity is a religion of joy. Real joy comes from God, who has invaded us, conquered us, and liberated us from eternal death and sadness—who has given us hope and joy because He has poured out His love within our hearts by the Holy Spirit whom He has given us (Rom. 5:5). Joy comes from God, not from within. When we look within, we just get sad. We have joy only when we look outside ourselves to Christ. Without Christ, joy is not only hard to find, it’s impossible to find. The world desperately seeks joy, but in all the wrong places. However, our joy comes because Christ sought us, found us, and keeps us. We cannot have joy apart from Christ, because it doesn’t exist. Joy is not something we can conjure up.

Joy isn’t the absence of sadness—it’s the presence of the Holy Spirit. And although the Holy Spirit produces joy within us, He often does so by humbling us so that we would take our eyes off ourselves and fix our eyes on Christ. Real joy exists even amid real sadness, and real joy doesn’t always mean there’s a smile on our faces. It sometimes means we are on our knees with tears of repentance. Charles Spurgeon admitted, “I do not know when I am more perfectly happy than when I am weeping for sin at the foot of the cross.” Joy comes in repentance and forgiveness and by daily looking to Christ and living for His glory, not by looking to self and living for our glory. But if we live each day bearing the shame of yesterday and the anxieties of tomorrow, we will never experience the joys of today. So let us always be quick to run to the cross to seek the joy that only Christ can give, for trying to find joy apart from Christ is like trying to find day without the sun.

Christ was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief in order that we might have fullness of joy, now and forever. This is why the first answer of the Westminster Shorter Catechism teaches us that “man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.” C.S. Lewis rightly said that “joy is the serious business of heaven.” But having real joy that comes from enjoying God is not something we will experience only in heaven. It is what we experience now. For the greatest joy in this life is to know that our greatest joy is not in this life but in the one to come. We live each day in light of our hope for the future, when Christ “will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Rev. 21). And when we see Christ, He will dry every tear from our eyes—not just our tears of sadness, but our tears of joy as well. Otherwise, we would never be able to see Him.



编辑:Shane Lems   翻译: Maria Marta  

我曾讀過奧古斯丁的著作《上帝之城》的部分內容,不過最近我決定要讀完這套書。當我坐在這裡,我母校的圖書館-------位於加州威斯敏斯特神學院-------我想分享《上帝之城》的一段摘錄,它對我們很有幫助。它與苦難有關:

……上帝的忍耐仍會邀請惡人懺悔,正如上帝的懲罰培養好人有耐心的忍耐力……

雖然如此,當好人和惡人遭受同樣的苦難時,他們的苦難的同一性並不意味著他們之間沒有區別。 雖然苦難相同,但受難者卻仍有區別。盡管他們經歷相同的苦難,但美德和邪惡卻非相同。火焰使黃金發亮,卻讓穀殼冒煙;同受連枷的敲打,稻草被壓碎,穀粒卻得潔凈;不因為受同一壓力的壓榨,油就被誤認為渣滓。

同樣,同一種暴力襲擊好人,試煉,清洗與淨化他們;給惡人帶來的後果卻是譴責,摧毀與滅絕他們。因此,惡人在災難的壓力之下,憎惡與褻瀆上帝;好人,身處同樣的災難,卻獻上禱告與讚美。這表明,問題的關鍵是受難者的本性,而非苦難的本質。攪動糞坑,窒息人的惡臭熏天; 攪拌香水,散發出怡人的芳香。這兩個動作是相同的。

摘錄自《上帝之城》卷一,八章

Suffering: The Wicked and the Righteous (Augustine)
by Reformed Reader

I’ve read parts of Augustine’s City of God before, but I’ve recently resolved to finally finish it.  As I sit here in the library of my alma mater – Westminster Seminary in California – I want to share a helpful section of City of God.  It has to do with suffering:

…The patience of God still invites the wicked to penitence, just as God’s chastisement trains the good in patient endurance….

That being so, when the good and the wicked suffer alike, the identity of their sufferings does not mean that there is no difference between them. Though the sufferings are the same, the sufferers remain different. Virtue and vice are not the same, even if they undergo the same torment. The fire which makes gold shine makes chaff smoke; the same flail breaks up the straw, and clears the grain; and oil is not mistaken for lees because both are forced out by the same press.

In the same way, the violence which assails good men to test them, to cleanse and purify them, effects in the wicked their condemnation, ruin and annihilation. Thus the wicked, under pressure of affliction, execrate God and blaspheme; the good, in the same affliction,offer up prayers and praises. This shows that what matters is the nature of the sufferer, not the nature of the sufferings. Stir a cesspit, and a foul stench arises; stir a perfume, and a delightful fragrance ascends. Both the movements are identical.

This quote is found in book 1, chapter 8 of City of God.

Shane Lems
Covenant Presbyterian Church (OPC)
Hammond, WI



參看其他譯版:

一、
《天主之城》De Civitate Dei contra Paganos
作者聖奧古斯丁(Saint Augustine) 譯者吳宗文
吉林出版集團有限責任公司,20106

……照天主的忍耐要惡人做補贖,他的罰催善人忍耐。這樣,天主的仁慈堅固善人,他的嚴厲罰惡人……

既然如此,善人與惡人同遭災殃,但不可相信在他們中沒有分 別,雖然所遭遇的並無區別。在遭遇同樣災殃者,其中區別巨大; 同樣的痛苦,並不將德行與毛病混而為→。如在同樣火中,金子發 光,而草屑被焚;在同一風車中,稻草飛揚,而五谷清潔;   在同一 壓油器中,油與雜物相混。同樣,一樣的試探,使善人清沽,使惡 人失敗。因此,受同樣的苦,惡人就咒罵天主,而善人反而祈求他, 讚美他。重要的不是受苦,而是誰受苦及如何受苦。同樣搖動後, 泥土發出臭氣熏天,而香水則香氣撲人。


二、
《上帝之城:駁異教徒》The City of God
作者奧古斯丁(Saint Augustine) 譯者吳飛
上海三聯書店,  2007-1

……上帝的忍耐力歡迎壞人的懺悔,而上帝的鞭子會教給好人耐心……

雖然如此,好人和壞人在遭受同等的苦難的時候,兩者之間不是完全沒有區別的,雖然在他們所遭受的苦難之間沒有區別。即使在相同的苦難中,遭受的人還會不同;雖然遭受是同樣的折磨,他們卻石頭德性和罪過一樣的人。在同樣一團火下,黃金發亮,秕谷卻冒煙;在同樣的連枷敲打之下,空粒變癟,谷粒得到淸洗;在同樣的重物擠壓之下,橄欖中的清液不會和橄欖油混淆;因此,同樣一種殘酷的壓力會成就好人,清洗他們,淨化他們;卻譴責壞人,毀滅他們,清除他們。在同樣的析磨之下,壞人會憎恨上帝褻瀆上帝,好人卻向上帝祈禱,讚美上帝。這樣大的區別不在於受什麼苦,而在於誰在受苦。因此,雖然是在同樣的騷動攪擾之下,汙泥發出令人窒息的惡臭,聖油卻散出芬芳的香氣。


三、
《上帝之城》
作者奧古斯丁(Saint Augustine) 譯者王曉朝
人民出版社,  200612

……上帝決不會再耐心地請惡人悔改,更不要說有鞭策善人、使他們受教育那樣的耐心了……


因此,盡管善人和惡人都會遭受痛苦,但我們一定不能因為他們 所受到的痛苦沒有區別就設想人本身沒有區別。即使所受的痛苦相 同,受苦者仍有不同,盡管他們面對的痛苦是相同的,但美德與邪惡 不是一回事。就好比在同樣的火裏,黃金閃光,而糠批冒煙;同受連 櫚敲打,稭草扁癟,而谷粒潔凈。就好比盡管經過同樣力度的壓榨, 在大油桶裏渣津不會與油混雜,所以,同樣力度的傷害對善人是一種 考驗、凈化和純潔,而對惡人來說是遭殃、毀滅和根除。因此,受到間 樣的傷害後,惡人會咒罵、褻讀上帝,而善人會求告和讚美上帝。所 以,重要的區別不在於遭受什麽苦難,而在於什麽樣的人在受苦。同 樣受攪動,汙泥發出熏人的臭氣,而香膏則發出馨香之氣。
作者: R.C. Sproul  譯者: Maria Marta 

我們都聽過佈道家引用啟示錄:「看哪!我站在門外敲門;如果有人聽見我的聲音就開門的,我要進到他那裡去,我要跟他在一起,他也要跟我在一起吃飯。」(啟三20新譯本)。通常,佈道家用此節文本向未歸信的人呼籲,說:「耶穌在敲你的心門。如果你開門,祂就會進來」。不過,在原初的說法中,耶穌的說話是針對教會。它不是一個佈道家的呼籲。

那又怎麽樣?關鍵之處是,尋求是非信徒不能自己作的事。非信徒不會去尋求。非信徒不會敲門。尋求是信徒的事務。愛德華茲曾說:「尋求上帝的國是基督徒生活的首要事務。」尋求是信心的結果,而非原因。

當我們歸信基督,我們用「發現」這語言來表達我們的歸信。我們說找著基督。我們可能有寫著「我找到了」的保險杠貼紙。這些陳述是真實的。具有諷刺意味的是:一旦我們找著基督,這並不是我們尋求的結束,而是開始。通常,當我們找著我們正在搜尋的事物時,它標志著我們搜尋的結束。但是,當我們「找著」上帝,這是我們尋求的開始。

基督徒的生活始於歸信,它並非在開始的地方結束。它成長;從信心到信心;從恩典到恩典;從生命到生命。這成長的過程是藉著不斷追求上帝來推動的。

在你屬靈的道路上,你是從信心到信心,從恩典到恩典,從生命到生命邁進嗎?你在不斷追求上帝嗎?


Is Jesus Knocking at the Heart of the Unbeliever?
FROM R.C. Sproul

We have all heard evangelists quote from Revelation: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me” (Rev. 3:20). Usually the evangelist applies this text as an appeal to the unconverted, saying: “Jesus is knocking at the door of your heart. If you open the door, then He will come in.” In the original saying, however, Jesus directed His remarks to the church. It was not an evangelistic appeal.

So what? The point is that seeking is something that unbelievers do not do on their own. The unbeliever will not seek. The unbeliever will not knock. Seeking is the business of believers. Jonathan Edwards said, “The seeking of the Kingdom of God is the chief business of the Christian life.” Seeking is the result of faith, not the cause of it.

When we are converted to Christ, we use language of discovery to express our conversion. We speak of finding Christ. We may have bumper stickers that read, “I Found It.” These statements are indeed true. The irony is this: Once we have found Christ it is not the end of our seeking but the beginning. Usually, when we find what we are looking for, it signals the end of our searching. But when we “find” Christ, it is the beginning of our search.

The Christian life begins at conversion; it does not end where it begins. It grows; it moves from faith to faith, from grace to grace, from life to life. This movement of growth is prodded by continual seeking after God.

In your spiritual walk, are you moving from faith to faith, from grace to grace, from life to life? Are you continually seeking after God?



作者: Michael Allen    譯者: Maria Marta     

無可否認,「系統神學」是一個具有臨床含義的標簽。它使人浮想起這樣一幅畫面:神學家是一個手裏拿著上帝的活潑聖道的人,不料他竟將聖經的真理體系解剖,肢解成碎片,以便自己貼上標簽(通常用拉丁語!),再將這些碎片編進自己精心設計的類別。盡管系統神學的這種涵義在普及的基督教文化中屢見不鮮,但它不代表大多數基督教神學家就是標簽所刻意標示的含義。系統神學非但沒有試圖將天衣無縫的聖經真理分割,反而考量「神的全部計劃」(徒廿27)在任何特定主題上的教導,並反映上帝啟示的,聖經各個主題之間的關系。

在系統神學裡,我們不僅要問:「關於救恩,聖經教導我們什麽?」 或「關於好行為,聖經教導我們什麽?」我們還要問:「聖經如何講述救恩和好行為?」當然,第二個問題的聖經答案是,救恩並非隨著好行為之後而來的(弗二89)。相反,救恩先於好行為(10節)。救恩是先於,而不是後於好行為,這一點對理解救恩與好行為的本質,和對理解作為單獨主題的救恩與好行為同樣重要。的確,一個人不明白救恩和好行為的關系,就不可能對任一個主題有一個符合聖經的理解。

因此系統神學視聖經教導的主體為活的有機體,為各個肢體提供愛的關注,並找出它們彼此之間的有機關系。從根本上說,系統神學幫助我們更好地明白上帝和一切與上帝有關的事物,這種關系封裝在耶穌基督的「頭」和「祂的身體」之間的活的關系裏(弗一1:2223)。接下來,我們將考量系統神學如何為教會服務,和指導基督徒的生活:1. 通過塑造一個以讚嘆為特征的心意   2.  通過指引以敬拜和見證為特征的生活。

智慧提升讚嘆

系統神學可以歸類稱為聖經「智慧」的一種,根據奧古斯丁的觀念,智慧牽涉的不僅僅是不同事物的知識,不僅僅是應對不同環境所需要的「知道—如何」的實踐。對於奧古斯丁來說,真智慧涉及一種對關系的沈思覺悟,即對暫時與永恒的事實之間的關系;受造物與三一上帝(一切受造物的創始者、成終者)之間的關系的沈思覺悟。

奧古斯丁以這種方式描述智慧,捕抓了一些重要的,聖經在各種主題上教導我們的方式。當摩西開始描述創造,他以上帝開始:「起初, 神創造天地」(創一1)。當約翰開始描述救贖,他也以上帝開始:「太初有道,道與 神同在,道就是 神」(約一1)。詩人在默想上帝奇妙的受造物的種類時,盡管它們的類型多種多樣,但他亦能從中識別出它們準備讚美耶和華的名的統一合唱(詩一四八)。透過救贖歷史上的種種迂回曲折,思考到上帝對猶太人和外邦人救恩計劃的奧秘工作時,保羅在上帝面前發出了油然的驚嘆:「萬有都是本於他,倚靠他,歸於他」(羅十一36)。

作為聖經智慧的一種,系統神學考量三位一體的上帝、聖經教導的最高主題、一切與上帝有關的事物。系統神學周密考慮上帝神聖的三位一體:它思考上帝的本體、完美、位格、旨意、工作。系統神學也周密考慮所有事情:它思考創造、罪、基督等等。在思考後面提到的這些話題的過程中,系統神學總是關注觀察它們與上帝,即他們的創始者和完成者的關系。系統神學是這樣展現以上帝為中心的組織原則。

巴文克(Herman Bavinck)在這方面對系統神學的本質作了恰如其份的的總結。根據巴文克的總結,系統神學「為我們描述上帝,從開始到結束總是上帝-------上帝的本體、上帝的創造、上帝反對罪、上帝在基督裡,上帝透過聖靈破除所有障礙,引導整個創造回歸祂旨意的目的:祂聖名的榮耀。」「鑒於對上帝和一切與上帝有關的事情的關注」,巴文克繼續說道,「系統神學不是枯燥無味的科學。它是神學理論;是上帝美德和完美的榮耀頌;是敬拜和感恩的讚美詩;是一曲『在至高之處,榮耀歸與 神!』」(路二14)。我們可以說,系統神學為唱讚美詩而設。教義神學(系統神學的另一名稱)為榮耀頌而設。總之,系統神學是提升以上帝為中心的讚嘆的聖經智慧。

智慧引導敬拜與見證

系統神學不僅塑造智慧,而且這種被塑造的智慧能使人過敬拜和見證的生活。保羅對羅馬人所說的話正是指向這個方向。接著羅馬書十一章33- 36節那些崇高的讚美,使徒保羅轉向道德指導:「所以弟兄們,我憑著 神的仁慈勸你們,要把身體獻上,作聖潔而蒙 神悅納的活祭;這是你們理所當然的事奉(『理所當然的事奉』或譯『屬靈的敬拜』)。 不要模仿這個世代,倒要藉著心意的更新而改變過來,使你們可以察驗出甚麼是 神的旨意,就是察驗出甚麼是美好的、蒙他悅納的和完全的事。」(羅十二12)。

上帝渴望全面献上自己为供物的敬拜。在这方面所提及的「你的身体」旨在说明,即使自身这个最基本或平凡的元素--------可怜的身体,由于受到罪的影向和诅咒,要遭受痛苦和将会死亡-------可以和能够在赞美中献给上帝作供物。这里保罗跟从申命记第六章的命令,獨一的上帝(4节)召唤在敬拜上帝的事奉中全心、包括全人在内的奉献:「你要全心、全性、全力愛耶和華你的 神」(5节)。上帝所渴望的不仅仅是仪式和祭物,更必需是整个人的「活祭」。

這樣的奉獻不是沒有遭到反對。當然,保羅首先警告防範無神文化的侵蝕:「不要模仿這個世代」。使徒吩咐我們,要排除魔鬼和這個罪惡世界所精心策劃的壓力,不要讓對方把我們的靈魂撂倒。無論在埃及,或在迦南,或在第一個世紀的羅馬,還是在二十一世紀的西方,我們都能看到文化是如何把人們引向歧途的,我們受吩咐要「警惕防範」。但能夠把無辜者牽進其控制之下的,不僅僅是無神文化。

我們自己是問題的一部分,因為我們看到保羅繼續說道,「倒要藉著心意的更新而改變過來」。我們不敢卷入世界的罪惡循環,但我們也必須脫離我們自己內心的邪惡。我們的屬靈現狀是不能接受的;我們必須成聖和有內在的改變。


如果潛伏著這些外部和內部的威脅,那麽保羅建議我們如何抵擋它們,追求我們的崇拜和見證-------我們是為此受造的?保羅說,我們的心意必須更新,好叫我們能察驗。「心意的更新」(羅十二2)包括將你的心意重新定位於上帝和上帝為你作成的憐憫之工(羅十一3336)。這就就是為什麽羅馬書十二章12節的道德吩咐在邏輯上遵循源自羅馬書十一章111節的上帝的榮耀恩典的論述。(這種關系由羅馬書十二章1節中的過渡詞「因此」間接提出來)。「憑著神的仁慈」,我們以理所當然的方式敬拜上帝,由此宣布放棄世界的虛妄和愚頑的敬拜(一2123)。系統神學將我們的順服置換和重新定位,提醒我們總要透過上帝的憐憫鏡頭來看自己。只有當我們在這個框架內了解我們自己和對我們的吩咐時,我們才能察驗出「甚麼是美好的、蒙他悅納的和完全的事」(十二2)。保羅簡要地敘述了一種理智門徒的形式,藉此,我們能夠辨別和成熟具備明智和敬虔的辨別能力,以致我們能在敬拜中尊榮上帝;在我們的見證,在傳述上帝可記念、至善的名,在歌唱上帝的公義時,證實上帝(詩一四五7)。

綜上所述,基督徒的生活是一種「屬靈的敬拜」的生活(羅十二1;我們的翻譯)。當那一位呼召過「敬拜」的生活時,基督徒蒙呼召要成為「活祭」(十二1),將一生獻給上帝的榮耀和我們的鄰舍的好處。當那一位呼召過「屬靈的敬拜」的生活時,基督徒明白藉著自己「心意」的「更新」,將自己的一生奉獻給上帝和鄰舍的意義(十二2)。在要過「屬靈的敬拜」的生活這一呼召中,系統神學特別適合幫助我們。透過幫助我們以上帝為中心的角度來看現實,系統神學塑造一種智慧與讚嘆的心意。透過幫助我們思考一切事情(尤其是我們自己的切身救贖)如何與上帝,我們的創始者和完成者有關系,系統神學也指導我們的敬拜生活:「願榮耀歸給他,直到永遠。阿們」羅十一36


本譯文所引用的經文均出自聖經新譯本。

Dr. Michael Allen is associate professor of systematic and historical theology at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Fla.

本文原刊於Tabletalk雜誌2017年一月號


The Importance of Theology
by Michael Allen
“Systematic theology” is a label with admittedly clinical connotations. It conjures a picture of the theologian as someone who takes in hand the living Word of God only to dissect and dismember the body of biblical truth into various pieces so that he might label (often in Latin!) and arrange those pieces in categories of his own meticulous devising. Though such a connotation of systematic theology is not uncommon in popular Christian culture, it does not represent what most Christian theologians have intended by the label. Far from attempting to divide the seamless garment of biblical truth, systematic theology considers what “the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27) teaches on any given topic and reflects upon the divinely revealed relations between the Bible’s various topics.

In systematic theology, we not only ask, “What does the Bible teach about salvation?” or “What does the Bible teach about good works?” We also ask, “How does the Bible relate salvation and good works?” The Bible’s answer to the latter question, of course, is that salvation does not follow from good works (Eph. 2:8–9). Rather, salvation precedes good works (v. 10). That salvation precedes rather than follows good works is just as vital for understanding the nature of salvation and good works as it is for understanding salvation and good works as isolated topics. Indeed, one cannot have a biblical understanding of either topic without understanding the relationship between them.

Systematic theology thus contemplates the body of biblical teaching as a living organism, offering loving attention to its various members and tracing their organic relations to each another. Ultimately, systematic theology helps us better understand God and all things in relation to God, a relation that is encapsulated in the living bond between Jesus Christ, “the head,” and the church, “which is his body” (Eph. 1:22–23). In what follows we will consider how systematic theology may serve the church and inform the Christian life: (1) by shaping a mind characterized by wonder and (2) by directing a life characterized by worship and witness.

Wisdom That Promotes Wonder

Systematic theology can be classified as a species of biblical “wisdom.” According to Augustine, wisdom involves more than the knowledge of distinct objects and more than the practical “know-how” needed to navigate different circumstances. For Augustine, true wisdom involves a contemplative awareness of the relationship between temporal and eternal realities, the relationship between creatures and the triune God, who is the author and end of all creatures.

In describing wisdom in this manner, Augustine captures something significant about the way the Bible teaches us about various topics. When Moses begins his account of creation, he begins with God: “In the beginning God” (Gen. 1:1). When John begins his account of salvation, he too begins with God: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). The psalmist contemplates the marvelous variety of God’s creatures and, yet, for all their variety, he discerns in them a unified chorus, ready to praise the name of the Lord (Ps. 148). Having considered the mysterious outworking of God’s plan of salvation for Jew and Gentile through the manifold twists and turns of redemptive history, Paul bursts forth in awe and wonder before the God “from whom and through whom and to whom are all things” (Rom. 11:36).

As a species of biblical wisdom, systematic theology considers the triune God, the supreme subject matter of biblical teaching, and all things in relation to God. Systematic theology contemplates God the Holy Trinity: it considers God in his being, perfection, persons, counsel, and works. Systematic theology also contemplates all things: it considers creation, sin, Christ, and so forth. In considering the latter topics, systematic theology is always concerned to view them in relation to God, their author and end. Systematic theology thus exhibits a God-centered organizing principle.

Herman Bavinck well summarizes the nature of systematic theology in this regard. According to Bavinck, systematic theology “describes for us God, always God, from beginning to end—God in his being, God in his creation, God against sin, God in Christ, God breaking down all resistance through the Holy Spirit and guiding the whole of creation back to the objective he decreed for it: the glory of his name.” Given its focus on God and all things relative to him, Bavinck continues, systematic theology “is not a dull and arid science. It is a theodicy, a doxology to all God’s virtues and perfections, a hymn of adoration and thanksgiving, a ‘glory to God in the highest’ (Luke 2:14).” Systematic theology, we might say, is for singing. Dogmatics (another name of systematic theology) serves doxology. In sum, systematic theology is biblical wisdom that promotes God-centered wonder.

Wisdom That Directs Worship and Witness

Systematic theology not only shapes wisdom, but that wisdom also enables a life of worship and witness. Paul’s words to the Romans turn in just this direction. After those lofty praises found in Romans 11:33–36, the Apostle turns toward moral guidance: “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Rom. 12:1–2).

God desires worship, the offering of one’s own self in its entirety. In this regard, surely the mention of “your bodies” is meant to suggest that even the most base or mundane element of the self—this wretched body that suffers and will die due to the effects of sin and curse—may and can be offered unto God in praise. Paul follows the instruction of Deuteronomy 6 here, wherein the singularity of God (v. 4) beckons forth the whole-hearted, all-inclusive devotion of self to God’s service in worship: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” (v. 5). God desires not merely tithes and offerings, rites and ceremonies, but a “living sacrifice” entailing one’s whole being.

Such devotion does not come unopposed. First, of course, Paul warns against the encroachments of a godless culture: “Do not be conformed to this world.” The Apostle calls us to put a spiritual stiff-arm between our souls and the devious pressures of the devil and this sinful world. Whether in Egypt, Canaan, first-century Rome, or the twenty-first century West, we can see how cultures lead astray, and we are called to be alert. But it is not merely a godless culture that might draw innocents into its sway.

We are ourselves a part of the problem, for we see that Paul continues, “But be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” We dare not be drawn into the sinful cycles of the world, but we must also be drawn from the evil inclinations of our own hearts. Our spiritual status quo is not acceptable; we must be sanctified and transformed within.

If these external and internal threats lurk, how does Paul suggest we fend them off and pursue the kind of worship and witness for which we were made? Our minds must be renewed, he says, so that we might be discerning. The “renewal of your mind” (Rom. 12:2) involves reorienting your frame of mind to God and to God’s merciful work done on your behalf already (Rom. 11:33–36). That is why the moral call of Romans 12:1–2 follows logically from the preceding exposition of God’s glorious grace in Romans 1–11. (This relationship is alluded to by the transitional word therefore in Rom. 12:1). “By the mercies of God,” we are to worship God in reasonable ways, thereby renouncing the foolish and futile worship of the world (1:21–23). Systematic theology displaces and relocates our obedience, reminding us always to see ourselves through the lens of God’s mercy. Only when we know ourselves and our calling in that framework, are we capable of discerning “what is good and acceptable and perfect” (12:2). Paul is sketching a form of intellectual discipleship by which we are enabled and matured unto wise and godly discernment so that we can honor God with our worship and attest God by our witness, pouring forth the fame of His abundant goodness and singing aloud of His righteousness (Ps. 145:7).

To sum up, then, the Christian life is a life of “reasonable worship” (Rom. 12:1; translation ours). As one called to a life of “worship,” the Christian is called to be a “living sacrifice” (12:1), to dedicate his life to the glory of God and the good of his neighbor. As one called to a life of “reasonable worship,” the Christian learns what it means to dedicate his life to God and neighbor through the “renewal” of his “mind” (12:2). Systematic theology is especially suited to assist us in the call to “reasonable worship.” Systematic theology shapes a mind of wisdom and wonder by helping us view reality from a God-centered perspective. Systematic theology also directs a life of worship and witness by helping us consider how all things (not least our own redeemed selves) relate to God as their author and end: “to him be glory forever” (Rom. 11:36).



作者:  Michael S. Horton   譯者/校對者:Maria Marta/誠之  

讀聖經其中的一個困難是聖經本身。不僅是新信徒,就算是舊信徒,也往往覺得很難從創世記開始,步履艱辛地一直讀到啟示錄結束,而不會在中間的某處放棄閱讀。新教改革者從來沒有說聖經是一本很容易明白的書。他們所說的,也正是許多信仰告白所肯定的,聖經中不是所有的事都一樣清楚,但其基本的信息是絕對清楚的。威斯敏斯特信條用一個明智的句子提醒我們One of the difficulties of reading the Bible is the Bible itself. Not only new believers, but old ones as well, often find it tough slogging to pick up the book at Genesis and wind up at Revelation without giving up somewhere in between. The Protestant Reformers never said that the Bible is an easy book. What they said, and the confessions confirm this, is that its basic message is essentially clear, even if not everything in Scripture is equally clear. The Westminster Confession reminds us in a wisely constructed sentence:

「聖經的內容並不是每個地方都同樣清楚也不是對每個人都同樣明白但凡是得救所必須知道、必須相信、必須遵守的事我們總能在聖潔找到而且解釋得非常清楚明白不但有學問的人就是無學問的人不必再用什麼巧妙的辦法只要用一般的方法就能充分理解。」1.7

從創世記到啟示錄上帝對我們的要求和祂在基督裡為拯救我們所成就的事都是顯而易見的。What God requires and what he has done to save us in Christ is evident from Genesis to Revelation.

任何人只要有精力、有耐心並且得到智慧的教導都能明白聖經。正如馬克•吐溫打趣地說,「聖經裡面困擾我的不是我不明白的部分,而是我明白的部分。」 但當我們讀得越多,我們就越欣賞其深度和複雜度。像埃塞俄比亞(或譯為埃提阿伯、衣索匹亞)銀庫總管問腓利怎樣才能明白以賽亞書(譯按:參使徒行傳第八章26-35)——那是當時他在沒有教師指導的情況下正在閱讀的——我們每一個人都需要別人的幫助,那怕這個人只早我們一步。The Bible can be understood by anyone with energy, patience, and wise instruction. As Mark Twain quipped, "It ain't the parts of the Bible I don't understand, but the parts that I do, that trouble me." Yet the more we read it, the more we appreciate its depth and complexity. Like the Ethiopian treasury secretary who asked Philip how he could possibly understand the passage from Isaiah he was reading without a teacher, all of us need to be helped along by people who are even just one step ahead of us.

此外很重要的是我們必須和教會其他成員一起閱讀聖經。牧師、教師和長老是基督所賜、來指導我們的使我們有這個特權來聆聽並閱讀上帝的話語。信條和教理問答是好的開始。畢竟,信條和教理問答是指混亂和爭議的時期所產生的。它們所代表的不是某個單一領袖或學派的特色,而是在實際教會內所鍛造出來的、具有共識的文件,這些文件是當這些教會力求闡明聖經最核心的教導時所鍛造出來的。尤其重要的是儘管教會之間存在著這麼多的分歧和分裂但是正統的基督徒在這麼多個世紀以來一直肯定這些普世教會的信條是對聖經忠實的總結。All the more, it is important for us to read with the wider church. Pastor-teachers and elders are given by Christ to guide us in this privilege of hearing and reading God's Word. The creeds and catechisms are great places to start. After all, they emerged from periods of confusion and controversy. Instead of representing the idiosyncratic emphases of a single leader or school, they are consensus documents forged within actual churches as they sought to clarify the most central teachings of Scripture. It is especially significant that in spite of so many disagreements and divisions, orthodox Christians have for so many centuries affirmed the ecumenical creeds as faithful summaries of Scripture.

聖經是一本書The Bible Is a Book…

聖經是一本書似乎是相當明顯的。然而在實際應用中有時我們卻會忘記這一點。聖經來自上帝,而不是人(彼後一20);它是聖靈所默示的——「上帝呼出的」(提後三16)。在這個意義上,它不同於任何其他的書。然而,聖經本身教導我們,上帝乃是通過一般的渠道作工。因此,我們從來不必在上帝的話和人的話之間作選擇;而是說,聖經是上帝的話,以人類為使者。與伊斯蘭教徒對古蘭經的看法大異其趣的是:基督徒不相信聖經是從天上掉下來、再經地上的使者口述出來的。雖然聖經來自上帝,但先知和使徒的話在各方面都證明它們有人類事工的參與。It seems rather obvious that the Bible is a book. Sometimes, however, we forget this in actual practice. Scripture comes from God, not from human beings (2 Pet. 1:20); it is inspired by the Holy Spirit—"God-breathed" (2 Tim. 3:16). In that sense, it is unlike any other book. However, Scripture itself teaches that God works through ordinary means. So it's never a choice between God's Word and human words; rather, it is God's Word through human ambassadors. Unlike Islam's view of its Qur'an, Christians do not believe that the Bible fell from heaven, dictated by an earthly messenger. Coming from God, the words of the prophets and apostles nevertheless bear the evidence on every hand of their human ministry.

我們不應該對此感到驚訝耶穌基督、上帝永恆的兒子道成肉身取了人的樣式﹐降臨在人類的歷史中。祂繼承了特殊的遺傳密碼,這個密碼包括祂家族的特徵和特性; 祂說的是一種已經發展了幾個世紀的特定語言;祂的行為舉止反映出祂所處的獨特時代與世上特定地點的準則。因此,我們可能會強調基督的神性到一個地步,以致於忘記了祂的人性,或者在某種程度上會像一個老式的天秤:我們越肯定一方,便越否定另一方。不,基督是完全的神,也是完全的人。祂在各方面和我們一樣。「祂也曾凡事受過試探,與我們一樣,只是祂沒有犯罪。」來四15 We should not be surprised at this, since God became flesh in our history and through the eternal Son, Jesus Christ, assumed our humanity. He inherited a specific genetic code, including features and characteristics of his family tree; he spoke a particular language that had evolved centuries before he spoke it; and he behaved in ways that reflected the norms of his unique time and place in the world. We can so emphasize the deity of Christ that we forget his humanity or see it somehow like an old-fashioned pair of scales: the more we affirm one, the less we affirm the other. No, Christ is fully God and fully human. He was like us in every way. In fact, he was "tempted like us in every way, yet without sin" (Heb. 4:15).

同樣聖經可以充分具有人的特性而在它所肯定的事上完全沒有錯誤。當我們看到聖經的人性證據時,我們不應該想像,它不是來自上帝。三一真神奇妙地作工,以超乎歷史之上、行在歷史當中、貫穿歷史的方式與我們接觸。鑒於這一事實,當涉及到權威時,我們不應該把聖經當作其他任何書一樣去閱讀。聖經的起頭、中間和最後一個字都是上帝說的。我們應該將聖經作為上帝的話來默想, 不僅僅因它帶有權威,也因它能給我們安慰和保證。如果我們用這種態度去讀其他的書是不恰當的。然而,當涉及到解釋其含義時,我們的閱讀方法應該像讀其他任何書籍一樣。為了釋聖經的含義,必須了解它在寫作時所使用的同一種語法和風格規則。Analogously, Scripture can be entirely human and yet without error in all that it affirms. When we see evidence of Scripture's humanity, we should not imagine that it is not from God. The Triune God works mysteriously above, within, and through history in a way that connects with us. Given this fact, we should not read the Bible like any other book when it comes to authority. God has the first, middle, and last word. We should meditate on Scripture as God's speech, not only in terms of its authority, but also its comfort and assurance. It would be inappropriate for us to treat any other book in this manner. Yet we should read it like any other book when it comes to interpreting its meaning. The same grammatical and stylistic rules that went into composing these books must be understood in order to interpret them.

聖經更像是個圖書館而不是一本書…But More Like a Library than a Book

人們常常說與其說聖經是一本書不如說它更像一個圖書館。這是很重要的一點。聖經是由許多作者,跨越了十二個世紀所寫成的,並且經歷了許多以色列的王,也經歷了被擄時期,三個異教帝國的統治。當我們從一卷書進行到另一卷書我們會看到它們之間風格的差異學者們甚至也察覺到不同語言的嬗變。每卷書也有不同的側重點這原因有很多。It has often been said that the Bible is more like a library than a book. This is an important point. It was written over twelve centuries with many writers, under many kings of Israel, as well as during exile under three pagan empires. Differences in style and even in the evolution of different languages can be detected by scholars as one moves from book to book. There are also different emphases in each book. There are many reasons for this.

首先每卷書卷是從不同的角度去寫的。即使是舊約的歷史書卷或新約的福音書卷也顯露出各自不同的立場和興趣。一開始我們可能會感到驚訝。如果只有一個信息——一個福音——怎麼可能有不同版本呢?用法庭來作比喻也許可以幫助我們理解。當你擔任陪審團的成員時,你可能會聽到各種證詞之間的差異。然而,法官會告訴你,差異並不意味著矛盾。在還原事件的現場時,每個目擊證人是從特定的時間、某個特定的角度,來理解對這個事件的描述。First, each was written from a different perspective. Even the historical books of the Old Testament or the Gospels of the New Testament reveal different standpoints and interests. At first, that might startle us. If there is one message—one gospel— how can there be different versions? It may help to use a courtroom analogy. While serving on a jury, you may hear discrepancies between various testimonies. Yet, as the judge will tell you, discrepancies do not mean contradictions. Each witness saw the event described from a particular angle and at a particular time in the unfolding of the scene.  

其次不同的強調重點更加重了觀點的多樣性。即使是四福音書——作為目擊者的報告——也是福音書作者們所寫的福音單張。所有的證人都帶著他們自己的偏見和利益來到證人席上。然而,使徒毫不刻意隱瞞自己的偏見。他們確信所看到和聽到的,就是上帝在歷史上救贖世人的作為。因此福音書不是簡單的編年表或記錄。每位作者都將自己和其他人所看到、聽到的細節編織成圖案,宣佈信靠耶穌基督是得救的唯一希望。每位作者特別強調基督多方面的位格和工作中特別的方面,也反映出他們各自的背景、興趣和寫作風格。是的,是聖靈預備每位作者日常的生活,以回應此不尋常的呼召。Second, the diversity of standpoints is compounded by the diversity of emphases. Even the Gospels—as eyewitness reports—are evangelistic tracts. All witnesses bring their own biases and interests with them to the stand. However, the apostles make no effort to conceal their bias. They were convinced by what they saw and heard that God had acted in history for the redemption of the world. The Gospels are therefore not simply chronologies or records. Each writer wove the details of what they and others saw and heard into a pattern that proclaimed Jesus Christ as the only hope of salvation. Each writer emphasized particular facets of Christ's multifaceted person and work, reflecting their own backgrounds, interests, and styles as authors. Yet it was the Spirit who prepared each writer's ordinary life for this extraordinary calling.

一個信息多種體載One Message, Many Genres

貶低聖經人性特質的方法之一是認為它不必受限於解釋不同體裁的正常規則。由於我們由此特權可以看到歷史敘事和四福音書的報告我們會輕易地假設在聖經中一切敘述都是一個簡單的斷言、命題、或一個真正的宣稱這是可以理解的。One of the ways we can downplay the humanity of Scripture is by thinking that it transcends normal rules of interpreting different genres. Because we understandably privilege the historical narratives and Gospel reports, we can easily assume that everything in the Bible is a straightforward assertion or proposition, a true statement.

當我們將詩歌當作散文來讀將啟示錄當作歷史敘事來讀將比喻視為真實的描述或者將這層關係顛倒過來將歷史敘事當作寓言或詩歌其危險是顯而易見的。人們在世俗文學裡已經習慣閱讀不同體裁的作品這使我們處於一個有利的位置來閱讀聖經。The danger is apparent when poetry is read as prose, apocalyptic is read as historical narrative, and figures of speech are treated as literal descriptions—or when the relation is reversed, as when a historical report is interpreted as allegory or poetry. People used to reading different genres in secular literature are in a good position to read the Bible.

聖經是神國的治理憲章Covenant Canon

聖經不同的體裁不只是簡單地被一個統一的故事情節綁在一起而是被一本統一的正典綁在一起。聖經準確地分為舊約聖經和新約聖經,因為每部分有各自的結構,各樣不同的書卷也圍繞著它,適切地組合起來。The different genres are bound together not simply by a unified plot, but by a unified canon. Scripture is rightly divided between Old and New Testaments, because each has its own constitution around which all of the various writings fit.

世上萬國萬民有神明作他們的證人。只有以色列上帝同時是他們國家的首領——皇帝或「大君王」。許多古代近東條約(Near Eastern treaties)都展現共同的特點:(1)開場白(preamble),證實偉大君王將條約強加給較弱的小國。(2)歷史序言(historical prologue 證明偉大君王有主權掌管和執行條約的權利。 3)一些要求(stipulations)來統管附庸國(封臣) 國家。(4)獎懲條款(sanctions)——忠誠的益處和不忠誠的審判。最後,該條約的複本將被存放在聖壇或宗主國與附庸國的國家檔案裡。舊約聖經展示出這些特徵。Other nations had the gods as witnesses. Only in Israel, however, was the deity also the head of state—the emperor or "Great King." Many ancient Near Eastern treaties display common features: (1) a preamble, identifying the great king who is imposing the treaty on the lesser nation; (2) the historical prologue justifying his right as sovereign maker and enforcer of the treaty; (3) the stipulations governing the servant nation; and(4) sanctions—the specific benefits for loyalty and judgments for disloyalty. Finally, a copy of the treaty would be deposited in the shrine or archive of the suzerain and the vassal. The Old Testament displays these characteristics.

首先,在伊甸園裡與亞當立的約有開場白(preamble)「起初上帝......」;有歷史序言(historical prologue),證明上帝對被造的萬物,包括人類所享有的主權;以及誡命,並加上對不順服的警告。然後是應許亞當和夏娃將有一位救主。First, there is the covenant with Adam in the Garden with the preamble ("In the beginning God…"); the historical prologue, justifying God's sovereignty over creation, including humanity; and the command, along with the warning for disobedience. Then there is the promise to Adam and Eve of a Savior.

第二歷史敘事證明耶和華對以色列特別的主權掌管這是一個從亞伯拉罕開始到以撒、雅各和約瑟並且將會伴隨一個新的出埃及的應許。上帝必要將屬祂的人帶回到這地,上帝對亞伯拉罕起誓,要將他們建立為聖潔的國度。Second, there is the historical narrative that justifies Yahweh's sovereignty over Israel, specifically. It leads from Abraham to Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, with the promise of a new exodus. God will bring his people back to this land that God swore to Abraham and establish them as his holy nation.

第三跳到申命記這部國家憲法構成了「摩西律法」的外貌與核心。它可以從出埃及記開始算起,往前一直到利未記。智慧文學顯示出上帝道德律法的普遍性。儘管具體的憲法乃是賜給了以色列人上帝的律法把以色列從列國中區分出來但律法的核心反映出上帝所創造的世界的道德結構而十誡是此道德結構的總結。Third, jumping to Deuteronomy, we have the constitution that forms the core of "the law." It spreads b ack into Exodus and forward into Leviticus. The wisdom literature displays the universality of God's moral law. Although Israel has been given a specific constitution, with laws that mark it off from every other nation, the core of that law reflects the moral fabric of the world that God has made, which is summarized in the Ten Commandments.

第四詩篇是讚美詩集是從以色列的故事中所產生的詩歌曲集。這些歌曲將利未記所吩咐的崇拜視為理所當然。同樣,在整個西奈律法的時代裡,對大衛偉大兒子的期盼所作的應許,也是詩篇的假設。Fourth, the Psalms are the hymnal in which we have the songs that emerged from this story of Israel. The worship commanded in Leviticus is d in these songs. So too are the promises that transcend the era of the Sinai law, looking forward to the greater Son of David.

第五先知是上帝聖約的律師起訴控告以色列。他們援引獎懲條款犯罪的詛咒以及從上帝的聖地被放逐。Fifth, the prophets are God's covenant lawyers bringing his suit against Israel. They invoke the sanctions: curses for transgression and exile from God's holy land.

然而亞伯拉罕的恩典之約沒有因以色列的失敗而被宣告無效因為此約不是建立在以色列人民在西奈山所發誓言的基礎之上。相反,它是一個永恆的盟約,完全取決於上帝的信實:祂要差遣祂所膏立的彌賽亞。預言和啟示一起交錯在先知書中,「神為愛祂的人所預備的,是眼睛未曾看見,耳朵未曾聽見,人心也未曾想到的。」(林前二9 這只有通過這些文學體裁才能做得到,因為它們給我們一些提示,一些突然的洞見、快照,和從遙遠的地方傳來的奇特歌聲。Nevertheless, the Abrahamic covenant of grace has not been set aside by Israel's failure, because it is not based on the people's oath that they swore at Sinai. Rather, it is an everlasting covenant that depends exclusively on God's faithfulness in sending his appointed Messiah. Prophecy and apocalyptic swirl together in the prophetic books, because "eye has not seen nor ear heard what God has prepared for those who love him" (1 Cor. 2:9). Only these genres will do, because they give us intimations, sudden insights, snapshots, and the strange strains of songs from a faraway place.

在新約聖經中依稀可看到同樣的模式。從廣義上講福音是給我們的開場白和歷史序言書信是給我們從這個故事裡產生出來的教義和命令啟示錄是上帝對壓迫其子民的人的訴訟和對新天新地的應許。獎懲條款隨後展開最後的審判。The same pattern is discerned in the New Testament. In broad terms, the Gospels give us the preamble and historical prologue, the Epistles give us the doctrines and commands that arise from this drama, and the book of Revelation is God's prosecution of his lawsuit against the oppressors of his people and the promise of the new creation. The sanctions unfold: it is the Last Judgment.

因此我們不僅應該看到一個從創世記到啟示錄不斷展開的故事情節彷彿它是一個歷史故事我們也必須看到以色列的故事這個扎根在西奈山的舊盟約——像哈姆雷特的戲中戲一樣如何有別於對亞伯拉罕的應許此應許在以色列蔑視上帝、那令人沮喪的時期中仍然在舒展它的旗幟。我們必須看到箴言如何為以色列盟約核心的道德準則的普遍性作見證,詩篇是如何成為聖約崇拜的讚美詩歌。我們必須認識到西奈之約的分明線條,才能讓我們看到舊約中的福音,而不至於將亞伯拉罕的應許與西奈條約獨特的規條、獎懲條款混淆。所以我們現在甚至可以在從錫安來的書信裡讀到誡命,而不只是在從西奈來的書信裡才能讀到。他們不是「在所賜你的地上,得以長久」的條件,而是保羅所稱,我們「以神的慈悲」所當獻上的「理所當然的事奉」(羅十二1 )。So we not only have to see the one plot unfolding from Genesis to Revelation, as if it were one historical narrative, but we have to see how Israel's story—the old covenant rooted in Sinai—is, like Hamlet's play-within-a-play, distinct from the Abrahamic promise that also unfurls its banner throughout the otherwise depressing episodes of Israel's defiance. We have to see how Proverbs serves as a testimony to the universality of the moral code at the heart of Israel's covenant, how the Psalms form the hymnal of covenant worship. We have to recognize the distinct lines of the Sinai covenant, so that we see the gospel in the Old Testament and do not confuse the unique stipulations and sanctions of the Sinai treaty with those of the Abrahamic promise. So now we read the commands even in the Epistles from Zion, not Sinai. They are not conditions for "long life in the land," but what Paul calls "the reasonable service" that we are to offer "in view of the mercies of God" (Rom. 12:1).

聖經不是一本密碼書Hermeneutical Rules

有兩個詮釋聖經的輔助觀念值得一提。首先關鍵的是要區分不同的聖約。我們必須區分福音與律法。這不是說舊約是律法,新約是福音;也不是說律法是壞的,福音是好的;二者都是出自上帝的口。所以,這是要清楚區分當上帝說話時,祂正在做的和沒有做的。祂是在審判還是赦免,是定罪還是安慰,是在啟示對我們生活的道德旨意還是啟示祂救贖的目的?靠律法承受永生的原則和靠應許承受永生的原則是完全相反的。聖經在許多地方對此有明確的陳述,尤其是在加拉太書第三和第四章。其次,重要的是要在基督之光下詮釋整本聖經。在這個不斷展開的故事中,耶穌基督是中心的人物。耶穌和門徒們正是這樣解釋舊約聖經的(參見,例如,約五39-40;路廿四25-27 ;以及使徒行傳的講章) Two more aids to interpreting Scripture are worth mentioning. First, it is crucial to distinguish covenants. We have to distinguish the law from the gospel. This does not mean Old Testament versus New Testament. Nor does it mean that law is bad and gospel is good. Both come from the mouth of God. So it is a matter of distinguishing between what God is doing and not doing when he is speaking. Is he judging or delivering, convicting or comforting, revealing his moral will for our lives or revealing his saving purposes? The principle of inheriting everlasting life by law is totally opposed to the principle of inheriting everlasting life by promise. This is clearly stated in many places, but especially in Galatians 3 and 4. Second, it is important to interpret all of Scripture in the light of Christ. Jesus Christ is the central character in this unfolding drama. This is how Jesus and his apostles themselves interpreted the Old Testament (see, for example, John 5:39-40; Luke 24:25-27; and the sermons in Acts).

我有時會聽到一些講道這些講道在結束時會讓我不禁想要問「他們真的需要這節特別的經文來講這篇道嗎」這篇講道也許在神學上是健全的動機也是為了傳福音。但這些講道者認為,宣講律法與福音,以及從整本聖經中宣講基督,意味著每週要簡單重複同樣的公式。這很容易做到,但對經文卻是不忠心的。有些講道者見林不見樹而另一些則是見樹不見林。I have heard sermons that make me ask at the end, "Did they even need this particular text to preach that sermon?" It may even have been theologically sound and evangelically motivated. But they thought that preaching the law and the gospel and preaching Christ from all the Scriptures meant simply repeating the same formula every week. That is easy, but it is unfaithful to the text. Some lose the forest for the trees; others lose the trees for the forest.         

具體舉例來說「除耶和華以外不可有別神」這個誡命可以聽成是上帝的應許即上帝已經使我們成為屬祂的人而且永遠不會離棄我們。因此,你不能只是列出一大串「律法」和「福音」的經文。To put it concretely, the command not to have any other gods but Yahweh can be heard (by someone trusting in Christ) as the promise that God has made us his own and will never forsake us. You cannot just come up with an omnibus list of "law" passages and "gospel" passages.

我們不會在每段經文中都清楚看到基督正如我們不會在小說或戲劇的每一個場景都會看到主角一樣。一個精彩的故事它部分的魅力就是主角被加在一個似乎是關於其他事或其他人物的上千場景的過程之中。耶穌也啟示出父上帝,祂甚至還啟示了成為人的意義。聖經有大量關鍵的教導,它本身會促使我們尋求三位一體的上帝,上帝的國度,和日常生活的智慧。但是任何一點都不能抽離在基督裡的救贖故事,我們不能靠隨意翻閱經文來得著基督。無論我們是牧者、聽眾或讀者,擺在我們面前的都是一段經文。聖經有如一幅拼圖,可以展示基督是其中心;而每這幅拼圖的每一片都必須恰到好處,才能構成完整的拼圖。你不能為了啟示基督,而隨意安插這些拼圖片。基督是曠野裡的磐石(林前十4 ,但是,這並不能讓我們可以隨意地在每一塊岩石下尋找基督。有一種草率和懶惰型的預表論,為了「破譯」基督而使一段經文成為一個「密碼」,卻忽略了這段經文緊鄰的上下文的內容和意義。We do not see Christ in every passage explicitly any more than the central character of a novel or play appears in every scene. Part of the charm of a good story is that central characters impose themselves in the process of a thousand scenes that seem to be about something or someone else. Jesus also reveals the Father. He even reveals what it means to be human. There is a wealth of key teachings in Scripture, which itself impels us to seek the Trinity, the kingdom of God, and wisdom for daily living. None of them can be abstracted from the drama of redemption in Christ, but we do not get to Christ by leaping over the text. There is a passage in front of us, either as preachers or as hearers and readers. Each piece fits into a puzzle that reveals Christ as the center, but each piece must actually fit. You can't just force it into place in order to "reveal Christ." Christ is the Rock in the wilderness (1 Cor. 10:4), but that doesn't give us license to find Christ under every rock, as it were. There is a hasty—and lazy—kind of typology that ignores the immediate context and meaning of a passage in order to make it a "code" for deciphering Christ.


我們不能在一節經文之外來找這節經文的意思。你的講道不是在講經文的分類而是使用經文所有的分類來宣講基督要從每一節特定的經文來傳講整個故事的中心人物基督。The meaning of a passage is not found above, behind, or beneath the text. You don't preach the categories but use the categories to preach Christ as the central character of the whole story, from every particular text.