作者: R.C. Sproul 譯者: Maria Marta
在寫給腓立比人的信中，保羅說道，「那在你們心裡動了善工的必成全這工」（腓一6）。上帝在我們的靈魂裡所開始的，祂定意要完成，這就是上帝的應許。因此，改革宗神學關於聖徒永蒙保守的古舊公理是：倘若你擁有信心--------也就是說，倘若你擁有真信心，並且處於得救恩典的狀態--------便永遠不會失去它。倘若你失去它，那麽就證明你從來沒有這種信心。
我們知道，許多人作出信仰宣告，之後轉離和否認，或放棄這些信仰宣告。 使徒約翰指出有一些人離開了門徒，他說他們「從我們中間離去，這就表明他們是不屬於我們的」（約壹二19；《聖經新譯本》）。 當然，在離開之前，他們外表上與門徒在一起。 他們作了對外的信仰宣告，但耶穌明確表示，即使一個人非擁有他所宣信的，他亦可能做到這一點。耶穌說：「這人民用嘴唇尊敬我，心卻遠離我」（太十五8；《聖經新譯本》）。耶穌在登山寶訓結束時甚至警告，到了最後一天，許多人會來對祂說：「『主啊，主啊！難道我們沒有奉你的名講道，奉你的名趕鬼，奉你的名行過許多神蹟嗎？』但我必向他們聲明：『我從來不認識你們；你們這些作惡的人，離開我去吧！』」（太七23；《聖經新譯本》）。耶穌並不是說：「我認識你一段時間，之後你出了差錯，背叛我。不是，你從來就不是我的無形教會的一分子。」上帝揀選的整全目的是要把祂的子民安全地帶上天堂，故此，祂所開始的，祂應許必定成全。祂不僅開始基督徒的生活，而且作為成聖者、定罪者、幫助者的聖靈與我們同在，以確保我們永蒙保守。
我想強調，這種信心的忍耐並非依靠我們的力量。即使我們在重生之後，仍會陷入罪中，甚至是嚴重的罪。我們說，一個基督徒有可能經歷非常嚴重的跌倒，故此我們談論倒退、道德過失等話題。除了褻瀆聖靈的罪外，我想不出有哪些罪，是一個真歸信的基督徒不能觸犯的。
例如，我們注意舊約中的大衛的例子。大衛無疑是一個合上帝心意的人。他當然也是一個重生的人。他有上帝的靈住在裡面。他對上帝的事情表現出深切的熱情和無比的熱愛。然而這個人不僅犯奸淫，而且還參與一場陰謀，讓他情人的丈夫被殺於戰爭-------這是真正的參與謀殺。這是嚴重的罪。雖然我們看到大衛因先知拿單的說話而深切悔改，但關鍵是大衛跌倒了，他重重地跌倒了。
使徒保羅警告我們對自己的屬靈能力要保持清醒，防止自我膨脹。他說：「所以，那自以為站得穩的，應當謹慎，免得跌倒」（林前十12）。我們確實使自己陷入情節非常嚴重的活動。使徒彼得，甚至在預先得到警告後，仍然拒絕耶穌基督，發誓說自己從來不認識主-------公開背叛耶穌。他對自己的主犯了不忠之罪。當他被警告可能出現這種情況時，彼得說它決不會發生。耶穌說，「西門，西門，撒但設法要得著你們，好篩你們像篩麥子一樣；但我已經為你祈求，叫你的信心不至失掉。你回頭的時候，要堅固你的弟兄。」（路廿二31）。彼得跌倒了，但他回轉。他得到恢復。他跌倒是一時的。這就是為什麽我們說，真基督徒可能有劇烈和嚴重的跌倒，但決不會全然、最終從恩典中失落。
我認為「聖徒的堅忍」這小標語會引起危險性的誤導。它暗示恒忍是某些也許我們本身能夠做的事。我相信聖徒們必定恒忍信心，並且那些蒙上帝有效呼召，被聖靈的大能重生的人，會堅忍到底。然而，他們的恒忍並非因為他們如此殷勤地聽從上帝。我們之所以持續在信心當中，我們能給出的唯一理由是我們蒙保守。所以我更喜歡用「聖徒永蒙保守」一詞，因為我們保持在恩典狀態的過程是由上帝來完成。我對自己蒙保守的信心非基於自己堅忍的能力。我的信心基於基督的大能，祂以其恩典和代禱的大能來支撐我。祂將把我們安全地帶回天家。
参看：
信徒永蒙保守
——從聖經看「一次得救，永遠得救」
文/呂沛淵
TULIP and Reformed Theology: Perseverance of the
Saints
FROM R.C. Sproul
Writing to the Philippians, Paul
says, “He who has begun a good work in you will perfect it to the end” (Phil.
1:6). Therein is the promise of God that what He starts in our souls, He
intends to finish. So the old axiom in Reformed theology about the perseverance
of the saints is this: If you have it—that is, if you have genuine faith and
are in a state of saving grace—you will never lose it. If you lose it, you
never had it.
We know that many people make
professions of faith, then turn away and repudiate or recant those professions.
The Apostle John notes that there were those who left the company of the
disciples, and he says of them, “Those who went out from us were never really
with us” (1 John 2:19). Of course, they were with the disciples in terms of
outward appearances before they departed. They had made an outward profession
of faith, and Jesus makes it clear that it is possible for a person to do this
even when he doesn’t possess what he’s professing. Jesus says, “This people
honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me” (Matt. 15:8). Jesus
even warns at the end of the Sermon on the Mount that at the last day, many
will come to Him, saying: “Lord, Lord, didn’t we do this in your name? Didn’t
we do that in your name?” He will send them away, saying: “Depart from Me, you
workers of iniquity. I never knew you” (Matthew 7:23). He will not say: “I knew
you for a season and then you went sour and betrayed Me. No, you never were
part of My invisible church.” The whole purpose of God’s election is to bring
His people safely to heaven; therefore, what He starts He promises to finish. He
not only initiates the Christian life, but the Holy Spirit is with us as the
sanctifier, the convictor, and the helper to ensure our preservation.
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TRUE CHRISTIANS CAN HAVE RADICAL
AND SERIOUS FALLS BUT NEVER TOTAL AND FINAL FALLS FROM GRACE. —R.C. SPROUL
I want to stress that this
endurance in the faith does not rest on our strength. Even after we’re
regenerated, we still lapse into sin, even serious sin. We say that it is
possible for a Christian to experience a very serious fall, we talk about
backsliding, we talk about moral lapses, and so on. I can’t think of any sin,
other than blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, that a truly converted Christian
is not capable of committing.
We look, for example, at the model
of David in the Old Testament. David was surely a man after God’s own heart. He
was certainly a regenerate man. He had the Spirit of God in Him. He had a
profound and passionate love for the things of God. Yet this man not only
committed adultery but also was involved in a conspiracy to have his lover’s
husband killed in war—which was really conspiracy to murder. That’s serious
business. Even though we see the serious level of repentance to which David was
brought as a result of the words of the prophet Nathan to him, the point is
that David fell, and he fell seriously.
The apostle Paul warns us against
having a puffed-up view of our own spiritual strength. He says, “Therefore let
anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Cor. 10:12). We do
fall into very serious activities. The Apostle Peter, even after being
forewarned, rejected Christ, swearing that he never knew Him—a public betrayal
of Jesus. He committed treason against His Lord. When he was being warned of
this eventuality, Peter said it would never happen. Jesus said, “Simon, Simon,
Satan would have you and sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you, so
that when you turn, strengthen the brothers” (Luke 22:31).Peter fell, but he
returned. He was restored. His fall was for a season. That’s why we say that
true Christians can have radical and serious falls but never total and final
falls from grace.
I think this little catchphrase,
perseverance of the saints, is dangerously misleading. It suggests that the
perseverance is something that we do, perhaps in and of ourselves. I believe
that saints do persevere in faith, and that those who have been effectually
called by God and have been reborn by the power of the Holy Spirit endure to
the end. However, they persevere not because they are so diligent in making use
of the mercies of God. The only reason we can give why any of us continue on in
the faith is because we have been preserved. So I prefer the term the
preservation of the saints, because the process by which we are kept in a state
of grace is something that is accomplished by God. My confidence in my
preservation is not in my ability to persevere. My confidence rests in the
power of Christ to sustain me with His grace and by the power of His
intercession. He is going to bring us safely home.