什麽是得救的信心？

WhatIs Saving Faith?

作者: R.C. Sproul 譯者: Maria Marta

http://www.ligonier.org/blog/what-saving-faith/

https://plus.google.com/u/1/106695469993489516884/posts/VSGQ4xqbh6i

信心是基督信仰的核心。新約反復呼籲人相信主耶穌基督。有一套明確的主體內容必須要相信，它是我們宗教活動不可缺少的部分。在宗教改革時期，信心的本質曾引起爭議。什麽是得救的信心呢？唯獨因信稱義的觀念使很多人聯想到幾乎不加掩飾的反律法主義-------聲稱人只要相信正確的事，就能以他們喜歡的任何方式生活。然而，雅各在他的書信中寫道：「我的弟兄們，人若說他有信心，卻沒有行為，有甚麼益處呢？……只有信心，沒有行為，這信心就是死的」（雅二14，17；《聖經新譯本》）。路德說，這種稱義的信心是fides viva，即「活的信心」，它能使人不可避免、必然、立即結出公義的果子。我們唯獨藉著信心得救，但不是靠一個單獨的信心。結不出果子的信心不是真信心。

對羅馬天主教而言，信心加上行為等於稱義；對反律法主義者而言，信心減去行為等於稱義；對新教改教家而言，信心等於稱義加上行為。換句話說，上帝在祂面前稱我們為義，行為不被考慮在內；行為不是上帝決定稱我們為義的部分理由。

得救信心的組成要素是什麽？ 新教改教家認識到聖經裡的信心有三個關鍵方面：notitia 信仰的內容（資料/信息）、assensus理性上的認同、與fiducia信靠和依賴（信任委身）。

notitia是指信仰的內容，我們所相信的事（資料/信息）。關於基督，有些確鑿的事我們需要相信，那就是祂是上帝的兒子，祂是我們的救主，祂提供了贖罪等等。

Assensus是指深信我們信仰的內容是真實的。一個人可以知道基督信仰，但卻認為它是不真實的。 我們可能懷疑或混淆我們的信仰，但如果要獲得拯救，智力的肯定和信念必須要達到一定的程度。任何人在真正信靠耶穌基督之前，他必須相信基督確實是救主，祂正是祂所宣稱的。 真信心說內容，即notitia，是真實的。

Fiducia是指個人的信靠和依賴。 知道和相信基督信仰的內容是不夠的，因為即使惡魔也能做到這一點（雅二19）。信心只有在一個人親自唯獨信靠基督而得救才有效。智力上同意一個命題是一回事，個人信靠又是另一回事。我們可以說我們唯獨因信稱義，卻仍然認為憑借我們的成就、我們的行為、我們的努力可到達天堂。頭腦上獲得因信稱義的教義很容易，但將它吸收進你的血液之中，好叫我們唯獨只靠基督獲得救恩卻很難。

除了信靠之外，fiducia還有另一個要素，那就是感情。 一個未重生的人決不會來到耶穌的面前，因為他不想要耶穌。 在他的頭腦和心裡，他從根本上與上帝的事為敵。 只要一個人對基督懷有敵意，他就不會愛祂。 撒但就是一個例子。 撒但知道真理，但牠憎恨真理。牠完全不想敬拜上帝，因為牠不愛上帝。 我們在本性上也是這樣的。 我們死在我們的罪中。我們服從空中掌權的首領，隨著肉體和心意所喜好的去行。 在聖靈改變我們之前，我們擁有一顆石心。一個未重生者的心不愛基督; 它是無生命，沒有愛的。 聖靈改變我們心的性情，好叫我們看到基督的甘甜，並擁抱祂。 不但我們沒有人會完全愛基督，而且在非聖靈改變我們的石心，使之成為肉心之前，我們根本不能愛祂。

本文摘錄自《Everyone’s a Theologian: An Introduction to Systematic Theology》，史鮑爾 (R.C. Sproul) 著。

 What Is Saving Faith?

FROM R.C. Sproul

 Faith is central to Christianity. The New Testament repeatedly calls people to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. There is a definite body of content to be believed, which is part and parcel of our religious activity. At the time of the Reformation, the debate involved the nature of saving faith. What is saving faith? The idea of justification by faith alone suggests to many people a thinly veiled antinomianism that claims people can live any way they like so long as they believe the right things. Yet James wrote in his epistle: “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?…Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (2:14, 17). Luther said that the sort of faith that justifies is fides viva, a “living faith,” one that inevitably, necessarily, and immediately yields the fruit of righteousness. Justification is by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone. A faith without any yield of righteousness is not true faith.

For the Roman Catholic Church, faith plus works equals justification; for antinomians, faith minus works equals justification; for the Protestant Reformers, faith equals justification plus works. In other words, works are the necessary fruit of true faith. Works are not factored into God’s declaration that we are just in His sight; they are not part of the grounds for God’s decision to declare us righteous.

What are the constituent elements of saving faith? The Protestant Reformers recognized that biblical faith has three essential aspects: notitia, assensus, and fiducia.

Notitia refers to the content of faith, the things we believe. There are certain things we are required to believe about Christ, namely, that He is the Son of God, that He is our Savior, that He has provided an atonement, and so on.

Assensus is the conviction that the content of our faith is true. One can know about the Christian faith and yet believe that it is not true. We might have a doubt or two mixed with our faith, but there has to be a certain level of intellectual affirmation and conviction if we are to be saved. Before anyone can really trust in Jesus Christ, he has to believe that Christ indeed is the Savior, that He is who He claimed to be. Genuine faith says that the content, the notitia, is true.

Fiducia refers to personal trust and reliance. Knowing and believing the content of the Christian faith is not enough, for even demons can do that (James 2:19). Faith is effectual only if one personally trusts in Christ alone for salvation. It is one thing to give an intellectual assent to a proposition but quite another to place personal trust in it. We can say that we believe in justification by faith alone and yet still think that we are going to get to heaven by our achievements, our works, or our striving. It is easy to get the doctrine of justification by faith into our heads, but it is hard to get it into the bloodstream such that we cling to Christ alone for salvation.

There is another element to fiducia besides trust, and that is affection. An unregenerate person will never come to Jesus, because he does not want Jesus. In his mind and heart, he is fundamentally at enmity with the things of God. As long as someone is hostile to Christ, he has no affection for Him. Satan is a case in point. Satan knows the truth, but he hates the truth. He is utterly disinclined to worship God because he has no love for God. We are like that by nature. We are dead in our sin. We walk according to the powers of this world and indulge the lusts of the flesh. Until the Holy Spirit changes us, we have hearts of stone. An unregenerate heart is without affection for Christ; it is both lifeless and loveless. The Holy Spirit changes the disposition of our hearts so that we see the sweetness of Christ and embrace Him. None of us loves Christ perfectly, but we cannot love Him at all unless the Holy Spirit changes the heart of stone and makes it a heart of flesh.

This excerpt is adapted from Everyone’s a Theologian: An Introduction to Systematic Theology by R.C. Sproul.

「沒有教會的基督徒」是一種矛盾修辭法嗎? Isa “Churchless Christian” an Oxymoron

作者: Julius J. Kim 譯者: Maria Marta

http://www.ligonier.org/blog/churchless-christian-oxymoron/

https://plus.google.com/u/1/106695469993489516884/posts/27KhSqHDDmY

根據字典，矛盾修辭法的定義是「一種把互相矛盾或不調和的詞合在一起的修辭手法」，如「殘忍的仁慈」 (cruel kindness)或「內疚的歡愉」（guilty pleasure）等，「沒有教會的基督徒」(churchless Christian)是一種矛盾修辭法嗎？雖然聖經沒有一句特別的經文明確聲明所有基督徒必需是教會的會友，但聖經到處都有這樣的段落，教導你一旦成為基督徒，你應該成為有形教會的宣信成員。簡單來說，那些藉著信心在基督裡與基督聯合的人，也是基督的身體，教會的一員。地方教會的成員不僅領受奇妙的特權，而且也肩負著特殊的責任。

成為教會的一名成員是什麼意思？教會的成員資格至少揭示了三個真理：1. 順服上帝；2. 順服上帝提供的方法；3. 通過運用恩賜來服事其他成員。

順服上帝

基督時代之後的幾百年，一位早期的基督教作家曾大膽表示，基督徒「不能再以上帝為父，卻沒有教會為母」，他深信聖經關於「教會會員資格的必要性」的教導非常清楚。地方教會的成員身分顯示了基督徒對聖經教導的順服。

新約形容教會所用的字ekklēsia，與舊約形容上帝的百性以色列人的聚集或會眾所用的字qahal有明顯的連接。在舊約，上帝的百性被「呼召」聚集在一起敬拜上帝（申十二5-12; 卅一11–12；詩廿二22；一0七 : 32）。在新約，我們讀到早期教會遵循這個集體敬拜的聚會模式（徒二46；廿7；林前十六2）。

上帝命令以色列人與祂建立特殊的盟約關系。作為這個團體的一員，其部分特權包括順服上帝為他們制定的律法。根據這個模式，教會是由基督建立的聖約團體（太十六18）。因此，在基督的教會裡，特別在集體的敬拜中，成員資格和加入教會不是一種選擇，而是一種要求（來十24-25）。

順服領袖

「身為教會的一名成員」包含了領受上帝為我們成長和成熟而提供的福份的權利，尤其在我們順服教會領袖的時候。上帝為教會建立一個牧養監管(pastoral oversight)和屬靈領袖的架構。教會成員像弱小無助的羊，他們蒙賜福得到牧羊人的指引和保護。希伯來書十三章17節呼籲基督徒「聽從那些領導你們的人，也要順服他們。」為什麼？「因為他們為你們的靈魂警醒，好像要交帳的人一樣。」 牧師和教會的長老蒙被吩咐要照顧上帝的「羊群」，同時他們要遵循基督，牧長所設立的模式（彼前五1–5）。

作為基督和聖經權柄底下的領袖，牧師和長老被吩咐要推进真教會記號的落实到位：忠心宣講福音；施行純正的聖禮；正確執行教會的紀律。藉此，教會成員在基督裡領受上帝的恩典。

服事其他人

身為教會的成員，基督徒是基督身體的肢體，為了頭的榮耀和身體的好處，每個肢體都要一起發揮功能（羅十二4–5）。這現實------我們都是一個身體的肢體，我們被吩咐要運用上帝賜給我們的恩賜和技能彼此服事，「沒有教會」的基督徒是一種矛盾修辭法。

聖經沒有個別成員與整個身體分開的教導。作為與基督聯合的人，我們蒙吩咐要通過我們在一起的生活來服事基督的身體。當我們參加崇拜、奉獻、彼此代禱，和相互監督時，我們向世界展示出一種恩典-激勵，自我-犧牲的委身與彼此交接（fellowship）的反主流文化的榜樣。

教會不象任何其他團體或機構。它是由上帝聖言掌管的組織，其成員在牧師和長老的監督下，運用他們的恩賜彼此祝福。雖然聖徒相通包括每一個地方，不論去世或在生的所有基督徒，但當個體成員在有形的地方教會以愛心彼此服事時，聖徒相通得到最充分的實現。

當基督徒成為教會成員時，他們要遵守上帝的話語，順服教會的領袖，以愛心彼此服事。如此，他們便證明了他們對基督的忠誠，顯示出他們彼此的團結。

本文原刊於Tabletalk雜誌。

Is a “Churchless Christian” an Oxymoron?

FROM Julius J. Kim

According to one dictionary, an oxymoron is defined as “a combination of contradictory or incongruous words,” such as “cruel kindness” or “sweet sorrow.” Is “churchless Christian” an oxymoron? Though the Bible does not have one specific verse that states unequivocally that church membership is required for all Christians, it is replete with passages that teach that once you become a Christian, you should become a professing member of the visible church. Simply put, those who are united to Jesus Christ through faith in Him are also part of His body, the church. Members of local churches not only receive wonderful privileges but also have special responsibilities.

What does it mean to be a member of the church? Being a member of a church reveals at least three truths: (1) obedience to God; (2) submission to the means God has provided; and (3) service to other members through the use of one’s gifts.

Obedience to God

A few hundred years after the time of Christ, an early Christian writer boldly stated that a Christian “can no longer have God for his Father who has not the Church for his mother.” He was convinced that the Scriptures were clear regarding the necessity of church membership. Being a member of the local church reveals a Christian’s obedience to what the Bible teaches.

The word used in the New Testament for church (ekklēsia) has clear connections to the Old Testament word that was used to describe the unique gathering or assembly (qahal) of God’s people Israel. In the Old Testament, God’s people were literally “called out” to gather together for worship (Deut. 12:5–12; 31:11–12; Pss. 22:22; 107:32). In the New Testament, we read that the early church followed this pattern of gathering for corporate worship (Acts 2:46; 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2).

Israel was commanded by God to be in a special covenantal relationship with Him. Part of the privilege of being part of this community included obeying the laws that God had established for them. Following this pattern, the church is a covenant community established by Christ (Matt. 16:18). As such, membership and participation in Christ’s church, especially in corporate worship, is not an option, but a requirement (Heb. 10:24–25).

Submission to Leaders

Being a member of the church includes receiving the blessings God has provided for our growth and maturity, especially as we submit to the church’s leadership. God established the church with a structure for pastoral oversight and spiritual leadership. Like weak and defenseless sheep, members of the church are blessed to have the guidance and protection of shepherds. Hebrews 13:17 calls on Christians to “obey your leaders and submit to them.” Why? “For they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account.” The pastors and elders of a church are called to care for the “flock” of God as they follow the pattern set by Christ, the Chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5:1–5).

As leaders under the authority of Christ and the Scriptures, pastors and elders are called upon to promote the marks of a true church: the faithful preaching of the gospel, the pure administration of the sacraments, and the true exercise of discipline. Through this, members of the church receive the grace of God in Christ.

Service to Others

As members of the church, Christians are part of the body of Christ, with each part functioning together for the glory of the head and the good of the body (Rom. 12:4–5). This reality—that we are all part of one body, called to serve one another with the gifts and skills God has given to us—reveals again that a “churchless Christian” is an oxymoron.

The Scriptures do not separate the individual member from the whole body. As those who are united to Christ, we are called to serve the body of Christ through our life together. As we attend worship, give offerings, pray for one another, and hold each other accountable, we are displaying to the world a countercultural example of grace-motivated, self-sacrificial commitment and fellowship.v

The church is unlike any other group or institution. It is an organization governed by God’s Word whereby members use their gifts to bless one another under the oversight of pastors and elders. Though the communion of saints includes all Christians, in every place, both living and dead, it is best realized when individual members serve one another in love within the visible, local church.

As Christians become members of the church, they are obeying God’s Word, submitting to her leaders, and serving one another in love. They testify to their allegiance to Christ and demonstrate their solidarity with one other.

This post was originally published in Tabletalk magazine.

「我是自有永有者」“I AMWHO I AM”作者: K. Scott Olphinit 譯者: Maria Marta

http://www.ligonier.org/blog/i-am-who-i-am/

https://plus.google.com/u/1/106695469993489516884/posts/EHsfgZ42vRp

在救贖歷史上，出埃及是上帝百姓生命中最重要的事件。然而，與出埃及同樣重要，甚至對我們來說更重要的是, 在出埃及記第三章看到上帝啟示祂屬性的宏偉壯麗。這一宏偉壯麗的屬性包含兩個榮耀而緊密相關的真理，沒有這些真理，基督教的上帝無法被人理解，和受人敬拜。與以色列從埃及被拯救出來同樣重要的是，除非這個屬性鑲在上帝雙重屬性的啟示的架構裡，就如上帝自己聲明所表述的，和在燃燒的荊棘叢中所呈現的那樣，不然它是不可能得到正確的理解。

當上帝來到摩西面前，祂宣告自己是「我是你父親的神，是亞伯拉罕的神、以撒的神、雅各的神」（出三6）。在這裡，上帝確認自己是立約的神，一位擁有至高主權，啟動與祂的百姓的關系的神。上帝要摩西認識的第一件事是，祂是上帝，祂與祂的百姓同在（12節），祂將拯救他們出埃及（8節），目的是要他們單單敬拜祂（12節）。上帝透過摩西來成就祂的盟約應許。

摩西意識到這個出自上帝的稱呼的重要性。所以他猶豫了。他尋找推辭的借口。他首先指出自己的不足（「我是誰？」； 11節），上帝回應指出祂的全然充足的供應（「我必與你同在」；12節）。

隨後摩西問了一個乍看起來可能顯得奇怪的問題。他想知道上帝的名字。他求問上帝名字的原因是因為，正如我們在舊約所看到的，人的名字通常指出他的性格。摩西懇求上帝啟示祂的性情，好讓以色列知道，那位呼召摩西的上帝是全然充足的。祂有能力實現應許的拯救。

上帝告訴摩西祂的名字------「自有永有者」------是上帝的全然與完備自足的啟示。它是上帝自存（aseity）的啟示。上帝由己而出（巴刻註: a se ；aseity 一字源自拉丁文 a se，即祂自己有生命，並可從祂自己裏面汲取無盡的能力）。上帝，唯獨上帝不依靠任何事而獨立自足。這意味著，為了摩西和以色列，上帝不依靠法老的合作來實現祂所應許的事。

上帝的名字------「自有的（我是）」（I Am）----是耶和華名字的根形式。約翰·加爾文恰當地說道，這個名字在舊約聖經中賜給我們，「每當提到祂那不可透知的（incomprehensible）的本質時，欽佩之情油然而生，並充滿我們的心思。」 在耶和華名字裏確定的「不可透知的本質」，在舊約中提及超過五千次。

因此，在出埃及記第三章中，上帝以兩種方式確認自己。祂告訴摩西，祂是立約的神，祂與祂的百姓同在；祂是自存的神，祂不需要任何事物，以便成為祂所是（誰），和完成祂計劃所要做的事。

這就將我們帶回到燃燒的荊棘叢裡。 這個神蹟的目的不僅僅是讓摩西感到驚愕; 它展示了上帝對摩西宣告的祂自己的雙重屬性。 燃燒的荊棘說明了神學家所謂的上帝之超越性（trascendence）和臨在性（immanence）。 燃燒荊棘的啟示是關於「自有的」（我是），和永遠都是完然獨立、自給自足的啟示。上帝是豐滿和完全是神，正如祂所說，祂應許和計劃「下來」（出三8）與祂的子民同在，並將他們贖回。 燃燒的荊棘將我們指向關於那一位的最高峰的啟示：祂是豐滿、全然、自存的神，祂來把祂的子民贖回，祂是以馬內利（神與我們同在）。燃燒的荊棘將我們指向耶穌基督自己（太一23; 廿八20）。

在出埃及記第三章的上帝的雙重屬性的啟示，對所有那些尋求參與合乎聖經的護教任務的人來說都是至關重要的。地球上沒有其他的宗教認識這種神。我們所捍衛的信仰是完全獨一無二的。我們的信仰以聖經賜給我們，關於上帝宏偉壯麗的屬性這一啟示開始和結束。

本譯文的聖經經文皆引自《聖經新譯本》。

本文原刊於Tabletalk雜誌。

註:

耶和華（Yahweh)這名字，是上帝在燃燒的荊棘向摩西啟示的名字，意思是「我是」。對上帝這種令人難以置信的屬性，神學家用一個特殊的字來描繪：「自存性」（aseity）。意思是: 祂就是、靠祂自己、獨立於一切之外。God is. Yahweh, the name by which he revealed himself to Moses at the burning bush, means "I am." The theologians have a special word for this mind-boggling attribute of the God who is there; they speak of it as his "aseity." He just is, by himself, and independent of all else.

--〈什麼是改革宗（歸正）信仰？ 加爾文主義最精彩的要點〉

WhatIs the Reformed Faith? High Points of Calvinism

譯者/校對者:Maria Marta/誠之

http://www.opc.org/WhatIsReformedFaith.html

http://www.crtsbooks.net/blog/post/2013/11/16/%E4%BB%80%E9%BA%BC%E6%98%AF%E6%94%B9%E9%9D%A9%E5%AE%97%E4%BF%A1%E4%BB%B0%EF%BC%9F.aspx

https://plus.google.com/u/2/105106813742373627205/posts/AMKsGQk4nDx

“I AM WHO I AM”

FROM K. Scott Oliphint

One of the most significant events in the life of the Lord’s people in redemptive history is the exodus. However, as important as the exodus is, it is even more important for us to see that in Exodus 3, God reveals the majestic magnificence of His character. It is a magnificence that contains two glorious truths, inextricably linked, without which the Christian God cannot be understood or worshiped. As important as the salvation of Israel from Egypt is, it cannot properly be understood unless it is framed within the revelation of God’s twofold character as expressed by God’s own declaration and as displayed in the burning bush.

As God comes to Moses, He announces Himself as “the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” (Ex. 3:6). Here God identifies Himself as the covenant God, the One who has sovereignly initiated a relationship with His people. The first thing that God wants Moses to recognize is that He is a God who is with His people (v. 12), who will deliver them from Egypt (v. 8), and who has redeemed them for the purpose of worshiping Him alone (v. 12). God is accomplishing His covenant promise to Israel through Moses.

Moses recognizes the sheer weight of this call from God. So he hesitates. He looks for a way out. He first points to his own insufficiency (“Who am I?”; v. 11), and God points back to His all-sufficiency (“But I will be with you”; v. 12).

But then Moses asks something that might, at first glance, seem strange. He wants to know God’s name. The reason he asks for God’s name is because, as we see in the Old Testament, the name of someone often designates the character of the person. Moses is asking God for a revelation of His character so that Israel may know that the One who has called Moses is sufficient. He is able to achieve the deliverance promised.

The name that God gives to Moses—“I AM WHO I AM”—is a revelation of God’s utter and complete self-sufficiency. It is a revelation of God’s aseity. He alone is of Himself (a se). God, and only God, is dependent on nothing. And this means, for Moses and for Israel, that God is not dependent on Pharaoh’s cooperation to accomplish what He has promised.

This name of God—“I Am”—is the root form of the name Yahweh. John Calvin rightly says that this name is given to us in the Old Testament “that our minds may be filled with admiration as often as his incomprehensible essence is mentioned.” That “incomprehensible essence,” given in the name Yahweh, is mentioned more than five thousand times in the Old Testament.

In Exodus 3, therefore, God identifies Himself in two ways. He tells Moses that He is the covenant God, who is with His people, and that He is the self-existing God, who needs nothing in order to be who He is and to do what He purposes to do.

This brings us to the burning bush. The purpose of that miracle was not simply that Moses might be amazed; it was to display God’s own twofold character that He had announced to Moses. The burning bush illustrates what theologians call God’s trascendence and immanence. The revelation of the burning bush was a revelation that the “I Am” is and always will be utterly independent and self-suffiicient. He is fully and completely God even as He promises and plans to “come down” (Ex. 3:8) to be with His people and to redeem them. The burning bush points us to that climactic revelation of the One who is fully and completely the self-existing God, who comes down to redeem a people, and who is Immanuel (God with us). It points us to Jesus Christ Himself (Matt. 1:23; 28:20).

The revelation of God’s twofold character in Exodus 3 is essential to grasp for all who seek to engage in the biblical task of apologetics. No other religion on the face of the earth recognizes this kind of God. The faith we defend is wholly unique. It begins and ends with the revelation of this majestic mystery of God’s character given to us in Holy Scripture.

This post was originally published in Tabletalk magazine.

罪是宇宙性的叛逆SinIs Cosmic Treason

作者: R.C. Sproul  譯者:  Maria Marta

http://www.ligonier.org/blog/sin-cosmic-treason/

https://plus.google.com/u/1/106695469993489516884/posts/4GbkxvfvRHS

「罪之罪惡」（The Sinfulness of Sin）聽起來象一句空洞的冗詞贅句，不會對正在討論的主題添加任何信息。然而，談論罪之罪惡的必需性，已由一直在削弱罪本身含意的文化甚至教會強加給我們。如今，罪是以「犯錯誤」或「做出錯誤選擇」這樣的詞句來傳達。如果我在考試或拼寫測驗時犯錯誤，那是說我漏寫某個單詞。犯錯誤是一回事。但我為了取得好成績，偷看鄰座的試卷，照抄他的答案，這又是另一回事。在這個案例中，我的錯誤已上升到違反道德的層面。雖然罪可能是由於懶於準備而犯下的錯，但作弊行為使情況變得更嚴重。稱罪為「做出糟糕的選擇」是正確的，但它也是一種委婉的說法，緩和了這種行動的嚴重性。犯罪的決定確實是一個糟糕的決定，我重申，這不仅是一個錯誤。 它是違反道德的行為。

在我寫的《十字架的真相》（暫譯）（The Truth of the Cross）這本書中，我用了一整章的篇幅討論罪之罪惡這個概念。我用一件在我收到《巴特利特名言金句》(Bartlett's Familiar Quotations) 的最新版本時發生的趣事，作為這章書的開始。雖然我很高興收到這一期免費期刊，但我很困惑為什麽有人將它寄給我。當我翻看包括摘自康德（Immanuel Kant）、亞裏士多德（Aristotle）、托馬斯阿奎那（Thomas Aquinas），以及其他人的名言語錄時，我無比驚訝地發現一句出自我的作品的語錄。我的說話被收集在學識淵博的學者的名言金句當中，著實讓我驚詫。是什麽說話讓我感到困惑，值得列入這樣一本選集當中？ 答案在我寫的一份簡單的聲明中找到：「罪是宇宙性的叛逆」。我這句話的意思是指，即使受造物對造物主犯下最輕微的罪，也是對造物主的聖潔、榮耀、公義的侵犯。所有的罪，不論看來是多麽的微不足道，都是背叛擁有至高主權，統治和掌管我們的造物主的行為，這是叛逆宇宙君王的行為。

宇宙性的叛逆是描述罪的概念特性的一種方式，但當我們查看聖經描述罪的方式時，我們看到三個突出的重要層面。首先，罪是一種債務；第二，罪是一種敵意的表達；第三，罪被描述為罪行。首先，我們這些罪人被聖經描述為不能償還債務的負債人。從這個意義上說，我們不是在談論財政虧欠，而是道德虧欠。上帝有至高的權力對祂的受造物施加義務。當我們不能遵守這些義務時，我們便成了虧欠上帝的負債人。這種債務代表履行道德義務的失敗。

第二個突出的層面是聖經用一種敵意的表達來描述罪。在這方面，罪不僅僅在違背上帝律法的外部行動的範圍內。相反，它代表著一種內在動機，一種由敵意驅動的動機，人天生對統管宇宙的上帝懷有敵意。在教會或在這世上很少會討論聖經所描述的人類的墮落，其中包括我們天生與上帝為敵的控告。我們對上帝心懷敵意，甚至不想在思想上擁有祂，這種態度是對上帝命令我們遵行祂的旨意這一事實的敵意之一。正是因為敵意的概念，因此新約經常用和好一詞來描述我們的救贖。和好的必要條件之一，是至少雙方之間必須先存在著某種敵意。這種敵意是我們的中保，耶穌基督的救贖工作的前提，但耶穌基督克服了這種敵意維度。

第三突出的層面是聖經使用違反法律一詞來談論罪。西敏小要理問答第十四問是「罪是什麼？」回答：「凡不遵守或違背神的律法的，都是罪。」這裏我們看到罪以被動違背和主動違背兩方面來描述。我們說主動地犯罪（sins of commission）和輕視忽略的罪（sins of omission）。當我們不做上帝要求我們做的，我們知道這是違背祂的旨意。我們不但犯有「不做上帝要求我們做的」之罪，而且我們也積極做上帝所禁止的。因此，罪是違背上帝的律法。

當人們以嚴重的方式違反人的法律，我們說他們的行動不僅僅是輕罪，而且在最後的分析中，是罪行。同樣地，我們背叛和逾越上帝的律法的行動不會被上帝視為純粹的不法行為；相反，它們是重罪。它們的影響是惡劣的。如果我們在生活中認真看待罪的現實，我們就會看到我們對聖潔的上帝和祂的國度犯下的罪行。我們的罪行不是美德;  而是罪惡，根據定義，任何違背聖潔上帝的過犯都是邪惡的。直到我們認識上帝是誰，我們才能真正了解我們的罪的嚴重性。因為我們生活在罪人當中，人類行為的標準是由我們周遭的文化模式決定的，所以我們對我們的過犯的嚴重性無動於衷。我們的確是安逸無慮。但是，當上帝使我們清楚了解祂的性情時，我們就能衡量我們的行動，不是以關於人類的相對詞彙來衡量，而是以關於上帝、祂的性情、祂的律法的絕對詞彙來衡量，如此我們便開始意識到我們的背叛的極惡劣特性。

直到我們認真對待上帝，我們才會認真對待罪惡。但倘若我們承認上帝公義的性情，我們就會像年老的聖徒，在上帝的面前，用手遮住嘴巴，在塵土和爐灰中懊悔。

本文原刊於Tabletalk雜誌2016年二月號  。

Sin Is Cosmic Treason

FROM R.C. Sproul

“The sinfulness of sin” sounds like a vacuous redundancy that adds no information to the subject under discussion. However, the necessity of speaking of the sinfulness of sin has been thrust upon us by a culture and even a church that has diminished the significance of sin itself. Sin is communicated in our day in terms of making mistakes or of making poor choices. When I take an examination or a spelling test,if I make a mistake, I miss a particular word. It is one thing to make a mistake. It is another to look at my neighbor’s paper and copy his answers in order to make a good grade. In this case, my mistake has risen to the level of a moral transgression. Though sin may be involved in making mistakes as a result of slothfulness in preparation, nevertheless, the act of cheating takes the exercise to a more serious level. Calling sin “making poor choices” is true, but it is also a euphemism that can discount the severity of the action. The decision to sin is indeed a poor one, but once again, it is more than a mistake. It is an act ofmoral transgression.

In my book The Truth of the Cross I spend an entire chapter discussing this notion of the sinfulness of sin. I begin that chapter by using the anecdote of my utter incredulity when I received a recent edition of Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations. Though I was happy to receive this free issue, I was puzzled as to why anyone would send it to me. As I leafed through the pages of quotations that included statements from Immanuel Kant, Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas, and others, to my complete astonishment I came upon a quotation from me. That I was quoted in such a learned collection definitely surprised me. I was puzzled by what I could have said that merited inclusion in such an anthology, and the answer was found in a simple statement attributed to me: “Sin is cosmic treason.” What I meant by that statement was that even the slightest sin that a creature commits against his Creator does violence to the Creator’s holiness, His glory, and His righteousness. Every sin, no matter how seemingly insignificant, is an act of rebellion against the sovereign God who reigns and rules over us and as such is an act of treason against the cosmic King.

Cosmic treason is one way to characterize the notion of sin, but when we look at the ways in which the Scriptures describe sin, we see three that stand out in importance. First, sin is a debt; second, it is an expression of enmity; third, it is depicted as a crime. In the first instance, we who are sinners are described by Scripture as debtors who cannot pay their debts. In this sense, we are talking not about financial indebtedness but a moral indebtedness. God has the sovereign right to impose obligations upon His creatures. When we fail to keep these obligations, we are debtors to our Lord. This debt represents a failure to keep a moral obligation.

The second way in which sin is described biblically is as an expression of enmity. In this regard, sin is not restricted merely to an external action that transgresses a divine law. Rather, it represents an internal motive, a motive that is driven by an inherent hostility toward the God of the universe. It is rarely discussed in the church or in the world that the biblical description of human fallenness includes an indictment that we are by nature enemies of God. In our enmity toward Him, we do not want to have Him even in our thinking, and this attitude is one of hostility toward the very fact that God commands us to obey His will. It is because of this concept of enmity that the New Testament so often describes our redemption in terms of reconciliation. One of the necessary conditions for reconciliation is that there must be some previous enmity between at least two parties. This enmity is what is presupposed by the redeeming work of our Mediator, Jesus Christ, who overcomes this dimension of enmity.

The third way in which the Bible speaks of sin is in terms of transgression of law. The Westminster Shorter Catechism answers the fourteenth question, “What is sin?” by the response, “Sin is any want of conformity to, or transgression of, the law of God.” Here we see sin described both in terms of passive and active disobedience. We speak of sins of commission and sins of omission. When we fail to do what God requires, we see this lack of conformity to His will. But not only are we guilty of failing to do what God requires, we also actively do what God prohibits. Thus, sin is a transgression against the law of God.

When people violate the laws of men in a serious way, we speak of their actions not merely as misdemeanors but, in the final analysis, as crimes. In the same regard, our actions of rebellion and transgression of the law of God are not seen by Him as mere misdemeanors; rather, they are felonious. They are criminal in their impact. If we take the reality of sin seriously in our lives, we see that we commit crimes against a holy God and against His kingdom. Our crimes are not virtues; they are vices, and any transgression of a holy God is vicious by definition. It is not until we understand who God is that we gain any real understanding of the seriousness of our sin. Because we live in the midst of sinful people where the standards of human behavior are set by the patterns of the culture around us, we are not moved by the seriousness of our transgressions. We are indeed at ease in Zion. But when God’s character is made clear to us and we are able to measure our actions not in relative terms with respect to other humans but in absolute terms with respect to God, His character, and His law, then we begin to be awakened to the egregious character of our rebellion.

Not until we take God seriously will we ever take sin seriously. But if we acknowledge the righteous character of God, then we, like the saints of old, will cover our mouths with our hands and repent in dust and ashes before Him.

This post was originally published in Tabletalk magazine.