何為福音
作者: W. Robert Godfrey
譯者: 王一
許多基督徒、教會和其他機構經常用「福音」這個詞來描述他們的信仰。但在歷史上，關於福音的含義以及誰在忠心傳講它等問題上曾經出現過神學爭議，今天依舊如此。這個大部分基督徒都耳熟能詳的詞「福音」到底是什麽意思？想要找到答案，最好的方法就是回到聖經裏。
Many
Christians, churches, and organizations regularly use the word gospel to
describe their convictions. Theological controversies have occurred and do
occur over the meaning of the gospel and who preaches it faithfully. What does
that familiar word gospel mean? The best way to answer that question is to turn
to the Bible.
在希臘文新約聖經裏，εὐαγγέλιον「福音」這個詞僅出現七十多次。既然從某種意義上講，整本新約聖經都是關於福音的，我們可能認為這個詞應該出現的更頻繁一些。更令人驚訝的是，新約書卷的不同作者對這個詞的使用方式也相差迥異。保羅用這個詞的次數要比其他作者使用次數總和的三倍還多。除了保羅之外，主要出現在《馬太福音》和《馬可福音》裏，而在路加、約翰、彼得和雅各的書卷裏則很少。
In
the Greek New Testament, the noun euangelion (“gospel”) appears just over
seventy times. Since, in one sense, the whole New Testament is about the
gospel, we might have expected the word to have been used more frequently. Even
more surprisingly, its use varies greatly among the authors of the New
Testament books. Paul uses the word more than three times as often as all the
other authors combined. Most of the other uses are found in Matthew and Mark,
with very few, if any, in Luke, John, Peter, and James.
「福音」這個詞多數時候就是「好消息」的意思。這個詞不是專指基督教的信息，在其他異教世界裏也被用來指發布某個好消息。在新約聖經裏，它用來專指救主耶穌的好消息。通常，作者使用這個詞的時候，都會認為讀者已經知道它是什麽意思。
The
word gospel most simply means “good news.” The word is not unique to the
Christian message, but it was also used in the pagan world to refer to a good
announcement. In the New Testament, it refers to the good news of Jesus the
Savior. Often, it is used with the assumption that the reader knows what the
word means.
仔細查考新約使用「福音」一詞的方式後，我們有幾點發現。第一，我們經常會碰到「上帝的福音」這樣的表達方式。這個短語強調福音的來源。福音是從上帝而來的禮物。福音的根源是屬神的，而不是屬人的。第二，福音的性質由以下幾種：福音是真理的（加二5，14；西一5），是恩惠的（徒廿24），是榮耀的（林後四4；提前一11）。第三，我們看到兩種對福音的回應。主要的回應是信心（徒十五7；弗一13），但順服也是一種回應（彼前四7；羅一5；十16；十六26；帖後一8）。保羅在《羅馬書》裏用了「相信而順服」這個概念，這是用反諷來回應那些指控他是反律法主義的人。第四，我們看到福音帶來的結果。福音帶來拯救（羅一16；弗一13）；福音也帶來上帝的國（太四23；九35；廿四14）；福音為上帝的子民帶來盼望（西一23）；福音也是成聖的推動力（可八35；十29；林後九13；弗六15；腓一27）。the Gospel?
As we
look more closely at the ways in which gospel is used in the New Testament,
several points come through strongly. First, we often find the phrase “the
gospel of God.” This phrase stresses the source of the gospel as a gift from
God. The gospel is of divine, not human, origin. Second, the character of the
gospel is specified in several ways: the gospel is true (Gal. 2:5, 14; Col.
1:5), gracious (Acts 20:24), and glorious (2 Cor. 4:4; 1 Tim. 1:11). Third, we
see two responses to the gospel. The primary response is faith (Acts 15:7; Eph.
1:13). But obedience is also a response (1 Peter 4:7; Rom. 1:5; 10:16; 16:26; 2
Thess. 1:8).
(Paul’s
use of the idea of the obedience of faith in Romans has an element of irony as
he responds to those who have accused him of antinomianism, being against the
law.) Fourth, we see several results of the gospel. The gospel, of course,
brings salvation (Rom. 1:16; Eph. 1:13). It also brings the kingdom (Matt.
4:23; 9:35, 24:14). It evokes hope in the people of God (Col. 1:23). The gospel
is also a motivation to sanctification (Mark 8:35; 10:29; 2 Cor. 9:13; Eph.
6:15; Phil. 1:27).
除此之外，新約聖經裏還有許多地方明確的指出「福音」的內容。查考這些經文，我們會發現「福音」這個詞有廣義和狹義兩種內容。廣義上，福音有時指救恩的所有方面，指耶穌賜給祂百姓的新生命；而狹義上，福音則是耶穌為我們所成就的事，這是在我們之外所作的。換個角度講，廣義上福音指基督為祂百姓所作的稱義之工以及在他們裏面所作的成聖之工；而狹義上福音專指基督的稱義之工。用另一種方式來表達這個區別：廣義上，福音指一切舊約裏的應許在新約裏的成就；狹義上，福音專指基督所作的，這與在律法裏我們自己所作形成對比。
All
of these ways in which the word gospel is used point to its content, but there
are also passages in the New Testament that are explicit as to its content. In
examining these texts, we discover that sometimes the word gospel refers
broadly to all aspects of the salvation and new life that Jesus gives His
people, and sometimes it is used narrowly to refer to what Jesus does for us
outside of us. In other words, sometimes the term gospel refers broadly to
Jesus’ work of justification and sanctification for and in His people, and
sometimes it refers narrowly to Jesus’ work of justification. Another way of
putting this distinction is that sometimes the word gospel refers broadly to
all the New Testament fulfillment of what was promised in the Old Testament,
and sometimes the term gospel is used narrowly of Jesus’ doing in contrast to
our doing of the Law.
廣義的福音內容，我們可以在《馬可福音》一章1節看到：「上帝的兒子，耶穌基督福音的開始。」福音在這裏等於馬可接下來要講的關於耶穌的教導和工作的全部內容。在《啟示錄》十四章6-7節裏，也是廣義的使用：
An
example of the broader sense of the word gospel can be seen in Mark 1:1, “The
beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” This use of the word
gospel seems to refer to everything that Mark tells us about the teaching and
work of Jesus. We see another broad use in Revelation 14:6–7:
「我又看見另一位天使在高空飛翔，有永遠的福音要傳給住在地上的人，就是各邦國、各支派、各方言、各民族的人。他大聲說：『應當敬畏 神，把榮耀歸給他！因為他審判的時候到了，應當敬拜創造天、地、海和眾水泉源的那一位！』」 （啟十四6-7；《圣經新譯本》，下同）
Then
I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to
proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language
and people. And he said with a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because
the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth,
the sea and the springs of water.”
Here
the gospel is the call to repent and worship God.
這裏福音是呼召人們悔改、敬拜上帝。
不過，福音這個詞常以更具體的內容出現。我們來看《哥林多前書十五章1-4節》：
More
often, the term gospel is used narrowly and its content is specified. We see
this in 1 Corinthians 15:1–4:
「弟兄們，我要把我從前傳給你們的福音向你們講明。這福音你們已經領受了，並且靠著它站立得穩。你們若持守我所傳給你們的道，就必靠這福音得救，不然就是徒然相信了。我從前領受了又傳交給你們那最要緊的，就是基督照著聖經所記的，為我們的罪死了，又埋葬了，又照著聖經所記的，第三天復活了。」（林前十五1-4）
Now I
would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you
received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold
fast to the word I preached to you — unless you believed in vain. For I delivered
to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our
sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised
on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.
在這裏，福音是那能救人的消息，耶穌的死與復活。
Here,
the gospel is the message of the saving death and resurrection of Jesus.
在另一處，保羅提到「可稱頌之 神所交托我的榮耀福音」， 他繼而特別說明這福音是什麽：
In
another place, Paul writes of “the glorious gospel of the blessed God with
which I have been entrusted,” and he specifies what that gospel is:
「『基督耶穌降世，為要拯救罪人。』這話是可信的，是值得完全接納的。在罪人中我是個罪魁。可是，我竟然蒙了憐憫，好讓基督耶穌在我這個罪魁身上，顯明他完全的忍耐，給後來信他得永生的人作榜樣。」（提前一11，15-16）
The
saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came
into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy
for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his
perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal
life. (1 Tim. 1:11, 15–16)
這裏，福音是基督為罪人而作的拯救工作。
Here,
the gospel is the saving work of Christ for sinners.
同樣，保羅在《提摩太後書》裏寫道：
Paul
writes similarly in 2 Timothy:
「所以，不要以給我們的主作見證當作羞恥，也不要以我這為主被囚的當作羞恥，卻要為了福音的緣故，靠著 神的大能，與我同受磨難。 神救了我們，以聖召呼召我們，不是按照我們的行為，卻是按照他自己的計劃和恩典；這恩典是在萬世以前，在基督耶穌裏賜給了我們的，但現在借著我們救主基督耶穌的顯現，才表明出來。他廢掉了死亡，借著福音把生命和不朽彰顯出來……你要記得那從死人中復活的耶穌基督，他是大衛的後裔所生的，這就是我所傳的福音。」（提後一8-10；二8）
Therefore
do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but
share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called
us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose
and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, and which
now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who
abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel… .
Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached
in my gospel. (2 Tim. 1:8–10; 2:8)
福音的狹義使用在十六世紀的改教家當中非常常見。我們可以在約翰•加爾文的思想中看到這一點：
This
narrow use of the word gospel was very common in the writings of the
sixteenth-century Reformers. We can see this in the thought of John Calvin:
「信心之道（或作信主之道，參和合本）是保羅所用的『換喻法』（Metonymy）用來指應許的話，也就是指『福音』本身，因為福音乃是與信心相關。我們必須理解律法與福音的對比，因兩者完全不同，我們就能看到：律法乃是要求行為，福音卻只要求人有信心來領受上帝的恩惠。」（加爾文，《羅馬書註釋》，羅十8）
The
word of faith is put by metonymy [using the name of one concept for another
concept to which it is related] for the word of promise, i.e. for the Gospel
itself, since it is related to faith. The contrast between law and Gospel is to
be understood, and from this distinction we deduce that, just as the law
demands work, the Gospel requires only that men should bring faith in order to
receive the grace of God.
這在烏爾西努的思想中也很明顯。在他的《海德堡要理問答註釋》的開始，烏爾西努把一切教義分為兩類，律法和福音：
It is
also clear in Zacharias Ursinus. Near the beginning of his commentary on the
Heidelberg Catechism, Ursinus divides all of doctrine into law and gospel:
「教會的教義包括兩部分：律法與福音；在其中我們已經掌握了聖經的總結與本質。律法又叫做十誡，而福音則是關於中保基督，藉著信心白白赦罪的教義。」（烏爾西努，《海德堡要理問答註釋》）
The
doctrine of the church consists of two parts: the Law, and the Gospel; in which
we have comprehended the sum and substance of the sacred Scriptures. The law is
called the Decalogue, and the gospel is the doctrine concerning Christ the
mediator, and the free remission of sins, through faith.
這一直是改革宗神學對福音的普遍理解，就像下面這一大段出自偉大的荷蘭神學家巴文克的文字所體現的：
Such
reflections on the gospel have remained common in Reformed theology, as we see
from this long, fascinating quotation from the great Dutch theologian Herman
Bavinck:
「然而，上帝的道，包括律法和福音，是上帝旨意的啟示，是行為之約和恩典之約的頒布……雖然從廣義上來看，『律法』和『福音』這兩個詞可以用來指恩典之約的舊時代和新時代，但從它們實際的含義來看，這兩個詞清楚描述了上帝旨意的兩個本質不同的啟示……[巴文克在此引用了許多新約經文] 在這些經文中，律法與福音形成鮮明的對比，二者就如要求與饋贈，如命令與應許，如罪惡與恩典，如疾病與治愈，如死亡與生命……律法出自上帝的聖潔，而福音則出自上帝的恩惠；律法從自然可得知，而福音則只能通過特殊啟示而得；律法要求完美的義，而福音則賜之於人；律法是靠行為引人向永生，而福音則從藉信而得的永生之豐富中生發善行；律法如今向人定罪，而福音則向人宣判無罪；法律適用於所有人，而福音只適用於聽而得活的人。」（ Herman Bavinck,
Reformed Dogmatics, Vol.4, pp. 448-453. ）
But
the word of God, both as law and gospel, is the revelation of the will of God,
the promulgation of the covenant of works and the covenant of grace… . Although
in a broad sense the terms “law” and “gospel” can indeed be used to denote the
old and the new dispensation of the covenant of grace, in their actual
significance they definitely describe two essentially different revelations of
divine will [Bavinck here cites many New Testament proof texts]… . In these
texts law and gospel are contrasted as demand and gift, as command and promise,
as sin and grace, as sickness and healing, as death and life … . The law
proceeds from God’s holiness, the gospel from God’s grace; the law is known
from nature, the gospel only from special revelation; the law demands perfect
righteousness, but the gospel grants it; the law leads people to eternal life
by works, and the gospel produces good works from the riches of the eternal
life granted in faith; the law presently condemns people, and the gospel
acquits them; the law addresses itself to all people, and the gospel only to
those who live within its hearing.
這是多麽清晰、明確、精準又符合聖經的福音描述啊！
How clear,
distinct, biblical, and precious is this presentation of the gospel.
今天的教會需要傳講福音，廣義和狹義的內容都要傳講。福音是傳福音的基礎。按照《馬太福音》廿八章18-20節中耶穌頒布的大使命來看，真正的傳福音是使人作門徒：第一，按照狹義的福音定義，呼召人們信靠耶穌；第二，按照廣義的福音定義，教導他們遵行耶穌教導的一切事。讓我們一起傳真正的福音！
The
church needs to preach the gospel in both its broad and narrow senses. The
Greek word for gospel has given the English-speaking world the word evangelism.
True evangelism, according to the Great Commission given by Jesus in Matthew
28:18–20, is a matter of making disciples: first, in the narrow sense of
calling men and women to believe in Jesus and, second, in the broad sense of
teaching them to observe all things that Jesus has taught His people. For the
sake of the gospel, let’s all promote true evangelism.