三一真神在救恩上如何同工Howthe Trinity Works Together in Salvation
作者: RICHARD PHILLIPS 譯者:駱鴻銘
改革宗神學最重要的洞見之一是：三一真神的工作是合一的。加爾文主義者相信，聖父神，聖子神，聖靈神在救贖失喪的人的工作上是合一的。我們不相信在拯救我們的事情上，他們的行動是彼此對立（against）的，或是建立在另一位的工作上（on）的，而是一起工作（with）的。例如，耶穌的死不是為了說服祂的天父，讓祂改變對待我們的態度，從敵意變成愛。不，耶穌死在十字架上，是因為父神愛我們，如同約翰福音三章16節所說：「神愛世人，甚至將祂的獨生子賜給他們，叫一切信祂的，不至滅亡，反得永生」。聖父和聖子在拯救那些相信的人的工作上是合一的：聖父揀選、並差派祂的兒子；聖子為那些被父神揀選的、並賜給祂的人替死贖罪（約六37-40）。同樣的和諧存在於聖子和聖靈之間。耶穌並沒有為所有的人的罪而死，目的只是為了讓聖靈可以把祂工作的恩惠施行在一部分人身上。不，聖靈所重生的人，恰恰是那些耶穌為之獻上祂贖罪之死的人，以至於三一真神裡第二和第三位格的工作可以完美地協調在一起。
One
of the most important insights of Reformed theology is the unity of the works
of the Trinity. Calvinists believe that God the Father, God the Son, and God
the Holy Spirit are united in the work of redeeming lost mankind. We do not
believe that they act against one another or even on one another, but with one
another in our salvation. For instance, Jesus did not die to convince the
Father to change His attitude toward us from enmity to love. Rather, Jesus died
on the cross because of the Father’s love for us, as John 3:16 says: “For God
so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him
should not perish but have eternal life.” The Father and Son are united in
their work for the salvation of those who believe: the Father electing and
sending His Son; the Son atoning for the sins of those chosen and given to Him
by the Father (John 6:37–40). The same harmony exists between the Son and the
Spirit. Jesus did not die for the sins of all people, only to have the Holy
Spirit apply the benefits of His work merely to some. Rather, the Holy Spirit
regenerates precisely the people for whom Jesus offered His atoning death, so
that the work of the second and third persons of the Trinity harmonizes
perfectly.
這種對三一真神在救恩工作上的合一所作的強調，可以在改革宗的「恩典教義」（doctrine of grace）上看出來，這個恩典教義就是所謂的「加爾文五要點」。這是由五個英文詞彙，取它們的頭一個英文字母所重新組合成的一個字來表達的：TULIP（鬱金香）。「恩典的教義」是從一個問題開始的：T—人的全然敗壞（total depravity）。三一真神合一的工作對這個問題作出了回應，這個回應是從「無條件的揀選」（unconditional
election）開始的，其焦點是專注在父神在預定上滿有主權的計劃。接下來，拯救是由耶穌基督在十字架上贖罪的工作所完成的，而這項工作，根據「限定的贖罪」（ limited atonement），是只提供給父神所揀選的人的。然後，這個救恩才由聖靈把重生的工作，滿有主權地施行到同一批被揀選的人身上，這就是「不可抗拒的恩典」（irresistible grace）。正如無條件的揀選是形容父神的恩典，限定的揀選形容聖子的恩典，而不可抗拒的恩典則是呈現出聖靈的恩典。因此，我們在承認三一真神其中一個位格在行事時，所有的位格都同時參與的同時，我們也可以把不可抗拒的恩典，視同為聖靈自己的「恩典的教義」。
This
emphasis on the unity of the Trinity in salvation may be seen in the doctrines
of grace as organized by the TULIP acrostic. The doctrines of grace start with
a problem: T—man’s total depravity. The answer to this problem is brought about
by the unified work of the Trinity. It begins with unconditional election,
which is focused on the Father’s sovereign purpose in predestination. Salvation
is then accomplished by the atoning work of Jesus on the cross, which,
according to limited atonement, was offered for those elected by the Father.
This salvation is then sovereignly applied to those same elect individuals by
the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit, which is the point of irresistible
grace. Therefore, just as unconditional election describes the grace of the
Father and limited atonement describes the grace of the Son, irresistible grace
presents the grace of the Holy Spirit. While acknowledging that where one
member of the Trinity acts, all are involved, we may identify irresistible
grace as the Holy Spirit’s own doctrine of grace.