當基督信仰不管用時What Happens When Christianity Doesn’t Work
作者：麥克·霍頓（Michael Horton）譯者: 駱鴻銘
經常，當人信耶穌時，就得到一個應許：他們會「在基督裏得勝」。臉帶笑容、快樂的人述說著他們過去如何曾經是不快樂的人，如今卻喜不自勝，興高采烈。破碎的婚姻得到修復，任性的兒女回歸正路，憂鬱也如昨日黃花。但是當基督信仰不再有效時，會怎麼樣呢？
So
often, when people come to Christ, they are promised "victory in
Jesus." Smiling, happy people tell about how they once were unhappy, and
now they are filled with buoyant exultation. Broken marriages are fixed,
wayward children are returned to the straight and narrow, and depression is
banished to the old life, but what happens when Christianity doesn’t work?
對約伯來說，基督信仰並不管用
Christianity
didn’t work for Job.
約伯是個深愛上帝和祂話語的人。他熱愛家人，每當他們享受過家庭筵席後，約伯就會代表他的兒女們獻祭。撒但挑戰上帝，要看約伯對上帝是否是真的忠心的。撒但問道，他為何會不忠心呢？畢竟，他過著上帝保佑、無災無難的生活，他有的是錢，快樂無比，家庭也很富裕，無憂更無慮。
Job
was a man who was deeply devoted to God and his Word. So zealous was he for his
family that whenever they left after the many homecomings they enjoyed, Job
would offer a sacrifice on behalf of his children on their journey. Satan
chided God for Job's faithfulness. Why wouldn't he be faithful?, Satan asked.
After all, he lives a charmed life. He's wealthy, happy, his family is healthy
and carefree. So God allowed Satan to test Job.
第二天，災難接連發生，一夕之間，約伯幾乎失去了一切對他來說極為珍貴的事物。然而，約伯卻回應說：「我赤身出於母胎，也必赤身歸回。賞賜的是耶和華，收取的也是耶和華。耶和華的名是應當稱頌的。」（伯一21）約伯拒絕怪罪上帝，說祂作了錯事。撒但再次來到上帝面前並且宣稱，「你且伸手傷他的骨頭和他的肉，他必當面棄掉你。」約伯的身體發出毒瘡，大受折磨、痛苦異常，以至於他的妻子求他說，「你棄掉神，死了算了！」但是約伯卻回答說，「難道我們從上帝手裏得福，不也受禍嗎？」（伯二7～10）
The
next day, disaster followed disaster, and over-night Job lost nearly everything
precious to him. And yet, Job responded, "Naked I came from my mother's
womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may
the name of the LORD be praised." Job refused to charge God with
wrongdoing. Satan came to God again and declared, "But stretch out your
hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your
face." Job's body became wracked with sores and pain until his own wife
begged, "Curse God and die!" But Job still replied, "Shall we
accept good from God, and not trouble?"
約伯的三個著名的友人現身了。起初，他們的表現十分優秀，花了一個禮拜的時間單單陪伴著約伯，拒絕說任何的話，因為他們看到了約伯的痛苦。他需要的只是友情，而不是喋喋不休的講道。但是一個禮拜過去之後，他們開始表達他們關於約伯身上發生了什麼事的意見。這是從約伯絕望的哭喊開始的，他咒詛他的出生。一朵烏黑的雲彩籠罩著約伯，他唯一能作的是他盼望他從來沒有出生過。在他唱完哀歌之後，他的友人才開始表達他們的觀點。
In
walked Job's famous counselors. At first, they responded well, spending a week
simply sitting with him, refusing to say anything because they saw his pain.
What he needed was friendship, not a steady flow of sermonizing. But after the
week passed, they began to express their opinions about what was going on in
Job's life. It began with Job's cry of despair, cursing the day of his birth. A
deep, dark cloud of depression fell over Job and he could only wish that he had
never been born. It is after this lamentation that the counselors begin to
offer their perspectives.
在約伯和他的朋友結束他們的講道之後，上帝終於說話了，並且為自己講道。耶和華從旋風中回答約伯說，「誰用無知的言語使我的旨意暗昧不明？ 你要如勇士束腰；我問你，你可以指示我。 我立大地根基的時候，你在那裏呢？你若有聰明，只管說吧！」（伯卅八1～4）
After
Job and the friends finish their sermons, God finally speaks up and preaches
for himself. Out of the whirlwind, he answers Job: "Who is this that
darkens my counsel with words without knowledge? Brace yourself like a man; I
will question you, and you shall answer me. Where were you when I laid the
earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand."
在列舉了一長串神聖作為來說明祂創造宇宙的智慧和能力之後，上帝讓約伯和他好意的朋友啞口無言。因為他們自以為能直通上帝的檔案櫃。他們以此假設來行事，以為他們可以明白上帝的心意。當苦難擊打我們或我們所愛的人的時候，我們多容易會這樣想呢！
After
listing a litany of divine actions that illustrate his wisdom and power over
the universe, God shuts the mouths of Job and his well-meaning friends. For they
all had assumed that they had access to the divine filing cabinet. They all
operated under the assumption that they could discern the mind of God. How
easily we attempt this when suffering strikes us or our loved-ones!
在上帝為自己辯護之後，留給約伯的是他是無可推諉的。儘管約伯的神學相當優秀，但是他的經歷卻讓他質疑上帝的主權和良善。因為他無法理解，這要如何和他對上帝的觀點調和，他的結論是這是沒有答案的。但是上帝提醒他，也提醒我們所有的人，只因為我們想不出答案，並不表示沒有真正的答案。
After
God's defense, Job is left without excuse. In spite of his superior theology,
his experience had led him to question God's sovereignty and goodness. Because
he could not comprehend how this could be reconciled with his view of God, he
concluded that there was no answer. But God reminded him, as he reminds all of
us, that just because we don't have the answers does not mean that there are no
answers.
你無法測透上帝
You
can’t figure out God.
面對這種苦難時，最自然的假設是上帝正在因我們的罪而懲罰我們。但是身為這齣戲劇的觀眾，我們從序幕知道，這個考驗有其他的來源。和約伯一樣，我們是根據有限的資訊來作出結論，想要知道事情為什麼會發生在我們身上。我們無法直通上帝的檔案櫃，直通祂的內室，祂也沒有直接告訴我們為什麼會發生這些惡事，但是無論如何祂並沒有阻止我們得出一些結論。
The
natural assumption in the face of such suffering is that somehow God is
punishing us for our sins. But we, in the audience of this play, know from the
prologue that this test had another source. Like Job, we make conclusions based
on limited information, trying to figure out why things are happening to us. We
don't have access to God's filing cabinet, to his inner chamber, and he does
not directly tell us why bad things are happening, but that doesn't keep us
from drawing conclusions anyway.
我們立刻就會去合理化這件事背後的目的。但是在這些事上，上帝卻拒絕被人「測透」，祂的計劃也是向血肉之軀隱藏的。上帝質問他們，「你豈可拿他當雀鳥玩耍嗎？豈可為你的幼女將他拴住嗎？ ……人指望捉拿他是徒然的；一見他，豈不喪膽嗎？ ……這樣，誰能在我面前站立得住呢？ 誰先給我什麼，使我償還呢？天下萬物都是我的。」（伯四一5、9～11）
We
immediately strike out to rationalize the purpose behind it all. But God
refuses to be "figured out" in these matters and his counsel is
hidden to mortals. God asks them all, "Can you make a pet of [me] like a
bird or put [me] on a leash for your girls? Any hope of subduing [me] is false;
the mere sight of [me] is overpowering. Who then is able to stand against me?
Who has a claim against me that I must pay? Everything under heaven belongs to
me."
對那些被綁在苦難的高聳桅杆上的人來說，都有一種憂慮，這種憂慮甚至超過對死亡的擔憂。那就是對活命的憂慮。擔心明天還活著，後天還活著。（還要繼續受苦）
For
those who are tied to the high masts of suffering, there is often a fear that
is greater than the fear of death. It is the fear of life. It is the fear of
the next morning and the morning after that.
在面對深沉的絕望時，我們會遭遇到的誘惑是離棄上帝，因為這個苦難多少可以歸因於祂對個人的罪的怒氣，但是我們也可以轉向上帝，因為我們知道自己是與上帝和好的。這就是為什麼約伯會說，在這個處境下，如果他有一個中保，一個維護者，他就能轉向上帝的原因。逐漸地，他對這個中保有更大的信心：「現今，在天有我的見證，在上有我的中保。我的朋友譏誚我，我卻向上帝眼淚汪汪。願人得與上帝辯白，如同人與朋友辯白一樣。」（伯十六19～21）
In
the face of deep despair, the temptation is great to either turn away from God
because the suffering is somehow credited to his wrath toward personal sins, or
to turn toward him because one knows that he or she is at peace with God. This
is why Job said that he would be able to turn toward God in this situation if
only he had a go-between, an advocate. Gradually, he comes to a greater
confidence in this mediator:
即使我們過於軟弱，無法抓緊基督，祂也夠強壯到可以抓緊我們。即使我們沒有能力面對明天，基督也已經穿越過死亡、到達另外一邊，而且已經為我們除去了死亡的毒鉤。和約伯一樣——他知道他的救贖主活著，而且他會親身看見祂，雖然約伯的身體如今仍然覆蓋著鮮血和痛苦的毒瘡——使徒保羅也宣告，「若基督沒有復活，我們所傳的便是枉然，你們·所信的也是枉然；……我們若靠基督只在今生有指望，就算比眾人更可憐。」（林前十五14、19）
"Even
now my witness is in heaven; my advocate is on high. My intercessor is my
friend as my eyes pour out tears to God; on behalf of a man he pleads with God
as a man pleads for his friend."
Even
if we are too weak to hang on to Christ, he is strong enough to hang on to us.
Even though we may not be able to face tomorrow, Christ has already passed
through death to the other side and has taken away death's sting for us. Like
Job, who knew that his Redeemer lives and that he would see him in the very
body that was at present covered with bloody and painful sores, the Apostle
Paul declared, "If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless
and so is your faith...If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to
be pitied more than all men."
基督信仰不是因為管用才是真實的
Christianity
is not true because it works.
在許多情況下，基督信仰是不管用的。意思是說，基督信仰不會解決我們以為它應該解決的一切問題。那些因為被告知，基督教可以修復他們的婚姻而成為基督徒，卻發現自己上了離婚法庭的人，很有可能放棄基督信仰。那些期待自己會完全沒有罪惡的習慣，並渴慕一個突然的轉變，會得到那所應許的「突然的得勝」的人，當他們明白他們仍然只是靠著恩典得救的罪人，在這之後也許很快就會完全醒悟過來，對上帝不再抱任何的幻想。
In
many cases, it does not work. That is to say, it does not solve all of the
problems that we think it should solve. Those who become Christians because
they were told it would fix their marriages, only to find themselves in divorce
court, might well give up on Christianity. Those who expected to be free of
sinful habits and desires after a conversion in which "sudden victory"
was promised may find themselves disillusioned with God altogether soon
thereafter, when they realize that they are still sinners saved by grace.
我們蒙召不是要來審判上帝的。上帝並沒有應許我們任何一個人，會給我們健康、財富和快樂。事實上，祂告訴那些期望與基督的榮耀有分的人，也要與祂的受苦有分。基督信仰所以是真的，不是因為它對人管用，而是因為將近兩千年前，上帝的兒子為我們的罪被釘死在十字架上，並且為我們的稱義復活了。
We
are not called here this afternoon to judge God. God didn't promise any of us
health, wealth, and happiness. In fact, he tells us that we who expect to share
in Christ's glory will also participate in his suffering. Christianity is true,
not because it works for people but because nearly 2,000 years ago, outside of
the center-city of Jerusalem, the Son of God was crucified for our sins and was
raised for our justification.
這個歷史事件也許無法按照我們的理想，按照我們想要的時間，修復我們的婚姻或我們的人際關係，或者是被我們搞砸了的人生，但是它卻可以拯救我們脫離上帝將要到來的怒氣。有鑑於此，所有其他的事不是會變得毫無意義，只是和這個重大問題相比，就變得只是次要的了。因為，「按著定命，人人都有一死，死後且有審判。」（來九27）
This
historical event may not fix our marriages, our relationships or our messed-up
lives the way we would like, and in the timing, we would like, but it saves us
from the wrath of God to come. And surely in view of this, all else pales not
into insignificance, but into secondary importance to that great issue.
"For it is appointed for a man once to die, and then the judgment."
基督信仰即使在不管用時仍然給人盼望
Christianity
offers hope even when it doesn’t work.
在所有曾經活著的人當中，只有一個人擁有上帝所要求我們的完美的義，祂就是約伯和保羅，以及其他所有聖徒所尋求的救贖主，唯有祂是讓我們脫離死亡和地獄的避難所。一旦我們信靠基督，並拋棄我們靠自己成聖、得到上帝接納的主張，除去我們自己製作的無花果葉，上帝就用基督的義袍來遮蓋我們。
The
perfect righteousness that God requires of us was possessed by only one man who
ever lived, the Redeemer to whom Job and Paul and every other saint have looked
for shelter from death and hell. The moment we trust in Christ and renounce our
own claims to holiness and acceptability, stripping away the fig leaves of our
own making, God clothes us in the robe of Christ's righteousness.
因為基督一生的順服，祂獻祭的死，以及祂凱旋的復活，我們如今得到父神的接納，成為祂的後嗣，祂也將聖靈賜給我們，並應許我們那會朽壞的身體有一天會復活。這意味著再次仰望上帝是安全的。
Because
of Christ's life of obedience, his sacrificial death, and his triumphant
resurrection, we are accepted by the Father and made his heirs, given the Holy
Spirit and promised the resurrection of our own mortal flesh. This means it is
safe to look up to God again.
如同約伯所說，要是他有一個維護者，一個中保，他就可以在他的苦難中仰望上帝，同樣，我們所有的人也可以靠著父神的肩膀，向祂哭求，因為我們沒有什麼好懼怕的。若我們真屬於祂，痛苦和困難就不是祂向我們所發的怒氣，因為祂會攔截撒但的計謀，並且會將罪與邪惡改變成恩典的使者。
As
Job said that if only he had an advocate, a mediator, he could lift his eyes up
to God in his suffering, so all of us can cry on our Father's shoulder because
we have nothing to fear. It is not his wrath that has sent us pain and
suffering if we belong to him, for he intercepts Satan's designs and fashions
even sin and evil into messengers of grace.
對一切害怕死亡，或害怕活著的人來說，好消息是祂今天仍然坐在上帝的右邊，為我們的案件陳清，維護我們。祂的名叫耶穌基督，而假若你信靠的是這個萬古磐石，信靠的是這個堅固保障，祂就會是你的朋友，在這個世上，也在將要來的世界裏。
And
for all of us here who are afraid of death, or of life, the good news is that
this man is still at God's right hand, this advocate who pleads our case. His
name is Jesus Christ and if your faith is in this Rock of Ages and in this
Mighty Fortress, he will be your friend, in this world and in the world to come.
