改革宗信仰基础22：善行和基督徒的生活Basics of the Reformed Faith:Good Works and the Christian Life

作者： Kim Riddlebarger  译者：寇正华

https://wscal.edu/blog/basics-of-the-reformed-faith-good-works-and-the-christian-life

http://www.reformedbeginner.net/basics22-good-works/

与称义和成圣的教义密切相关的是善行的主题。由唯独因信称义的圣经教义的批评者提出的最普遍的异议之一是这样：“如果我们是唯独本乎恩、唯独藉着信，唯独因基督而得救，那么留给善行什么位置？”甚至使徒保罗也听到来自罗马基督徒的类似异议。“这样，怎么说呢？我们可以仍在罪中，叫恩典显多吗？（罗6:1）”

像这样的问题是由于担心如果太过强调上帝的恩典，基督徒将对上帝的事变得懒惰和漠不关心。恐怕基督徒可能太依赖恩典，而不会对善行表现出足够的热忱。毕竟，如果我们在神面前的地位取决于另外一位（耶稣基督）的善行，还有什么激励我们行出神在他话语中命令我们的那些行为呢？更糟糕的是，正如批评者所声称的，如果称义的教义是真的，并且在我们变成基督徒之后，我们是被称义的罪人，那么为什么要行出善行呢，因为这些仍然被我们的罪所污染？

保罗在罗马书6章中对这些问题的回答是明显的。针对强调恩典使得基督徒对其如何生活变冷漠的指责，保罗回应道，“断乎不可！”使徒的解释非常简单。“我们在罪上死了的人岂可仍在罪中活着呢？岂不知我们这受洗归入基督耶稣的人，是受洗归入他的死吗？所以我们藉着洗礼归入死，和他一同埋葬，原是叫我们一举一动有新生的样式，像基督藉着父的荣耀从死里复活一样”（罗6:2-4）。

在辩论罪人称义唯独因着信而不是因着行为（罗3:21-28）之后，使徒指出，那些藉着信心而称义的人也已经在罪上死了。基督徒不再渴望活在罪的辖制之下，因为他们已经与基督同埋葬并且随后复活成新的生命。唯独因信称义的教义非但没有摧毁行出善行的渴望，反而为善行建立基础。那些称义的（在罪上死了的）人，一举一动将有新生的样式，并且开始了成圣的过程。新生和我们的成圣的特征在于行善（参见弗2:10），以及有圣灵的果实（加5:16-26）。如保罗在其他地方所说，“我深信那在你们心里动了善工的，必成全这工，直到耶稣基督的日子”（腓1:6）。

因为这个问题成了这样的一个争议点，更正教信条和要理问答均在一定程度上论述了该问题。以在海德堡要理问答中的该讨论为例子。在指出善行是那些出于真正的信心、符合神的律法，并且是为上帝的荣耀而作的，而不是为了赚得奖赏（Q & A 91）之后，讨论十诫，着重于基督徒如何理解作为启示上帝意志的十诫（Q & A 92-114），然后要理问答接着讨论一个问题，就是即使当作为基督徒的我们不能完全遵守上帝的诫命的时候，为什么我们应当行善。在海德堡要理问答的114问中，问道，“那些归信神的人能否完全遵从这些诫命？”

在要理问答中114问给出的答案达到了唯独因信称义与善行之间关系的核心。“不能，即使是最圣洁的人，在遵守这些诫命方面，在此生也只是开展了一小步。然而，凭着郑重的决心，他们确实开始在生活中遵行所有神的诫命，而非当中的一部分。”

因为我们从头到脚都是罪恶的，并且因为罪在我们存有的每个方面都影响我们（参见弗4:17-24；罗3:9-20；诗51:1-5），即使被称义，我们仍然是罪恶的（加5:17；罗7:21-24）。甚至在我们当中那些得到很大信心的人，以及热切渴望过讨神喜悦的生活的人，也仍是罪人。我们的行为仍然被我们的罪恶所污染，以至于除了基督以外，这些行为将只是用作定我们的罪，因为这些行为被罪侵蚀，而且不是真正的善的。

既然我们“原是他的工作，在基督耶稣里造成的，为要叫我们行善，就是神所预备叫我们行的”（弗2:10），每个基督徒（唯独因信称义）将开始顺从神的诫命，然而，这顺从可能是犹豫的以及有瑕疵的。这是真的，不是因为在我们里面有回应神恩典的神圣火花，而是因为“你们立志行事，都是神在你们心里运行，为要成就他的美意”（腓2:13）。

因为完全如我们的称义一样，成圣也是上帝恩典的行动，所有已经唯独本乎恩、唯独藉着信、唯独因着基督而称义的人，将（如要理问答所说）按照神的诫命而活。因为我们的顺从（像我们的罪）被基督的宝血和义所遮盖（甚至我们最坏的行为也成为真正的好的），我们的天父在我们软弱地努力行善中喜悦我们。而且知道这个实情，将在我们里面产生更加顺从的渴望。

Basics of the Reformed Faith: Good Works and the Christian Life

Kim Riddlebarger

Closely related to the doctrines of justification and sanctification is the subject of good works. One of the most common objections raised by critics of the biblical doctrine of justification by faith alone is this: “If we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, on account of Christ alone, what place does that leave for good works?” Even apostle Paul had heard a similar objection from Christians in Rome. “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? (Romans 6:1)”

Questions like this one arise from the concern that if God’s grace is stressed too much, Christians will become lazy and indifferent to the things of God. It is feared that Christians might rely too much upon grace and not demonstrate a sufficient zeal for good works. After all, what incentive remains to do those works God commands us in his word, if our standing before God depends upon the good works of another–Jesus Christ? Even worse, as the critics contend, if the doctrine of justification is true, and we are justified sinners even after we become Christians, then why do good works at all, since they are still tainted by our sin?

Paul’s answer to these questions in Romans 6 is emphatic. In response to the charge that stress upon grace makes Christians indifferent about how they live, Paul writes, “By no means!” The apostle’s explanation is simple. “How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:2-4).

After arguing that sinners are justified by faith alone, and not by works (Romans 3:21-28), the apostle can make the point that those who are justified through faith have also died to sin. Christians no longer desire to live under sin’s dominion because they have been buried with Christ and subsequently raised to newness of life. Instead of destroying the desire to do good works, the doctrine of justification by faith alone establishes the basis for good works. Those who are justified (having died to sin), will walk in newness of life and begin the process of sanctification. The newness of life and our sanctification is characterized by the doing of good works (cf. Ephesians 2:10), and the presence of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-26). As Paul puts it elsewhere, “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).

Since this matter became such a point of controversy, Protestant confessions and catechisms all deal with this issue at some length. Take, for example, the discussion of this in the Heidelberg Catechism. After pointing out that good works are those things done from true faith, according to God’s law, and done for God’s glory, not so as to earn a reward (Q & A 91), and then discussing the Ten Commandments, focusing upon how Christians are to understand them as a revelation of God’s will (Q & A 92-114), the Catechism then takes up the question of why we should do good works, when, even as Christians, we cannot obey God’s commandments perfectly. In question 114 of the Heidelberg Catechism, it is asked, “Can those who are converted to God keep these Commandments perfectly?”

The answer given to question 114 in the Catechism gets to the very heart of the relationship between justification by faith alone and good works. “No, but even the holiest men, while in this life, have only a small beginning of such obedience, yet so that with earnest purpose they begin to live not only according to some, but according to all the Commandments of God.”

Because we are sinful from head to toe, and since sin affects us in every aspect of our being (cf. Ephesians 4:17-24; Romans 3:9-20; Psalm 51:1-5), even justified, we remain sinful (Galatians 5:17; Romans 7:21-24). Even those among us who are given much faith, and who earnestly desire to live lives pleasing to God, still remain sinners. Our works remain stained by our sinfulness, so that apart from Christ these works would only serve to condemn us since such a work is corrupted by sin and not truly good.

Since we are created “in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10), every Christian (who is justified by faith alone) will begin to obey the commandments of God, however hesitantly and flawed that obedience might be. This is true not because we have a divine spark within us which responds to God’s grace, but because “it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).

Since our sanctification is every bit as much an act of God’s grace as is our justification, all those who have been justified by grace alone, through faith alone, on account of Christ alone, will (as the Catechism says) live according to all of God’s commandments. Since our obedience (like our sin) is covered by the blood and righteousness of Christ (making even the worst our works truly good), our heavenly father delights in our feeble efforts to do good. And knowing this to be the case creates within us the desire to obey all the more.