改革宗信仰基础20：称义Basics of the Reformed Faith:Justification

作者： Kim Riddlebarger  译者：寇正华

http://www.reformedbeginner.net/basics20-justification/

https://wscal.edu/blog/basics-of-the-reformed-faith-justification

改革宗信徒毫不犹豫地肯定，称义是教会生死攸关的教义。虽然经常引用的评论归功于马丁·路德，但实际上是改革宗神学家 J. H. Alsted（1588-1638）首先将这些言语落实在纸上——毫无疑问，这是在效仿这样做的马丁·路德。

唯独出于恩典、唯独藉着信心、唯独因着基督而称义的教义是如此重要的原因是，因为它与福音和耶稣基督的救赎工作密切相关。如果我们不明白作为罪人的我们是如何在圣洁的上帝面前被宣告为义（就是被“称义”的意思），我们不仅会误解福音——以及因此在审判的那天冒险站在上帝面前，期待着我们自己的义将会是足够的——而且我们将错过该教义为我们提供的美好安慰。

好消息是，作为被称义的罪人——我们的罪已经算给基督，并且基督的义已经算给我们（罗5:12,18-19）——我们现在拥有能想象到的最伟大的恩赐，脱离害怕、恐怖和畏惧的良心（提后4:18）。我们的罪被赦免以及上帝喜悦我们如同喜悦他自己爱子的程度一样（林后5:21），知道这个不仅平静我们的良心并且创造喜乐和幸福的美好感觉，而且还提供了有力的动力，以便在上帝面前过感恩的生活（林后1:3-7）。事实上，明白这个教义，是我们能够将所有的荣耀和感恩归给上帝（这是我们称义的最终目的）的唯一方式。

我们需要在这里很清楚——我们是因着善行称义。注意，不是我们的善行，而是耶稣基督的善行，正如他献祭的死，是为我们作成而且是在我们的位置上作的。耶稣基督不仅为我们的罪死了，而且通过他对上帝命令完全顺从的生命，他满足了全部的义（罗5:18-19）。在《腓立比书》3:4-11中，保罗说到这个藉着信心来自上帝的基督的义。“其实我也可以靠肉体；若是别人想他可以靠肉体，我更可以靠着了。我第八天受割礼，我是以色列族、便雅悯支派的人，是希伯来人所生的希伯来人。就律法说，我是法利赛人；就热心说，我是逼迫教会的；就律法上的义说，我是无可指摘的。只是我先前以为与我有益的，我现在因基督都当作有损的。不但如此，我也将万事当作有损的，因我以认识我主基督耶稣为至宝。我为他已经丢弃万事，看作粪土，为要得着基督，并且得以在他里面，不是有自己因律法而得的义，乃是有信基督的义，就是因信　神而来的义，使我认识基督，晓得他复活的大能，并且晓得和他一同受苦，效法他的死，或者我也得以从死里复活。”

但是，我们的罪如何归算给（算给、归给）基督，并且他的善功如何归算给我们？这只有通过信心的手段才发生，这就是为什么我们不能基于我们已经做的或甚至可以做的任何事情来称义，因为我们的全部行为都被罪所污染并且总是出于罪恶的动机来做。信心是将我们连接到基督的工具，使得他的全部的义成为我们的。在加拉太书3:23-26中，保罗说：“但这因信得救的理还未来以先，我们被看守在律法之下，直圈到那将来的真道显明出来。这样，律法是我们训蒙的师傅，引我们到基督那里，使我们因信称义。但这因信得救的理既然来到，我们从此就不在师傅的手下了。所以，你们因信基督耶稣，都是　神的儿子。”

重要的是要明白，信心不是上帝期待我们执行的一个工作。信心不是上帝在我们心中看到一些东西，然后他以“称义”的状态来奖励——这是美国福音派广泛持有的观点。而是，正如巴刻（J. I. Packer）非常好的表述说，信心是“一个适当的工具，伸出的空手，在基督里接收上帝的义的白白的恩赐。”保罗在《罗马书》4:4-5中以这些术语准确地说到，“作工的得工价，不算恩典，乃是改得的；惟有不作工的，只信称罪人为义的神，他的信就算为义。”

圣经清楚表明，信心将我们连接于基督，并且通过在基督里的信心，我们接收他必给我们的全部——也就是通过他的死完成的赦罪，以及基于他的顺从的义的恩赐。通过在基督里的信心，我们的罪归算给他，使得他在十字架上为这些罪付上代价，并且通过这同样的信心，他的义（他的善功和圣洁的行为）成为我们的。这就是当我们说到唯独本乎恩典、唯独藉着信心、唯独因着基督而称义的时候的意思。这是福音！上帝在律法以下要求我们的，他在基督里白白地赐下。在《罗马书》3:21-26中，保罗提出了这点。“但如今，神的义在律法以外已经显明出来，有律法和先知为证。就是　神的义，因信耶稣基督，加给一切相信的人，并没有分别。因为世人都犯了罪，亏缺了　神的荣耀，如今却蒙　神的恩典，因基督耶稣的救赎，就白白的称义。神设立耶稣作挽回祭，是凭着耶稣的血，藉着人的信，要显明　神的义。因为他用忍耐的心，宽容人先时所犯的罪，好在今时显明他的义，使人知道他自己为义，也称信耶稣的人为义。”

如果我们不清楚这个伟大的教义，我们对我们的救恩就不会有确信，我们就没有过基督徒生活的基础，并且我们也没有福音来传给我们周围的不信世界。离开这个教义，我们的教会就是堕落的教会。

Basics of the Reformed Faith: Justification

Kim Riddlebarger

Reformed Christians affirm without hesitation that the doctrine of justification is the article of faith by which the church stands or falls. Although the oft-cited comment is attributed to Martin Luther, it was actually the Reformed theologian, J. H. Alsted (1588-1638), who first put these words to paper–no doubt echoing Martin Luther in doing so.

The reason why the doctrine of justification by grace alone, through faith alone, on account of Christ alone, is so important is because it is so closely tied to the gospel and the saving work of Jesus Christ. If we do not understand how it is that we as sinners are declared right before a holy God (which is what it means to be “justified”), we may not only misunderstand the gospel–and therefore risk standing before God on the day of judgment expecting that our own righteousness will be sufficient–but we will miss out on the wonderful comfort which this doctrine provides for us.

The good news is that as justified sinners–our sin has been reckoned to Christ, and Christ’s righteousness has been reckoned to us (Romans 5:12, 18-19)–we now possess the greatest gift imaginable, a conscience free from fear, terror, and dread (2 Tim. 4:18). The knowledge that our sins are forgiven and that God is as pleased with us every bit as much as he is with his own dear Son (2 Corinthians 5:21), not only quiets our conscience and creates a wonderful sense of joy and well-being, but it also provides powerful motivation to live a life of gratitude before God (2 Corinthians 1:3-7). In fact, understanding this doctrine is the only way we will be able to give all glory and thanks to God, which is the ultimate goal of our justification.

We need to be perfectly clear here–we are justified by good works. Not our good works, mind you, but Jesus Christ’s good works, which just like his sacrificial death, were done for us and in our place. Jesus Christ not only died for our sins, but through his life of perfect obedience to God’s commandments he fulfilled all righteousness (Romans 5:18-19). In Philippians 3:4-11, Paul speaks of this righteousness of Christ which comes from God through faith. “If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.”

But how is it that our sins are imputed (reckoned, credited) to Christ and his merits are imputed to us? This occurs only through the means of faith, which is why we cannot be justified on the basis of anything we have done or even could do since all of our works are tainted by sin and always done from sinful motives. Faith is the instrument which links us to Christ so that all that his righteousness becomes ours. In Galatians 3:23-26, Paul states “before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.”

It is important to understand that faith is not that one work God expects us to perform. Faith is not something which God sees in our hearts which he then rewards with a status of “justified”–a view widely held throughout American evangelicalism. Rather, as J. I. Packer so helpfully puts it, faith is “an appropriating instrument, an empty hand outstretched to receive the free gift of God’s righteousness in Christ.” Paul speaks precisely in these terms in Romans 4:4-5 when he writes, “now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness.”

Scripture is clear that faith links us to Christ, and through faith in Christ we receive all that he has to give us–namely the forgiveness of sin accomplished by his death, and the gift of righteousness based upon his obedience. Through faith in Jesus, our sin is imputed to him so that he pays for these sins on the cross and through that same faith his righteousness (his merits and holy works) becomes ours. This is what we mean when we speak of being justified by grace alone, through faith alone, on account of Christ alone. This is the gospel! God freely gives in Christ what he demands of us under the law. In Romans 3:21-26, Paul makes this very point. “But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

If we are not clear about this great doctrine, we have no assurance of our salvation, no foundation for living the Christian life, and we have no gospel to preach to the unbelieving world around us. Apart from this doctrine, ours is a fallen church.