改革宗信仰基础19：拣选Basics of the Reformed Faith:Election
作者：Kim Riddlebarger 译/校对者：寇正华/王一
美国人在民主的环境长大，我们坚持“一人一票”的原则。我们很容易（而且几乎是自然的）将这个原则转移到我们对救恩的理解。很容易假定，上帝应该给每个人去天堂的机会，那么如果有人下地狱实际上就是由于他拒绝上帝的恩赐而将自己送至地狱。这十分符合民主式的思维，因为每个个体都被授予资格和权力来决定自己的生活方式。如果在美国政治中是这样，那么在罪人得救的时候这应该也是正确的，难道不是吗？不是的。圣经不允许我们以这样乐观的方式来理解人类从罪恶中得救赎。
由于亚当的罪，我们生来都是罪人，我们的本性是有罪的，我们的选择是有罪的。并且因为亚当在伊甸园中的反叛行为，我们生来就有罪。圣经将这说成是死在罪中（弗2:1），意味着我们不愿意也不能做任何事情来拯救自己。因为我们死在罪中，我们甚至不能向着上帝采取首先的步骤，一些基督徒错误地认为我们应该能做到（约6:44）。通常听到基督徒以一般的、非具体的以及医学的术语来描述上帝的恩典，例如“恩典就像一种药，如果我们愿意接受，就能使我们来到基督面前”，或者“恩典是一个救生圈，我们必须抓住并且紧紧抱住，否则我们将在我们的罪中淹死”。
我们的问题不在于我们是灵性上生病的，不在于被我们的罪稍微地损伤，或者我们是道德上软弱的。我们的问题要比这更糟糕。圣经说我们死在罪中。死人不会，而且也不能来到神面前。上帝必须在我们死在罪中的时候就近我们，然后使我们与基督徒一同活过来（参见弗2:1-10）。这是我们找到上帝拯救恩典的要点的所在。当我们如此不配这样的救恩，并且对于我们的困境完全不能做任何事情时，上帝做了一切必要的以拯救我们脱离我们的罪恶。民主的预设不能简单地应用到罪和恩典的事情上。在这里，人类的困境和上帝的主权恩典是适当的范畴。上帝必须自始至终地拯救我们，因为我们不能做任何事情来拯救自己。
任何人能够对耶稣产生信心的唯一原因，就是在创立世界以前，上帝选择在基督里拯救我们（弗1:4）。圣经说，上帝这样做是基于他自己主权的美意和旨意——换句话说，理由只有他自己知道，但与上帝的圣洁和公义完全相符。当论述这个主题时，保罗毫不含糊地将其说出来。“因爱我们，（上帝）就按着自己意旨所喜悦的，预定我们藉着耶稣基督得儿子的名分，使他荣耀的恩典得着称赞。这恩典是他在爱子里所赐给我们的。我们藉这爱子的血（在基督里）得蒙救赎，过犯得以赦免，乃是照他丰富的恩典。这恩典是神用诸般智慧聪明，充充足足赏给我们的，都是照着他自己所预定的美意，叫我们知道他旨意的奥秘；要照所安排的，在日期满足的时候，使天上地上一切所有的，都在基督里面同归于一”（弗1:5-10）。上帝在基督里拣选我们，并且他这样做的理由只有他自己知道。但他却拣选我们。
这里的关键点是，除非上帝选择在基督里拯救我们，否则我们没有一个会得救！上帝不会像通常所说的那样，俯视时间走廊并且看谁将会以及谁将不会信靠基督。如果情况是那样，则上帝的拣选将是对人类行动（接受基督的决定）的回应，这对于在死在罪中的人来说是不能实行的。那些没有被拣选的人就留在他们在亚当里的初始境况中，在上帝的咒诅和公义的定罪中。那些未被拣选的人并非仿佛被不公平地对待一样。相反，他们将根据神的公义而不是上帝在基督里拯救的怜悯来处理。未被拣选的人将得到他们真正应得的。如果神没有在基督里拣选我们，我们得到我们真正应得的。
圣经非常清楚，上帝的拣选是基于他的美意和旨意，拣选是“在基督里”（意思是，所有信靠基督的都是在基督里被拣选的），并且上帝提供耶稣基督的善功（通过他的受苦和顺服）来救那些被上帝拣选的人脱离罪的罪责和权势。通过耶稣基督的救赎工作，在圣灵的大能中并通过圣灵的大能施行在我们身上，上帝所选择拯救的人将被拯救。这是我们找到唯独恩典（sola gratia）的意义的所在。
在爱里，上帝预定我们在基督里从我们的罪的罪责和权势中被赎回。
Basics of the Reformed Faith:
Election
Kim
Riddlebarger
As
Americans raised in a democratic republic, we cling tenaciously to the
principle “one person, one vote.” It is very easy (and almost natural) to carry
over this principle to our understanding of the doctrine of salvation. It is
easy to simply assume that God should give everyone a chance to go to heaven,
and if people refuse God’s gracious offer, then people, in effect, send
themselves to hell by refusing God’s gracious gift. This makes perfect sense on
democratic presuppositions because in the political sphere each individual is
assumed to be entitled and empowered to determine their own course in life. And
if this is true in American political life, then it should be true when it
comes to the salvation of sinner. Right? Well, no. The Bible does not allow us
to understand humanity’s redemption from sin in such rosy terms.
Because
of Adam’s sin, we are all sinners by nature and by choice, and we are born
guilty for Adam’s act of rebellion in Eden. The Bible speaks of this as being
dead in sin (Ephesians 2:1), meaning we are unwilling and unable to do anything
to save ourselves. Because we are dead in sin, we cannot even take those first
steps toward God that some Christians mistakenly think we should be able to
make (John 6:44). It is common to hear Christians describe God’s grace in
generic, non-specific and medicinal terms such as, “grace is like a medicine
which, if we are willing to take it, enables us to come to Christ,” or that
“grace is a life-ring which we must grab and cling, or we will drown in our
sins.”
Our
problem is not that we are spiritually sick, somewhat impaired by our sin, or
that we are morally weak. It is much worse than that. The Bible says we are
dead in sin. Dead people do not, and indeed cannot, come to God. God must come
to us while we are dead in sin, and then make us alive with Christ (cf.
Ephesians 2:1-10). This is where we find the very heart of God’s saving grace.
God does everything necessary to save us from our sins, when we are so unworthy
of such salvation, and completely unable to do anything about our predicament.
Democratic presuppositions simply don’t apply to matters of sin and grace.
Humanity’s plight and God’s sovereign grace are the proper categories here.
From beginning to end God must save us because we are unable to do anything to
save ourselves.
The
only reason why any one of us presently trusts in Jesus to save us from our
sins is because God chose to save us in Jesus Christ from before the foundation
of the world (Ephesians 1:4). God did so, Scripture says, based upon his own
sovereign good pleasure and purpose–in other words, for reasons known only to
himself, but fully consistent with God’s holiness and justice. When addressing
this very subject, Paul spells this out in no uncertain terms. “In love, [God]
predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the
purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has
blessed us in the Beloved. In [Jesus] we have redemption through his blood, the
forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he
lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of
his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for
the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things
on earth” (Ephesians 1:3-7). God chooses us in Jesus Christ, and he does so for
reasons known only to himself. But he chooses us nonetheless.
The
critical point here is that unless God chose to save us in Jesus Christ, not
one of us would be saved! God did not look down the corridors of time and see
who would and who would not trust in Christ as is commonly argued. If that were
the case, then God’s election would be a response to a human action (a decision
to accept Christ) which people who are dead in sin cannot perform. Those not
chosen are left in their original condition in Adam, under God’s curse and just
condemnation. It is not as though those not chosen are treated unfairly.
Rather, they will be dealt with according to divine justice, not God’s saving
mercy in Christ. Those not chosen will get what they truly deserve. They we get
what we truly deserve, had God not chosen us in Christ.
The
Bible is very clear that God’s election is based upon the good pleasure and
purpose of God, that election is “in Christ” (which means that all those who
trust in Christ were chosen in Christ), and that God provides the merits of
Jesus Christ (through his suffering and obedience) to save those whom God has
chosen, from both the guilt and power of sin. Those whom God chooses to save will
be saved by the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, which is applied to us in and
through the power of the Holy Spirit. This is where we find the meaning of sola
gratia (grace alone).
In
love, God predestined us in Jesus Christ to be redeemed from the guilt and
power of our sin.