區分上帝主動的和被動的旨意Distinguishing the Active andPassive Wills of God
[每日靈修] 1/20/2019, 駱鴻銘編譯
約瑟談到他的兄弟犯下的背叛，「從前你們的意思是要害我，但上帝的意思原是好的。」（創五十20）。上帝的美意是通過約瑟兄弟的惡意來實現的。這意思不是說因為他們只是在遵行上帝的旨意，所以兄弟們的行為實際上是善良的。所有的行動都必須與他們的意圖合起來判斷，而上帝正確地判斷約瑟兄弟的行為是邪惡的。上帝從邪惡中帶來好處只是強調祂的主權，和祂至高的諭旨旨意是何等卓越。
我們有時候會通過區分上帝主動的旨意和祂被動的旨意來解決同樣的問題。我們再次會面對一些難題。當上帝是「被動」時，從某種意義上說，祂是主動採取被動的。我不是想要胡說八道，而只是為了表明上帝永遠不會是完全被動的。當祂看似是被動時，祂正主動地選擇不直接介入。
奧古斯丁用這種方式說明這個問題：「人有時候帶著善意，會想要上帝所沒有定旨的東西，例如一個好兒子希望他的父親能活著，而上帝的旨意是他要死去。再一次，一個懷著惡意的人有可能會想要上帝以正義所定旨的事，例如一個壞兒子希望他的父親去死，而上帝也如此定意......對於上帝按公義所定旨的事，祂乃是藉著壞人的惡意來完成的。」
活在神的面光中（在神面前禱告）：
你是否記得上帝何時使用了邪惡的目的，卻在你的生命中成就了好事？為那些時刻感謝祂。
進一步研讀：
詩卅一3 因為你是我的巖石，我的山寨；所以，求你為你名的緣故引導我，指點我。
詩一三九8 我若升到天上，你在那裡；我若在陰間下榻，你也在那裡。我若展開清晨的翅膀，飛到海極居住， 就是在那裡，你的手必引導我；你的右手也必扶持我。
Distinguishing
the Active and Passive Wills of God
Joseph
said about the treachery perpetrated by his brothers, “You meant it for evil;
God meant it for good” (Gen. 50:20). God’s good will was served through the bad
will of Joseph’s brothers. This does not mean that since they were only doing
the will of God the acts of the brothers were actually virtuous. All acts must
be judged together with their intentions, and the actions of Joseph’s brothers
were rightly judged by God to be evil. That God brings good out of evil only
underscores the power and the excellence of His sovereign, decretive will.
We
sometimes get at this same problem by distinguishing between God’s active will
and His passive will. Again we face difficulties. When God is “passive,” He is,
in a sense, actively passive. I do not mean to speak nonsense but merely to
show that God is never totally passive. When He seems to be passive, He is
actively choosing not to intercede directly.
Augustine
addressed the problem this way: “Man sometimes with a good will wishes
something which God does not will, as when a good son wishes his father to
live, while God wishes him to die. Again it may happen that man with a bad will
wishes what God wills righteously, as when a bad son wishes his father to die,
and God also wills it …For the things which God rightly wills, He accomplishes
by the evil wills of bad men.”
Coram
Deo
Can
you remember when God used what was intended for evil to accomplish good in
your life? Give Him thanks for those times.
Passages
for Further Study
Psalm
31:3
Psalm
139:8-10