基督的神性The Deity of Christ

作者: 史鮑爾 (R.C. Sproul) 譯者: 姚錦榮

摘自《神學入門》《Essential Truths of the Christian Faith》P67 ,更新傳道會出版http://www.crmnj.org/

基督的神性是基督徒必須相信的，這也是新約基督福音最重要的成分，可惜在每個世紀，教會都無可避免地要面對一些自稱為基督徒，卻否定或曲解基督神性的人。

在教會歷史上有四個世紀，對於基督神性的認信在教會內部形成了激烈的爭辯。這四個世紀就是第四、第五、第十九和第二十世紀，我們現在正活在異端充斥的一個世紀，因此保衛教會對基督神性的認信乃是當務之急。

在主後三二五年的尼西亞大會中，教會為了針對亞流異端，而宣稱耶穌是父所生，而非父所造的，耶穌的神性與父神是同質的(homo ousios)。這認信宣布了三位一體的第二位與父神的本質相同。換句話說，基督的實存就是神的實存；基督並只是與神相似，祂就是神。

基督神性的認信，是綜合新約各書卷中的見證而得來的結論。道成肉身的基督，不單在創世之先已經存在，而且祂是永遠存在的。衪太初時即與神同在，而且祂就是神（約1：1-3）。基督與神同在的這個概念，表明出父神和子神有位格上的區分；而基督是神的概念，則指出基督包括在三位一體的神𥚃面。

新約聖經其他處也將神性獨有的稱號用在耶穌身上。神將主這個重要的神性稱號用在基督身上（腓2：9-11）。身為人子，耶穌稱自己為安息日的主（可2：28），並宣稱擁有赦罪的權柄（可2：1-12）。祂亦被稱為榮耀的主（雅2：1）。當多馬對衪呼叫「我的主！我的神！」時（約20：28），祂亦坦然接受他的敬拜。

保羅宣稱，神本性一切的豐盛，都有形有體地居住在基督𥚃面（西1：19）；又說耶穌高過天使，這也是希伯來書所談及的主題。敬拜天使或其他任何受造物-----無論其地位有多高--------都違背了聖經中禁拜偶像的命令。約翰福音中「我是........ 」的宣稱，也見證了耶穌的神性。

第五世紀的迦克墩大會（主後四五一年）肯定耶穌為真人，亦為真神；並且肯定耶穌的神人二性是不可混合、不可混淆、不可分離、也不可分裂的（without mixtrue, confusion, separation, or division)。

總結

1.基督的神性是基督教絕對必要的教義。

2.教會在第四、第五、第十九和第二十世紀，都曾面對基督神性教義的異端。

3.尼西亞大會（主後三二五年）確認基督的神性，宣告基督的本質與父神相同，並且基督不是被造的。

4.新約聖經清楚確認基督的神性。

5.迦克墩大會（主後四五一年）宣告耶穌是真神。

思考經文：

可2：28；約1：1-14；約8：58；約20：28；腓2：9-11；西1：19

The Deity of Christ

Faith in the deity of Christ is necessary to being a Christian. It is an essential part of the New Testament gospel of Christ. Yet in every century the church has been forced to deal with people who claim to be Christians while denying or distorting the deity of Christ.

In church history there have been four centuries in which confession of the deity of Christ has been a crucial and stormy issue inside the church. Those centuries have been the fourth, fifth, nineteenth, and twentieth. Since we are living in one of the centuries where heresy assaults the church, it is urgent that we safeguard the church's confession of Christ's deity.

At the Council of Nicea in A.D. 325, the church, in opposition to the Arian heresy, declared that Jesus is begotten, not made, and that His divine nature is of the same essence (homo ousios) with the Father. This affirmation declared that the Second Person of the Trinity is one in essence with God the Father. That is, the "being" of Christ is the being of God. He is not merely similar to Deity, but He is Deity.

The confession of the deity of Christ is drawn from the manifold witness of the New Testament. As the Logos Incarnate, Christ is revealed as being not only preexistent to creation, but eternal. He is said to be in the beginning with God and also that He is God (John 1:1-3). That He is with God demands a personal distinction within the Godhead. That He is God demands inclusion in the Godhead.

Elsewhere, the New Testament ascribes terms and titles to Jesus that are clearly titles of deity. God bestows the preeminent divine title of Lord upon Him (Philippians 2:9-11). As the Son of Man, Jesus claims to be Lord of the Sabbath (Mark 2:28) and to have authority to forgive sins (Mark 2:1-12). He is called the "Lord of glory" (James 2:1) and willingly receives worship, as when Thomas confesses, "My Lord and my God!" (John 20:28).

Paul declares that the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Christ bodily (Colossians 1:19) and that Jesus is higher than angels, a theme reiterated in the book of Hebrews. To worship an angel or any other creature, no matter how exalted, is to violate the biblical prohibition against idolatry. The I ams of John's Gospel also bear witness to the identification of Christ with Deity.

In the fifth century, the Council of Chalcedon (A.D. 451) affirmed that Jesus was truly man and truly God. Jesus' two natures, human and divine, were said to be without mixture, confusion, separation, or division.

1.         The deity of Christ is a doctrine essential to Christianity.

2.         The church has had crises of heresy regarding Christ's deity in the fourth, fifth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries.

3.         The Council of Nicea (A.D. 325) affirmed the deity of Christ, declaring that He is of the same substance or essence as the Father and that He was not a created being.

4.         The New Testament clearly affirms the deity of Christ.

5.         The Council of Chalcedon (A.D. 451) declared that Jesus was truly God.