基督的人性 The Humanity 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》P75 ,更新傳道會出版http://www.crmnj.org/

神的兒子取了真正的人性，這是具有歷史性之基督教中一項極重要的教義。主後四五一年的迦克墩大會，肯定了耶穌是真人也是真神，並肯定了基督的神人二性是不可混合、不可混淆、不可分離、不可分裂的，而且這兩種本性都有其特有的屬性。

耶穌具有真正人性的教義主要曾遭到兩方面的攻擊。初期教會必須與幻影派（docetism)的異端對抗，此派認為耶穌並沒有真正的肉身，或真正的人性，他們說耶穌只是「好像」擁有身體，但實施上祂只是一個幽靈。使徒約翰針對此說，強烈地指明那些否認耶穌真正具有肉身的，就是敵基督。

初期教會所需要對抗的另一個異端是基督一性論派（monophysite), 此派認為耶穌並非擁有神人二性，而只有一性；此性既非真正的神性，也非真正的人性，而是一種神人混合的本性，即所謂的神人一體（the-anthropism)。基督一性論派的異端主㢳，基督不是具有神性化的人性，就是具有人性化的神性。

基督一性論派的異端在每個時代都有，它以不易察覺的方式危害教會。此說的傾向是讓人相信耶穌的神性呑蝕了祂的人性，並以此說來消除耶穌的人性所帶給祂的真正限制。

我們必須能區分基督的二性，卻又能不將它們分離。例如，當耶穌饑餓時，這是祂的人性，而不是神性的表現，祂身上的神性和人性都是確實存在的。又如，神人基督在十字架上死了，這並不是說神在十字架上被消滅了；雖然基督的神人二性在衪升天後仍是聯合的，但我們必須區分祂與我們同在時所具有的二種本性。就祂的人性而言，今天基督不再與我們同在，但是衪卻以祂的神性未曾與我們須臾分離。

基督的人性與我們的人性相仿。衪為我們的緣故成為人，並進入我們的處境中，作我們的救贖主。祂成為我們的替代，自己背負我們的罪惡，好站在我們的地位受苦。祂代表我們滿足神的律法。

救贖是雙向的交換：我們的罪歸在耶穌身上，耶穌的義則歸在我們身上。耶穌因我們不完全的人性而受到審判，我們則因耶穌完全的人性而領受祝福。具人性的耶穌，受到所有人類共同有的限制，只是祂沒有犯罪。具人性的耶穌並不是無所不知的，當時的祂雖然擁有真正而確實的知識，但這知識不是無限的。有一些事是祂自己也不知道的，例如，祂就不知道自己再來的日子、時刻。但具神性的耶穌卻是無所不知的，衪的知識也是無限的。

身為人子，耶穌受到時空的限制。就像其他人一樣，衪不可能同時出現在不同的地方；祂會流汗，會覺得餓，會流淚，會感受痛苦，會死亡。在這些方面，祂與我們是一樣的。

總結

1. 耶穌具有真正的人性，這人性與祂的神性完美地結合在祂身上。

2. 「幻影派」認為，耶穌沒有一個真正的肉身。

3. 「基督一性論派」的異端把基督的人性神性化，且認為基督的神性吞蝕了祂的人性。

4. 基督的人性是祂與我們認同的基礎。

5. 基督擔當了我們的罪，又將衪的義歸給我們。

6. 基督的人性使祂受到一般人性所帶來的限制，只是衪沒有犯罪。

思考經文

約1：1-14；加4：4；腓2：5-11；來2：14-18；來4：15

The Humanity of Christ

That God the Son took upon Himself a real human nature is a crucial doctrine of historic Christianity. The great ecumenical Council of Chalcedon in A.D. 451 affirmed that Jesus is truly man and truly God and that the two natures of Christ are so united as to be without mixture, confusion, separation, or division, each nature retaining its own attributes.

The true humanity of Jesus has been assaulted chiefly in two ways. The early church had to combat the heresy of docetism, which taught that Jesus did not have a real physical body or a true human nature. They argued that Jesus only "seemed" to have a body but in reality was a phantom sort of being. Over against this, John strongly declared that those who denied that Jesus came truly in the flesh are of the Antichrist.

The other major heresy the church rejected was the monophysite heresy. This heresy argued that Jesus did not have two natures, but one. This single nature was neither truly divine nor truly human but a mixture of the two. It was called a "theanthropic" nature. The mono-physite heresy involves either a deified human nature or a humanized divine nature.

Subtle forms of the monophysite heresy threaten the church in every generation. The tendency is toward allowing the human nature to be swallowed up by the divine nature in such a way as to remove the real limitations of Jesus' humanity.

We must distinguish between the two natures of Jesus without separating them. When Jesus hungers, for example, we see that as a manifestation of the human nature, not the divine. What is said of the divine nature or of the human nature may be affirmed of the person. On the cross for example, Christ, the God-man, died. This, however, is not to say that God perished on the cross. Though the two natures remain united after Christ's ascension, we must still distinguish the natures regarding the mode of His presence with us. Concerning His human nature, Christ is no longer present with us. However, in His divine nature, Christ is never absent from us.

Christ's humanity was like ours. He became a man "for our sakes." He entered into our situation to act as our Redeemer. He became our substitute, taking upon Himself our sins in order to suffer in our place. He also became our champion, fulfilling the law of God on our behalf.

In redemption there is a twofold exchange. Our sins are imparted to Jesus. His righteousness is imparted to us. He receives the judgment due to our imperfect humanity, while we receive the blessing due to His perfect humanity. In His humanity Jesus had the same limitations common to all human beings, except that He was without sin. In His human nature He was not omniscient. His knowledge, though true and accurate as far as it went, was not infinite. There were things He did not know such as the day and the hour of His return to earth. Of course in His divine nature He is omniscient and His knowledge is without limit.

As a human being Jesus was restricted by time and space. Like all human beings He could not be in more than one place at the same time. He sweated. He hungered. He wept. He endured pain. He was mortal, capable of suffering death. In all these respects He was like us.

1.         Jesus had a true human nature that was perfectly united with His divine nature.

2.         Docetism said that Jesus did not have a real physical body.

3.         The monophysite heresy involves the deification of the human nature by which His humanity is eclipsed by His deity.

4.         Christ's humanity is the basis of His identification with us.

5.         Jesus took our sins upon Himself and imparts His righteousness to us.

6.         Jesus' human nature had the limitations of normal humanity, except that He was without sin.