向著標竿直跑Keeping the End in Sight

作者：Mark Kelderman   譯者：駱鴻銘

https://tabletalkmagazine.com/article/2019/12/keeping-the-end-in-sight/

http://www.crtsbooks.net/blog/post/2019/12/22/Keeping_the_End_in_Sight.aspx

短暫與永恆，這兩個詞看似矛盾，但是當涉及到信徒每天在上帝面前生活時，它們就是緊密相連的。要過基督徒生活，就必須面對許多挑戰和誘惑。事情往往不會盡如人意或按照計劃進行。苦難有時候會如此嚴重，以至於我們會懷疑上帝是否存在。我們看不見祂，也相信祂的應許。失望和磨難會使我們心灰意冷，但「短暫」和「永恆」這兩個詞卻會給我們帶來盼望。

Brevity and eternity—these two words seem contradictory, and yet they are closely connected when it comes to living daily as a believer before the face of God. Living the Christian life, we face many challenges and temptations. Often, things do not go the way we expected them to go or the way we would have planned them. At times, our suffering is so severe that we wonder where God is. We can’t see Him, and we doubt His promises. There are disappointments and trials that bring us low, but these two words, brevity and eternity, give us hope.

我想到幾段話，讓我們有機會瞭解保羅在談到短暫和永恆時心中的想法。他本人經歷過嚴峻的考驗和折磨。然而，靠著上帝的恩典，他也藉此得到成長；而當我們遇到類似情況時，他也給了我們忠告，好效法他的榜樣。在他寫給哥林多信徒的第二封信中，他兩次挑戰我們不要灰心或喪膽（林後四1、16）。在第一個例子裏，他反思自己的呼召。基督徒啊，我們也必須記住我們的呼召，就是要跟隨基督。無論我們走到哪裏，無論與誰見面，我們都會給人留下印象。當我們直面挑戰和苦難時，世人會看到我們是否真的相信自己所認信的，即上帝掌管萬有。這是我們在瓦器裏的寶貝；它展示出住在我們裏面的上帝的能力。

Several passages come to mind that give us a window into the mind of Paul as he addresses brevity and eternity. He himself was affected by severe trials and afflictions. Yet, by God’s grace, he grew through them, and he gives us advice to follow when we face similar situations. Twice in his second letter to the Corinthians, he challenges us not to lose heart or faint (2 Cor. 4:1, 16). In the first instance, he reflects on his calling. Christian, we also must remember our calling: to follow Christ. Wherever we go, we are leaving an impression behind us with whomever we meet. When we face challenges and suffering, the world will see whether we really believe what we confess, namely, that God is in complete control. This is the treasure we have in earthen vessels; it puts on display the power of God that resides in us.

保羅不僅告訴我們該怎麼做；他還給了我們可以繼續前進的理由。他說我們不喪膽的原因是因為我們裏面的人天天都在更新。這個屬靈人（我們真是這樣的人），是被基督的靈更新的。基督就住在我們裏面，因此我們可以面對這些挑戰。即使這個外面的人，也就是我們的肉體，每天都在死亡，我們仍舊歡喜，因為身為新造的人，我們在基督裏是活生生的。雖然我們的身體正在承擔主耶穌的死，但耶穌的生命卻在我們的身體上顯明。這就是我們在這世上見證基督的方式。我們證明我們不是為這個世界或是為這個世界擺在我們眼前的事物而活，因我們的生命很短暫。相反，我們是朝聖者，正在往天上聖城的途中，這座城的根基和建造者是我們的上帝（來十一10）。我們以此為目標。這並不是說我們面對的是毫無盼望和喜悅的生命；恰恰相反。我們知道故事的結局，而不信者卻不明白，因此我們是為了上帝的榮耀而充分利用每一天，來面對今生的短暫。

Paul doesn’t just tell us what to do; he also gives reasons why we can press on. He says the reason we do not faint is because the inner man is being renewed each day. The spiritual man, who we truly are, is renewed by the Spirit of Christ. Christ lives in us, and therefore we can face these challenges. Even though the outer man, our physical bodies, is dying daily, we rejoice because as the new man, we are alive in Christ. While we bear in our bodies the dying of the Lord Jesus, the life of Jesus is made manifest in our bodies. This is how we bear witness to Christ in this world. We testify that we are not living for this world or the things it sets before our eyes, because our lives are brief. Rather, we are pilgrim travelers en route to a celestial city whose foundation and maker is our God. We live with this end in view. This does not mean that we face life without hope and joy; quite the opposite. We know the end of the story, while the unbeliever does not, and so we face the brevity of this life by making the most of every day for the glory of God.

保羅在同一章中幾次充滿自信地說：「我們知道。」考慮一下他是如何開始哥林多後書第五章的。他說，我們知道，如果我們在地上的身體（地上的帳棚）被拆毀了，我們仍然擁有屬於上帝的房子。目前，我們正在被塑造成石頭，上帝要用這些石頭建造一座祂要永遠居住的聖殿。這是信徒所作的信仰告白。保羅繼續說道，我們的苦難是至暫至輕的（林後四17）。這意味著時間的短暫。與任何正在經歷苦難的人交談，他都會說，這似乎和至暫至輕完全相反，但是憑著信心，我們承認，上帝要運用所有這些苦難。通過它們，祂在我們心裏動工，為我們帶來極重無比、永遠的榮耀。你是否曾這樣看待你的苦難呢？

Several times in this same chapter, Paul says with confidence, “We know.” Consider how he begins 2 Corinthians 5. He states that we know that if our earthly body is broken down, we still have a building of God. Presently, we are being shaped into the very stones out of which God is building a temple where He shall dwell forever. This is the confession the believer makes. Paul continues by saying that our affliction is light and momentary. That means brief. Talk to anyone going through affliction and he will say that it seems like the opposite of light and momentary, yet by faith we confess that all these afflictions are being put to work by God. Through them, He is working in us and for us an exceeding and eternal weight of glory. Have you ever said this about your suffering?

保羅在這裏想到了在基督裏的那位慈愛的父親，祂正在減輕我們所有的苦難，使苦難不至於過度，好叫它能把我們轉變成基督的樣式，為祂帶來榮耀。當我們面對困難的環境時，這應該激勵我們的心，因為我們認識到，與永恆相比，它們是短暫的，但是，儘管它們是短暫的，但上帝正在藉著它們動工，帶來永恆的榮耀和持久的回報。因此，保羅補充說，我們不會憑肉眼所見來看待萬事萬物。這會欺騙我們，因為事情不像表面那樣。我們必須用信心的眼睛，才能按照上帝看事物的角度來看待萬事萬物。我們常常像先知以利沙的僕人那樣，害怕國王的軍隊。但是，當以利沙祈禱，求上帝讓他睜開眼睛時，突然間他就看到那些為他們爭戰的天軍，比敵對他們的人更多，也更有能力（王下六8-23）。若是如此，若是基督幫助我們，誰能真正敵擋我們呢？我們所見的是暫時的，但我們憑信心承認的是永恆的。

Paul has in mind here the loving Father in Christ who is moderating all of our suffering so that it is not too much and so that it serves our transformation into the likeness of Christ, bringing Him the glory. This ought to stir our hearts as we face difficult circumstances, for we realize that they are brief in comparison to eternity and yet, though they are brief, God is working through them to bring about eternal glory and a lasting reward. Thus, Paul adds that we do not look at the things that we see with our natural eye. This would deceive us, for things are not as they appear to be. We need the eyes of faith to see things as God sees them. We are often like the prophet Elisha’s servant who was afraid of the king’s army. But when Elisha prayed that his eyes would be opened, suddenly he saw that those who were fighting for them were more numerous and more powerful than those who were against them (2 Kings 6:8–23). So, if Christ be for us, who can really be against us? The things we see are temporary, but those things we confess by faith are eternal.

因此，當我們在這個墮落的世界中生活時，讓我們把目光集中在那救贖的源頭上，就是坐在寶座上掌管萬有的我們的長兄基督身上。讓我們把我們的苦難與將要屬於我們永恆的喜樂幸福相比，就像使徒一樣，讓我們不要喪膽：「現在的苦楚若比起將來要顯於我們的榮耀，就不足介意了。」（羅八18）。當我們等待上帝兒子的完全顯現是，這就是我們的盼望。當那永恆的日子到來時，我們將脫離短暫生命的轄制，得享上帝兒女自由的榮耀，我們必要像祂，因為必得見祂的真體（約壹三2）。儘管我們的生命短暫，但是讓我們以永恆的眼光為基督而活吧。

Therefore, as we live our lives in this fallen world, let us focus our eyes on where our redemption is coming from, on Christ our elder Brother who sits on the throne, ruling over all things. Let us compare our suffering to the joy and bliss of everlasting joy that shall be ours, as the Apostle does, and let us not lose heart: “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Rom. 8:18, KJV). This is our hope as we wait for the full revelation of the sons of God. When that eternal day dawns, we shall be delivered from the bondage of this brief life into the glorious liberty of the children of God, and we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. Though our lives are brief, let us live in light of eternity for Christ.

玉漏沙殘時將盡，

天國即將破曉；

所慕晨曦即降臨，

甘甜加上奇妙。

雖經黑暗四圍繞，

晨光今已四照，

榮耀榮耀今充滿，

以馬內利之境。（高信夫人 [Anne Cousin]）

（摘自詩歌“玉漏沙殘”[The sands of time are sinking]或譯“以馬內利樂境”[In Emmanuel’s Land]）。

The sands of time are sinking,

The dawn of heaven breaks;

The summer morn I’ve sighed for

The fair, sweet morn awakes:

Dark, dark had been the midnight

But dayspring is at hand,

And glory, glory dwelleth

In Emmanuel’s land. (Anne Cousin)

馬克·凱爾德曼牧師（Rev. Mark Kelderman）是密歇根州大急流城清教徒改革神學院的學生事務長，和靈性塑造、教牧神學講師。他是《傳統改革宗教會》（Heritage Reformed Congregations）的牧師，也是聖經輔導員協會的正式顧問。